Straight after MuseumNext, I had to fly to Lisbon for a project.  By the time I got home from travelling for 10 days, all the Takeway and items I was going to talk about have been covered (and much more eloquently than I would have done!):

• Oonagh Murphy Museum Next 2013
• Claire Ross Museum Next
• Tony Butler A few reflections on social and tech innovation #museumnext 2013
• Andrew Lewis Ideas from Museumnext 2013
• Museumnext Collaborative document
• MuseumNext Tumblr of slides and more

So I went back to the MuseumNext program book to have another look to see if something different might jump out that hasn’t been covered… and there in the Welcome was the key.

If you’re like me, you probably missed the Welcome note from Jim.  In it, he describes the challenges he faced from his first MuseumNext 5 years ago.  Even with having a heavy hitter like Nina Simon the interest wasn’t there.  But soon it went International with the first brave delegate from the Netherlands.

And it has grown and grown ever since.

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There have been a few fabulous and very detailed post on Museum on the Web which I’m not going to try and compete with.  Instead, after being home for a few weeks (and finally getting over jet lag) these are the items that still are prominent with me.

Facebook killed 25% of the website

While in the Tate web assessment session, we were asked to come up with a profile of an average visitor to a website.  Originally we had a personal website but soon realized the profile required a more established website and as Guggenheim was within our group, they were duly elected. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been trying to figure out how best to share my findings from the Denmark Museum Conference.  There was so much insight over the 3 days, with the added bonus of having a tour of a few museums which included curators talk.

Full Storify here of all the tweets used with the tag #paatvaers

Highlights:

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Whenever I tell someone I’m working on MuseoMix UK for November, the first obvious question I get is:

What is MuseoMix?

Officially (on the website) it states:

For three days the participants co-create and test new ways of approaching exhibitions.

We bring together museum professionals, actors of the innovation and the digital world, lovers of art and science, and other lovers of education and culture. This community mixes his views and embodies his ideas around a model museum whose vision is:

• more open and inclusive, where everyone can find “his” place
• networked and connected with diverse communities of visitors online and onsite.
• a living laboratory that grows with its users

For me, MuseoMix is an experience. For others, it’s an ethos. For others it’s a project.

Read the rest of this entry »

Day 3 – the day when all teams shared their projects with *insert dreaded music here*  The Public. In other words, it was a day of total concentration on projects.

For my part, it was a hard day to try and capture in tweets or for this post so instead I went and made audio boos to capture the spirit of the teams, visitors and and support team involved in MuseoMix.

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The conference started off with the usual sign-in procedure.  However, the badges were made via laser cut printers which are part of FabLab… what is Fablab?  They are part of the Resource team…. Yep, this is Museomix – and the ethos gets thrown at your straight away.

The concept is simple:  Provide a venue that needs a good shake up in it’s collection/exhibition and way of thinking, invite museum people from around the country to apply to volunteer for 3 (long) days to create a better space, better way of thinking and better visitor experience. Chuck in some cutting edge technology (not that expensive), a few specific issues (via the Museum itself), a blank canvas and Playmobil.

Ok, perhaps it’s not that simple – it is very much under the same umbrella as an Unconference but on a much grander scale.

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This week, I’ll be heading to Lyon, France to take part in a revolutionary approach to collaborative thinking.

Museomix is a 3 day event which brings diverse participants from all over France together to brainstorm on new thinking.  What would happen if you were provided a blank canvas to create a new visitor experience?

Museomix allows free thinking without restrictions. 

Participants will be put into various teams: thinkers, creators, testers – a true visionary process with no rigid outcome to aim for (the teams will set their own goals which I’m sure will be higher than anything anyone could set prior to starting). Each team will have a mixture of makers, developers, designers, museum people –producing a true Dream Team of creative thinkers.

I first heard of Museomix last year when I caught a few Tweets from Claire Seguret  from Musee de Cluny who was taking part.  I tried my best to follow along with my limited (ok, non-existent!) French as it sounded like an amazing event.

Fast forward to MuseumNext 2012 in Barcelona where I was able to hear Samuel Bausson from Museum de Toulouse share Museomix: remix your museum.  Samuel talked about how Museomix 2011 was about this euphoric museum – where visitors are at the front of the design, not an after-thought.

I knew I wanted to learn more about Museomix. 

I am very fortunate to have a place at Museomix 2012 where I’ll be sharing my findings via social media (Twitter via #museomix, Facebook and blogging on Museomix Tumblr.  I’ll be translating the participant’s adventures over the three days – along with sharing my own thoughts on my site.   Hopefully, I will be the eyes for those that can’t be there.  Please feel free to contact me if I’m clarification is needed.  I remember what it was like last year to follow along not knowing what it was about but knowing it was something exciting.

MuseoMix is taking place at Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon.  For those in France, there will be a chance for professionals and students to come to see the progress (please see website for more information).

Looking forward to taking you on this amazing journey with me!

**Click here for Survey**

Last August 2011, I ran a simple survey called Does Social media work for Cultural Sector. At the time, I had no idea that Cultural 24 was working on their large scale research Let’s Get Real. Nor did I know what difference it was going to make (if any).

The results were intriguing and I mentioned I might run it again in a year.  Fast forward a year and a kind reminder by Ann that it was again time for the survey.

RT @ann_les: @MarDixon, hi! Have you carried out the same survey (http://www.mardixon.com/wordpress/2011/08/does-social-media-work-for-cultural-sector-survey/) this year?

Although I recognize that much has changed in the past year, I decided to leave all the questions the same as 2011.  I *really* want to ask more prying questions but realize that would skew results if we are to honestly compare the data from 2011 to 2012.

Like last year, it shouldn’t take much time to answer the questions and I’ll share all the results. There are 8 questions from 2011 with the option to add a comment in this years survey.

Please share this survey with everyone.

Does Social Media Work for the Cultural Sector 2012

Teenagers are a hard to label group, although many have tried: Millennials, Generation We, Global Generation, the Millennial Generation, and Generation Next.  Regardless of the title we or anyone else give them, the fact is they are currently a stealth group in the cultural world — but this, happily, is changing.

Internationally, Teens in Museums and Culture are slowly getting the respect, time and resources needed to help build programs that they want, rather than programs that we think they want or that tick boxes. This is due to an influx of dedicated personnel who are inviting teens in to museums, taking the time to listen, and providing them the space and opportunity to let them create their own programs, to be involved in new exhibitions, and to have an impact on institutions and culture in their communities.

Donnie gives a presentation on Robert Gober’s “Untitled.” He created a painting and poem in response to the work. Photo by Jessica Janzer (MAM)

At the very least, every program should provide a platform for teens to share their thoughts, ideas, and passions.  If resources allow, progressive programs should assist the teens in providing them a channel to convert the ideas into a reality. For example, let them take over an area in the museum or gallery and listen to where they want the placement of artefacts. Or allow them to change the labels to be teen friendlier (and in ‘Plain English’). Share their voices with those of senior staff members and vice versa.

Many of us know of, or have at least heard of, programs like this.  The real challenge is sustainability.  How can we ensure the ‘Millennial Generation’ are allowed to forge their mark in the cultural world in a way that is both meaningful and realistic but also provides value to museums and galleries, as well as their visitors?

This challenge is different for each venue.

Excellent examples in the United States include Milwaukee Art Museum, Museum Teen Summit, and the Smithsonian EdLab; here within the UK, the Museum of London’s Youth Panel and Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s Art Forum each provide a dedicated platform for teens to work with the venue on a long-term bases, and most importantly with purpose.

Purpose, we feel, is key.

Being a teenager is difficult; you’re finding your feet. You’re not a child anymore, but you’re not quite an adult. You don’t want to be patronised, but you still need guidance while you establish yourself and gain confidence. So purpose and value is crucial. If what you are doing has a result and will change, enhance, or enrich yourself, the cultural institution, and/or the local, national, or global community, then it has purpose. It’s not an easy balance to achieve but it can be done, and we’ve seen it being done well.

With all this in mind, we felt an International Teens in Museum Decree/Manifesto was required.

1. Listen to what Teens are saying. Answer their questions, question them, and work together to find answers and solutions.
2. Engage with Teens; don’t patronize them.
3. Provide achievable challenges which can created sustainable solutions.
4. Promote learning as a challenge for Teens to solve.
5. Create an environment where Teens can explore digital media where appropriate.
6. Bring teens into projects from the start, not as an after thought.
7. Provide adequate space and time for challenges to be achieved.
8. Be flexible.  Many teens can’t commit to meeting same time every week.
9. Don’t make assumptions. (For example, not all Teens have Facebook or iPhones.)
10. Let teens actively build your institution’s assets.

What are your thoughts? Are you working with teens?  If so, we’d love to hear from you!  

Please note: a website and Twitter account are coming soon so watch this space! 

Teens in Museums is a coalition with Mar Dixon, Milwaukee Art Museum, Museum Teen Summit, and the Smithsonian EdLab. If you would like your venue to get involved, please email.