After months of planning and deliberation, we have begun prototyping for our upcoming traveling exhibit Electromagnetism: One Big Theory, One Little Particle. Needless to say we are really excited about this project. I figured I should take some time to introduce the exhibit and give some insights into the philosophy behind its design.
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There is an adage in our culture that speaks to many of us with careers in museums and other informal learning institutions: play is the work of the child. There is little doubt that children are naturally adept at initiating play. When left to their own devices, children gravitate towards a playful mindset; creating games and fantasies from whatever tools they have at their disposal. They find themselves drawn to play as if it was their occupation and there is a great deal of research concerning this tendency as well as its role in the development if young minds. But despite its intention to place a higher value on play, I can’t help but feel that this aphorism leaves something to be desired.
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I have witnessed a growing trend in the museum industry to widen the audience base to include teens and adults (and not necessarily adults with young children). All institutions grow through diversifying the groups that they serve and young adults without children are not the traditional science museum audience, so this trend is not surprising. But beyond this, there exists a fundamental drive among many in our field to expand the audience because we truly believe in the value of the information we are entrusted to teach. We choose to work in museums because the scientific content and viewpoint as well as the general approach to displaying that content are personally meaningful to us. In other words, we are adults who love hands-on science and “after all when you’re in love, you want to tell the world.”
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Learning is one of life’s great adventures. The discovery that there is more to the world then one originally perceived is at once a truly humbling and incredibly empowering experience. Museums, regardless of their content or intended audience, foster this experience. They create spaces that engage visitors with new images, objects, experiences and ideas and allow for them to be discovered at each individual’s own pace. Driven by their own interest, visitors to museums are free to go where they please. They can linger when they are intrigued, hurry past what doesn’t catch their eye and take a break when they’re feeling tired. This freedom cultivates the self-motivation that drives lifelong learning and makes museums an integral part of any well-rounded education.
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