Museum Techmuse

CMOM's Andy Warhol Exhibit

The moment I showed up to install our interactive in CMOM's new Andy Warhol exhibit, a reporter from the New York Post walked over with Karen Snider to ask me about it. Basically, visitors take a snapshot of themselves, and create and Andy Warhol-like image of themselves (see below).

I'm not accustomed to talking with reporters, but managed to come up with a pithy statement: "People love to see themselves in exhibits. We want to create an environment building on this, where parents and children talk about their creative experience together."

Alas, he didn't use this (I'll wait for my 15 minutes of fame). But I'm very pleased with the way the interactive turned out -- and delighted to be in another of CMOM's great exhibits focusing on creative expression and family learning. (Credits also to the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and the Andy Warhol Museum).

Technology in Museums: Where's the Big Bang?

Attended a panel discussion at Harvard Graduate School of Education led by David Perkins, who asked the provocative question "Where's the big bang?" in technology and education. Have computers in education led to a qualitatively new experience for students, or has it simply been a progression of more of the same?

In the formal education world (elementary through high schools), the answers by panelists seem to qualify the gains (except perhaps in the world of accessibility for students with special needs). But what about in the world of informal education, including museums? I'm interested in two particular uses of technology: 1) Using media interactives to increase the amount of verbal communication between visitors on the exhibit topic (see our work on Storytelling Kiosk), and 2) Using Web-based media to bridge learning environments from the museum to homes and schools (see our presentation on using museum websites to encourage post-visit behavioral change).