1. Conceptualizing and Designing Successful Children’s Exhibits Address to the 2 nd National Children’s Museum Conference by Katherine Molineux, Consultant, Lord Cultural Resources kmolineux@lord.ca Feb. 20, 2009

2. Lord Cultural Resources Founded in 1981 in response to an emerging need for specialized planning services in the museum, cultural and heritage sector, Lord Cultural Resources is now the world’s largest cultural professional practice. With the successful completion of more than 1,600 projects in 41 countries on 6 continents, the firm has earned an international reputation for sector leadership, innovation and excellence.

3. Lord Cultural Resources Network of offices in: Toronto New York Paris Madrid Beijing Respect for local adaptation, cultural diversity and collaboration. The highest standards of integrity, ethics and professional practice.

4. Creating Cultural Capital Cultural Capital is the value created by maximizing cultural resources. Collaborating with people and organizations to plan and manage cultural places, programmes and resources that deliver excellence in the service of society. A full-service offering built on a foundation of visioning, planning and implementation.

5. What is the Purpose of an Exhibit? To: Communicate Transform Promote discovery Educate, Entertain and Enlighten Tropenmuseum – “Bombay” exhibit

6. What Makes an Exhibit Successful? Successful exhibitions require: Proper Planning Thoughtful and relevant Design Responsive Fabrication Evaluation Exhibition/Design Brief “The Idea” Interpretive Plan Concept Design Design Fabrication Project Management Evaluation

7. What does this process mean for Children’s Exhibits? Planning Know Your Visitors Telling a Story Target Audiences Expressing the Content Appealing to Different Learning Styles Design Creating Inviting and Accessible Exhibits Fabrication Durability, Dependability, Safety Evaluation Visitor Feedback: Evaluation and Dialogue

8. Know Your Visitors Brooklyn Children’s Museum

9. Telling a Story

10. Telling a Story - Sawai Man Singh Town Hall Museum Puppet making Dancing Hands-on Astronomy Urban Planning Activity Block Printing Rubbings Music Questions Demonstrations and more

11. Target Audience Kohl Children’s Museum

12. Expressing the Content Aesthetic / Didactic Austin Galleries, Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell, NM Hands-On Field Museum, Chicago Integrated multimedia Peter Rabbit’s Garden, Traveling Exhibition Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa Immersive environments

13. Interactivity Virtual Fish Tank, Museum of Science, Boston Peter Rabbit’s Travelling Exhibit The Funky Forest created for the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam – Visitors manage natural resources to influence the environment around them. Ann Arbour Museum, Ann Arbour Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert

14. Appealing to Different Styles of Learning Scientific research by Howard Gardner, of Harvard University, has identified 7 ways that children learn: VerbalVisual LogicMovement Reflection Social Sound

15. Design – Inviting and Accessible Exhibits Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery

16. Design for Children The Flight Fantasy galleries at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, where kids can power a variety of 'flying machines' using their own body's energy, play hopscotch on clouds, and learn about aerodynamics.

17. Fabrication Durability Dependability Safety

18. Fabrication Kohl Children’s Museum Xibitz

19. Evaluation Front-End Evaluation Formative Evaluation Summative Evaluation Strong National Museum of Play

20. Conceptualizing and Designing Successful Children’s Exhibits Address to the 2 nd National Children’s Museum Conference by Katherine Molineux, Consultant, Lord Cultural Resources kmolineux@lord.ca Feb. 20, 2009