participatory science centre

the participatory science centre

nina simon, museum [email protected]@ninaksimon on twitter

slides at http://bit.ly/participatoryscience

mailto:[email protected]


http://bit.ly/participatoryscience


where i live

what i dobalboa park online collaborativeboston children’s museum calgary science centerchabot space science centerchicago history museumdenver art museumexperience music projectgirls math and science partnershipinternational spy museummonterey bay aquariummuseum of life and scienceoakland museum of californiaSFMOMA smithsonian museum of natural historystatens museum for kunsttech museum of innovation

why i’m here

what does this look like?how does it work?how do you know if it works?

the participatory institution is a place where visitors can create, share, and connect with each other around content.

what i advocate

in cultural institutions, that can mean...

lower: Chicago Children’s Museumlower: Science Museum of Minnesota

Center of Science and IndustryCantor Art Center

and it requires some changes

traditional institution participatory institution

Authority is content provider Authority is platform provider

why would you want to do this?

participation does five things best:

deliver personal relevance

celebrate and network diverse voices

deliver dynamic content

encourage interpersonal dialogue

support collaborative + creative practice

why would you want to do this?to deliver personal relevance

London Science Museum

why would you want to do this?to celebrate and network diverse visitors’ voices

The Wild Center

why would you want to do this?to deliver dynamic content and experiences

Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum

why would you want to do this?to encourage interpersonal dialogue

University of Washington

why would you want to do this?to support collaborative, creative practice

National Building Museum

why would you want to do this?

participation does five things best:

deliver personal relevance

celebrate and network diverse voices

deliver dynamic content

encourage interpersonal dialogue

support collaborative + creative practice

visitorswhat do they need?

what will these relationships look like?

INSTITUTION

how can you do it well?

what are you about?

150 entrants12 finalists4 concerts

1 cd

participation for institutional goals: Sound Off! case study

Current Program Participants

teen artists (13-17) - makers, musicians

family who come see performance/show

Their Audiences

teen bands (13-21) (don’t have tight relationship) friends who come

for the show

fans of the bands

Sound Off audiencebands who don’t get into

Sound Off

youth advisory board (13-18) who volunteer with Sound

Off + other projects

Interests/Desires from Site

behind the scenes influence

becoming pro musicians

learning to play music/cultivate arts

Experience the Band - ensemble musicians

Affinities

playing in a band

meet other kids like them/finding community

meet pros

get scholarships to Berklee

school groups

On Stage

SoundLab

reading

skateboarding

comic books

gaming

musiciansfans of rock

music collectors

people into music history

artistsdreamers

people into scifi history

car guys

tattoomovie buffs

DIY

science enthusiasts

architecture/design enthusiasts

graphic design/illustration

activate historic interest

be a part of the music making history

sharing passions with family/friends

personal quest for improvement

close to celebrity

play the music you love

meet heroes

specific program interest

finding new things you’ll like

validating your nichehope to replicate peak

experiences

entertainment

one-off programs

guest events

peers other teen musicians

teachers

out-of-school facilitators

part 1 - identifying audiences and their needs

Sound Off currently...

Creators: kids in bands

Critics: Facebook voting, pro critics, judges

Joiners: MySpace communities around bands,

Spectators: people who come to the show

ADD:-open submission process online (get other bands more out there)-YAB switch from judging to press corps/critics, bloggers-open vlogger competition-oral history live with youth-tracing past bands over time-fans and bands that lose have online community to support each -monthly challenges, lightweight, write a song based on X or using -Sound Off backstage - other roles

part 2 - identifying institutional opportunities

part 3 - rolling out new services with impact assessment

year 1: - digital, online submissions (private), culled by staff + youth advisory board - engage the other bands in social network around Sound Off!

- light merchandise contest, gig promotion, musician meetups - youth advisory board produces journalistic content about finalists and events - live event text voting “people’s choice” by audience

year 2: - digital, online submissions (public), culled by online audience, then staff + youth advisory board - social network members produce journalistic content inc. behind-the-scenes

- youth advisory board manages social network - youth advisory board begins oral history live project around all-ages scene

five techniques for participatory engagement

1. be personal / i like museums + talk to me bubbles

2. scaffold the experience / side trip + human library

3. design for thoughtful response / on the road + signtific

4. offer multiple engagement points / youtube

5. make it manageable / haarlem oost + mls

ilikemuseums.com

who are you relative to the science centre?

constrained profiles

Denver Art Museum90,000 visitors, 37,000 posters made

average time poster-making: 25 minutes

this is not enough to promote social dialogue

GoMA

I’ve never had a gay friend. It was unbelievably exciting to find myself facing him with his body, opinions and identity. It seems he was not very different from me and especially he was not an alien. From now on, I will not disrupt my communication with the gays, I will enhance it.

- Reader in Istanbul, 2007

Lowell National Historical Park

lab.signtific.org

using comment boards for dialogue

don’t focus solely on creators...

the vast majority of social media users are not creators

what makes YouTube different?

Ontario Science Cenre

participation can be for everyone

“museums that get better the more people use them”

Minnesota History MuseumAuckland Museum

mission-driven social participation at the museum of life and science

what makes sense on YouTube?

how can we encourage people to share their experience?

how can we encourage people to think like scientists?

what’s your idea?

contact me [email protected]

http://www.museumtwo.com

Download slides at http://bit.ly/participatoryscience







participatory science centre

Design