Making the Museum

What’s the A in DEAI, and why are the ADA guidelines not enough anymore? What’s intersectionality? What’s a “user expert”? If ADA isn’t our goal, what comes after? This is a must-listen episode, featuring two of the most important voices in museum accessibility today.

Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) is joined by Beth Ziebarth (Smithsonian head diversity officer and director of Access Smithsonian) and Jan Majewski (Director, Inclusive Cultural and Educational Projects, IHCD) to talk “DEAI: Meeting ADA Isn’t Enough”.

Along the way: when mentors become mentees, why that 26% actually might be higher, and some show notes that are a must-have all on their own.

Talking Points:

1. Individuals with disabilities are 26% of the population.

2. To be essential to all, museums and exhibitions must be accessible to all.

3. DEI + Accessibility = DEAI 

4. DEI is about the people. Accessibility is about their environment.

5. Intersectionality: Everyone has multiple identities.

6. Meeting the ADA standards isn’t enough for DEAI.

7. Visitors with disabilities want to see themselves reflected in the exhibitions.

8. Exhibition teams can tap individuals with disabilities as “user experts”.

Guest Bios:

Beth Ziebarth is the Smithsonian’s head diversity officer and director of Access Smithsonian. She is moving forward organizational diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEAI) goals by building a community of practice, serving as a lead advisor and participant in the implementation of institutional strategic initiatives and developing opportunities to bring DEAI resources into the Institution. Ziebarth also develops and implements accessibility policy and guidelines for the Institution, ensuring that Smithsonian visitors equitably experience inclusive physical and digital environments. In her more than 30 years at the Smithsonian, Ziebarth has served as a volunteer, as a social science analyst in the Institutional Studies Office, as leader of Access Smithsonian, and, more recently, as the interim head diversity officer. She has translated her personal interest in accessibility and disability into a broader professional perspective and responsibility for DEAI initiatives for visitors and staff. Ziebarth is board vice president and programs committee chair of Nature Forward, a nonprofit organization that inspires residents in the Washington, D.C., region to appreciate their natural environment through outdoor experiences and education. Ziebarth received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marquette University in Milwaukee.
 
Jan Majewski, Director, Inclusive Cultural and Educational Projects of IHCD, joined the Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD) to enrich her love for museums and her advocacy for making them more inclusive. Brainstorming and problem solving with museum professionals across the globe, she collaborates with clients to ensure their museums, exhibitions, programs, and policies provide people on the spectrum of ability and age, from all cultures, an equal opportunity for engagement and participation. Learning deeply from user/experts who have lived experience with disabilities, Jan helps share their expertise in museums through user testing, co-design, and training. The American Alliance of Museums awarded Jan the 2021 individual award for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion. Before joining IHCD, Jan was an Accessibility Specialist in the Disability Rights Section of the United States Department of Justice, where she worked on issues of museum accessibility, accessible technology, cooperation between the disability and business communities, and ADA technical assistance. Jan began her career in museums at the Smithsonian Institution. Coming from a classroom background, teaching students who were deaf, she began as the Coordinator for Special Education in the Institution’s then Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. She later became the Office’s Director of Outreach Programs and then founded the Institution-wide Accessibility Program where she partnered with all of the museums and the National Zoo to increase accessibility throughout the Institution. Jan led the teams that wrote the first comprehensive set of U.S. museum exhibition universal design guidelines, the Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design, and the museum training manual, Part of Your General Public Is Disabled.

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

Inclusive Exhibition Design

National Association of Museum Exhibition, Exhibition: A Journal of Exhibition Theory and Practice for Museum Professionals, Fall 2015 issue: Creating an Inclusive Experience: Exhibitions and Universal Design
https://www.name-aam.org/exhibition_fall2015 

Inclusive Digital Interactives Design 

Collaborative project by Access Smithsonian, IHCD, and MuseWeb: Inclusive Digital Interactives: Best Practices + Research
https://ihcd-api.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/file+downloads/Inclusive+Digital+Interactives+Best+Practices+%2B+Research.pdf 

ADA Standards for Accessible Design

https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/

https://www.access-board.gov/ada/

Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design

https://www.sifacilities.si.edu/sites/default/files/Files/Accessibility/accessible-exhibition-design1.pdf

IHCD Webcasts on Museum Exhibition Design 

IHCD webcast, All Museums for All People:
https://www.humancentereddesign.org/media/16 

IHCD webcast, Museum Prototype Testing and Co-Design in Time of Covid:
https://www.humancentereddesign.org/media/13 

Universal Design for Learning 

Universal Design for Learning Guidelines from CAST:
https://udlguidelines.cast.org 

Levent, Nina and Pascual-Leone, Alvaro. The Multisensory Museum: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Touch, Sound, Smell, Memory, and Space. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. 

Examples of Museum Pre-visit Information, Particularly for People with Certain Brain-based Disabilities

https://access.si.edu/node/22
https://www.mfa.org/visit/accessibility/tips-for-visitors-on-autism-spectrum
...

How can exhibition teams help to decolonize design? What are the pitfalls cultural organizations should watch out for in their DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives? What’s a supertoken and why are cluster hires a better strategy? And what does it mean to approach the process indigenous-first?

The new book, “Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook” offers answers to all these questions and more, thanks to author Dr. Dori Tunstall. Now starting her own consulting firm, Dori was previously the dean of the faculty of design at OCAD in Toronto. She was also the first black dean of a faculty of design anywhere.

In this episode, Dr. Tunstall joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to talk about her new book, what it means for the field of design, and how listeners can begin their own process of “decolonizing design” — from understanding the deep roots of the issue, all the way to writing smarter job postings.

Guest Bio:

Elizabeth "Dori" Tunstall is a design anthropologist, researcher, academic leader, writer, and educator. She was dean of the faculty of design at OCAD University (Ontario College of Art and Design University) in Toronto, Canada, and the first black dean of a faculty of design anywhere. Tunstall holds a PhD and an MA in anthropology from Stanford University and a BA in anthropology from Bryn Mawr College.

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture.
Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

Author Website for “Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook”:

https://decolonizingdesignbook.wordpress.com/

(The site includes a list of IBPOC bookstores to buy from, and locations for Dori’s book tour)

Publisher (MIT Press) Website for “Decolonizing Design”:
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047692/decolonizing-design/

Upcoming Website for Dori's New Firm (available later in Fall 2023):
https://www.doritunstall.com/ 

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

Newsletter:

Like this episode? Subscribe to the Making the Museum newsletter (the best way to hear about new podcast episodes). It's a one-minute regular read on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe at: makingthemuseum.com

What if the best way to market an exhibition — wasn't marketing?

What do we need to do better to help visitors find us in the first place? When they do, how do we engage them? When visitors arrive at our institutions, do they know where to go? What happens to the visitor's experience when we haven't thought enough about the restrooms, the stairs, or the endless line to get something to eat? Why do cultural institutions struggle with following up with visitors after they visit?

Visitor experience expert Samir Bitar (The Art of Consulting) joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to discuss The Visitor Engagement Lifecycle. Along the way: empathy training, why our technology ideas might not be what our visitors want, and how every project could use a visitors' advocate. (And the answer to that question about marketing.)

Talking Points:

Five main phases occur, spread along a journey before, during and after a visit.
 
For a visual, think of these phases arranged along a circle, not a straight line. 
 
Phase 5 leads back to Phase 1, in a continuous cycle.

Pre-Visit:

1. Discover: Visitor is gathering information.

2. Engage: Visitor is actively planning a visit, getting tickets, calling ahead.

During Visit:

3. Arrive: Visitor arrives on site, looking for orientation and direction.

4. Experience: Visitor does the experience, uses amenities, makes purchases.

Post-Visit:

5. Followup: Visitor signs up for emails, gives feedback, becomes a member.

Phase 5 now leads back to Phase 1.

Guest Bio:
 

Samir Bitar is a customer experience advisor, lecturer, and keynote speaker who helps organizations focus on the experiences of the people they serve. As the inaugural Director of Visitor Experience for the Smithsonian Institution he led a revitalization of the visitor experience across galleries, museums, and a zoo. In doing so, he helped transform an organization’s relationship with its visitors. During his tenure, Samir pioneered the use of visitor journey mapping in museum planning and design, published a watershed study of visitors' museum experience, and produced the award-winning Hirshhorn Eye mobile app. In 2018, Samir stepped down from his position to open the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and in 2019, founded The Art of Consulting. Through his firm, Samir works with organizations to embed new capacities that lead to a customer experience transformation.

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at:
http://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

Samir’s Website:
http://theartofconsulting.org

Samir’s Email:

[email protected]

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter! (It’s the best way to know when a new podcast episode goes live.) Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here:
www.makingthemuseum.com

Three podcast hosts join forces in a single show to discuss the latest in experience design. 

It’s a fast-paced three-way session covering half a dozen broad themes, and countless smaller ones. What are we hearing out there? How can we apply it to the work of cultural institutions? Is the biggest creative trend of them all the resurgence of … empathy? 

Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) is joined by the co-hosts of “Matters of Experience,” Brenda Cowan (Professor at SUNY FIT) and Abigail Honor (Founding Partner of Lorem Ipsum Corp) — who share what they’ve learned so far from their own podcast about experience design.

Along the way: a mystery visit, disagreeing with yourself, and cocktails in the arms and armor gallery. In case anyone’s keeping track, this is a podcast about a podcast. (And it would probably be easier to summarize what we didn’t discuss than what we did.)

Talking Points:

1. Breaking Down The Silos (The purpose of “Matters of Experience”)

2. Cross Pollination (The people we interview)

3. Immersion, AI, and Empathy (The trends we are finding)

4. Experience Designers at the Table (It’s not all about architecture)

5. Collections, Repatriation and Provocation (What is happening with objects)

6. Being Playful, Seeing the Larger Context, and Owning It (Takeaways for listeners)

Guest Bios:

Abigail Honor, co-host of the podcast “Matters of Experience”, is a founding partner of Lorem Ipsum Corp. She is a curator and experience designer of award-winning exhibits such as The Warmth of Yamal, Zoya Museum and Zaradye Park and has worked with world-renowned international museums and foundations, including, the Smithsonian Museum and the V-A-C Foundation. Abigail has partnered with corporations including Verizon 5G, Google, and Snapchat and has spoken at global conferences like the Society for Experiential Graphic Design, MuseumNext, and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts about museum design, visitor experience, and multimedia. Abigail graduated from Boston University with an MFA in film production.

Brenda Cowan, co-host of the podcast “Matters of Experience”, is a Professor and former Chairperson of Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design at the SUNY/Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where she teaches exhibition development and evaluation; object and museum studies; research methodologies and audience studies. Her background includes work for museums and design firms in education, exhibition development, and research. Brenda is a Fulbright Specialist in the disciplines of museums, objects and mental health. Her research work with museum objects, mental health and healing has been presented for the American Alliance of Museums; Museums of Hope; MidAtlantic Association of Museums; Sweden’s National Museums of World Culture; CoMuseum Athens; the American Association of State and Local History Leadership Institute; and published with Routledge, Taylor & Francis, the National Association for Museum Exhibition, and the Society for Experiential Graphic Design. 

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at:
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

Podcast: Matters of Experience 

https://loremipsumcorp.com/matters-of-experience/

Abby via LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailhonor/

Abby at Lorem Ipsum:

https://www.loremipsumcorp.com

Brenda via LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-cowan-01bb94140/

Brenda / Museums, Health, and Wellbeing: Museum Projects

https://www.psychotherapeuticobjectdynamics.com/for-the-museum-community

Brenda / New Book: Museum Objects, Health and Healing

https://www.routledge.com/Museum-Objects-Health-and-Healing-The-Relationship-between-Exhibitions/Cowan-Laird-McKeown/p/book/9781138606203

Brenda / Research: Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics

www.psychotherapeuticobjectdynamics.com

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter! (It’s the best way to know when a new podcast episode goes live.) Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com

What if there were a high-quality, peer-reviewed journal for the whole exhibition community? What if it featured the leading organizations, practitioners and ideas that shape the whole industry? What if back issues for the past 30 years were available — for free to see online, right now?

“Exhibition,” the Journal of Exhibition Theory & Practice, published by the American Alliance of Museums, is all those things. But who makes it? What has it taught us? And what’s coming next?

Ian Kerrigan (Managing Editor of “Exhibition” and Senior Vice President for Exhibitions at National September 11 Memorial & Museum) joins Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to go “Behind the Scenes at Exhibition Journal”. 

Along the way: 1001 inventions, how fun helps even serious subjects, and why sometimes you might need to change your name.

How to Subscribe:
 
Apple Podcasts

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G

Google

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL21ha2luZy10aGUtbXVzZXVt

Everywhere
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/

Talking Points:

1. Big Ideas on Small (or Smaller) Budgets (Spring 2023)

2. Effective Exhibitions Should _____ (Fall 2022)

3. Putting Children First (Spring 2022)

4. Beyond the Walls (Fall 2021)

5. Crisis & Resilience (Spring 2021)

6. Making Space for Fun in Museum Exhibitions (Fall 2020)

7. Can Exhibitions Save the Planet? (Spring 2020)

Guest Bio:

Ian Kerrigan is Senior Vice President for Exhibitions at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York where he oversees exhibition development, design, and installation of the institution’s award-winning projects. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Museum Studies Program at New York University and serves as the Managing Editor for Exhibition, a journal of exhibition theory and practice published by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). He is also a federal grant reviewer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Arts, and a peer reviewer for the AAM’s Museum Assessment Program.

About “Exhibition”:

If you or your museum produces exhibitions, you’ll want to know about Exhibition, the peer-reviewed journal published by AAM with the leadership of Ian Kerrigan as Managing Editor and Jenny-Sayre Ramberg as Exhibits Newsline Editor, serving volunteer terms through December 2024, and Editor Jeanne Normand Goswami. Each issue is packed with insights on the latest developments in museum exhibition practice and award-winning designs. Published twice a year, Exhibition offers more than 100 pages of thought-provoking articles, exhibition critiques, and commentary, technical articles, and essays. Each issue is organized around a theme, such as the power of words, exhibitions and universal design, innovation and community relevance and new media in exhibitions.

About Making the Museum:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

Contact Ian Kerrigan at:

[email protected]

www.linkedin.com/in/ian-kerrigan-10363420

Subscribe to Exhibition journal at:

www.aam-us.org/programs/exhibition-journal

View past issues of Exhibition journal at:

www.name-aam.org/past-issues-online

Feasibility Report template from Spring 2021 issue article “Real Talk: Assessing Feasibility with Collaborative Teams” by Emily Saich and Joey Scott from the Monterey Bay Aquarium at:

https://mbayaq.co/37Lvrrq

Resource list from Spring 2021 issue essay “Museum Remedy: 15 Resources for Museums Through a Lens of Racial Equity” by Monica O. Montogomery at:

https://rb.gy/us6jh

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:
 
Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter! Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe at:  https://www.makingthemuseum.com

What if accessible design was for everybody, starting with … ourselves?

What if we are all only temporarily enabled? How can a broader philosophy of access benefit every visitor? What does a WWII veteran have in common with a mom carrying a baby? Could TikTok and the rise of “quiet social media” teach us something we missed?

Phillip Tiongson (Potion) joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to discuss the realization that “We Are All Temporarily Enabled”. Along the way: interactive cinema, a change of heart, and the story of a tippy boat.
 
How to Listen:

Subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts.

Apple: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311

Spotify: 

https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G

Talking Points:

1. We are all temporarily enabled

2. Accessibility is a state of mind, not a bar to clear

3. Accessibility enhances access for all

4. The example of open captions

5. There is no ADA for stories

6. The role of the “expert user”

Guest Bio:

Phillip R. Tiongson, CEO of Potion, is a Filipino American designer and leading authority on interactive technology that merges physical and digital elements. Phillip’s work has shaped the field at large. His award-winning projects have preceded mainstream versions of touch surfaces, position-based apps, and smart environments. Phillip holds an MS from MIT Media Lab, an MFA in Film Directing from Columbia, and two patents for interface design. He has been honored by AAM, SEGD, Fast Company, MUSE, Comm Arts, SXSW, and ADC. His clients include the Museum of Science and Industry, Richard Avedon Foundation, Smithsonian Networks, The Field Museum, and Nike.

See you there!

Warmly,

Jonathan

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. 

Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

[email protected]
https://www.potiondesign.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philliptiongson/

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter!

Making the Museum is also a short newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams, and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe at: https://www.makingthemuseum.com

What is this thing we call a traveling exhibition? 
 
Do they make money? Are traveling exhibitions the same as temporary ones? How can anyone plan a project for a space they’ll never see?
 
Carol Bossert (Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service / Smithsonian Affiliations) joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to reveal the “8 Principles of Traveling Exhibitions”.
 
Along the way: thinking in whole truckloads, how to get to square two, and what happens when you have a 16-foot narwhal.

Talking Points:

1. Traveling exhibitions aren't temporary exhibitions.
2. Match the exhibition to the realities of the host sites.
3. Traveling exhibitions aren't all the same.
4. Traveling exhibitions are stage sets.
5. Size constraints matter.
6. Weight constraints matter.
7. Traveling exhibitions cannot rely on linear storytelling.
8. Traveling exhibitions must consider staffing at host sites.
9. [BONUS] Do traveling exhibitions make money?

Guest Bio:

Carol Bossert is an interpretive planner, writer and exhibition developer. She began her museum career at the Newark Museum and spent twenty years as an independent museum professional, having been involved in over 80 projects in five countries. Her 2014-2017 podcast Museum Life attracted over 2,000 monthly listeners. In 2017, she accepted a position with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and is currently serving as the program manager for science. Carol holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas and a B.A. in zoology from DePauw University. She is a graduate of the J. Paul Getty Museum Management Institute.

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

A project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. 

Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

SITES exhibition offerings: https://www.sites.si.edu/s/   

The Museum on Mainstreet: https://museumonmainstreet.org/

Smithsonian Affiliations: https://affiliations.si.edu/

Reach Carol Bossert at: [email protected] or 202-633-2601

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter! Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe at:  https://www.makingthemuseum.com

It’s a rare moment when a leading designer swaps jobs to lead a nonprofit member organization. And then has to lead that organization through a global pandemic. What unique insights does an experience like that give you — and what can we all learn from it?

Cybelle Jones (CEO of SEGD), joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to discuss what she’s learned going “From Leading Designer to Leading a Nonprofit”.

Along the way: finding your friendly nemesis, becoming a truffle pig, wearing the Hope Diamond — and all about the SEGD 50th Annual Meeting in Washington DC in August.

Talking Points:

1. Reinvention: Be agile and willing to reinvent yourself.

2. Competition / Cameraderie: It’s important to have a friendly nemesis and peer competition, but also to allow the space for open conversations.

3. Bigger Market: We can market our expertise to many more companies, markets and projects than you may realize.

4. Right Thing: We have tremendous influence and power to do the right thing on behalf of the communities, visitors and people our design is in service to.

5. Legacy: We have a responsibility to create the pipeline for the next generation our communal future.

6. That Question: Ask me anything. And no, I don’t miss designing. You know why?

7. SEGD’s 50th: What to expect at the organization’s 50th Annual Meeting in August.

Guest Bio:

Cybelle Jones is CEO of SEGD, a multidisciplinary community creating experiences that connect people to place. SEGD is a non-profit member organization focusing on education, innovation and design excellence by designing more equitable, sustainable, and user-centric environments. Prior to joining SEGD, Cybelle led numerous acclaimed design projects during her 25+ year tenure as Principal of G&A, including the National WWII Museum, the International Spy Museum, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Cybelle is actively involved in various boards and has spoken on the field of experience design at AAM, the V&A, FIT, AIGA, AIA and MuseumNext.

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. It is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

www.segd.org
[email protected]
linkedin.com/in/cybelle-jones-8b495b13

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter! Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe at:  https://www.makingthemuseum.com

(P.S. Will you be at AAM in Denver? Drop a line if you’d like to catch up there, or see if we can find Phil & Monique at the grab-and-go café.)

If a project is over budget, who does the cutting? How early should you estimate costs on a project? What should you do with expensive suggestions? How do you make your own cost estimate? 
 
Host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) goes through a list of “Black Belt Cost Control Tips.” Along the way: the beauty of modularity, poker wisdom, and ideas that will save you a lot of time and money.

Talking Points:

1. Plan to NOT Be Over Budget

2. Modular Alternates

3. React Fast to Expensive Suggestions

4. The End Is Too Late / Estimate Insanely Early

5. Estimate Repeatedly

6. Adjust As You Go

7. Control the Cuts Yourself
 

Bio:

We always start with a bio, but this is a solo show, so here’s mine: I am the Managing Partner of C&G Partners, a design firm in New York City working with cultural clients. I was taught architecture and graphic design in the day, and theater and music at night, but I never thought I could do all that for a living. Like every guest on this show so far, I got into this field accidentally. In fact it found me, decades ago, but that’s a story for another time. 

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. 

Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/newsletter/black-belt-cost-control-tips

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/newsletter/plan-to-not-be-over-budget

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/newsletter/five-whys

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/newsletter/react-fast-to-expensive-suggestions

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:
 

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter! Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe at:  https://www.makingthemuseum.com

What’s it really cost to build a museum? How can we find out if a project is financially viable — before we start? What are the most common ways museum projects get in financial trouble?

Kris Collins, Managing Director of the Cultural practice group for MGAC, joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to discuss “A Museum is a Business”.

Along the way: projects of the heart, why you shouldn’t Google what museums cost, and what happens when your own kitchen goes over budget.

Talking Points:

1. A museum is a business.

2. Like any product, a museum succeeds if there is a need for it.

3. Museum founders are often successful businesspeople — but their experience might not be relatable to museums.

4. The routes for financing and financial management are different than in other businesses.

5. Museum buildings are twice as expensive as other buildings.

6. Do a feasibility study first.

7. Developing a workplan: scope, budget and schedule.

Guest Bio:

Kris Collins serves as a Managing Director of the Cultural practice group for MGAC, an Owner’s Representative and Project Management firm with offices across the US and UK. As an independent advocate for owners’ interests, MGAC has been helping clients with cultural projects since 1996. Kris is a licensed architect and LEED Accredited Professional, and he obtained a Masters in Management from University of Maryland while working for a national developer. He also trained as a carpenter and has actively participated in his community as a baseball coach and Scout Master – and was pleased that nobody died when the Scouts built a functional 18’ trebuchet. He has been a speaker at AAM, Building Museums, MAAM, CODAsummit, and Art World Conference.

About:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. 

This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. 

Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

[email protected]

https://www.mgac.com/projects/sectors/cultural/
IAMFA Papyrus article on Conceptual Target Budgets

Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger

[email protected]

https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter! Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals.

Subscribe at:  https://www.makingthemuseum.com