I was a kid that pined to visit museums all the time.
I remember visiting the American Museum of Natural History on a vacation. When I saw the dinosaur bones and giant whale, I lost my mind. Not in a good way; they were gigantic and scary. I wasn’t a ‘dinosaur kid’ who could name them all, but I had a need to delve into every corner of that place. No matter what lurked there. Thankfully, my parents fed my interest as much as they could. They grew up with access to some of the best museums in the world in NYC. They made sure that had every opportunity to explore any museum I could get my hands on.
Back at home, the Tampa Art Museum was hosting an event focused on Ancient Egypt. I can’t recall the exhibit or seeing any Egyptian artifacts. But the crafts I made alongside my mother that day were treasures.
My father would take the occasional day off to spend with me. My #1 choice was our local science center, MOSI. There we got to experience the ferocity of a thunderstorm or buffeting winds of a hurricane. Both of which were dangerous in the wild, but inspired a different kind of awe at the museum.
Over time my love of museums transformed into a career. While content can form the core of an museum visit, for me the visitor experience is paramount. Museums are a special place where we can experience something bigger than ourselves. Visitors need amazing, inspiring exhibits and programs they can connect to and places where they can connect with each other, thoughtfully developed from Big Idea to the smallest detail.
I’m still playing with that balance today in the experiences I develop. Grand spaces, concepts or objects can fuel small, meaningful interactions that speak to our need for wonder by constantly feeding curiosity.
