Making the Museum

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...

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 w...

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...

(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...

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 Go...

How do you keep a huge cultural project on track? How do you guess the future? What’s a contingency — and why is it the difference between success and failure? Project manager Beth Van Why (Becker & Frondorf) joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to reveal the Secrets of Complex Cultural Project Management. Along the way: recovering architects, Gantt charts, museum benchmarking — and a...

What are “streakers, strollers and studiers”? How can we plan better projects using the “attract, reveal, reward” system? What’s a “wunderkammer”? What can we expect in the upcoming “Exhibition and Experience Design Handbook”?  Professor, designer, and museum director Tim McNeil (UC Davis) joins host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) to preview his upcoming book, “Exhibition and Experience Design...

What’s the best way to organize the content in our experiences? What tricks are we forgetting to try? And what if you learned there were five ways to do it — and only five? Host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) does a solo show on “L.A.T.C.H.”, the framework proposed by TED founder Richard Saul Wurman, where there are just five ways to organize any kind of information. Along the way, we’ll cover...

Is everything “phygital”? Are all our projects now neither physical nor digital, but both? How can a “phygital mindset” lead to better experience design? Exhibition designer and “phygital architect” Alin Tocmacov joins host Jonathan Alger (both partners at C&G Partners) to hash out some key principles, in “8 Ways to Be Phygital”. Stops along the way: magic portals, digital architecture, and th...

Is lighting art or science? If you’re a curator tasked with lighting design, where do you start? Is lighting about light, or about shadows? If an exhibit ain't lit, is it there? When is a lighting designer's job actually about not lighting things? Lighting designers Steven Rosen and Ted Mather (Available Light) join host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners) on Making the Museum, the podcast, to discu...

How do we keep cultural projects from going off the rails, without sacrificing creativity? It’s not impossible. In fact, there are some simple secrets to unlock the process. (Except now they won’t be secrets anymore.) Media design expert Trent Oliver joins host Jonathan Alger on Making the Museum, the podcast, to discuss the Secrets of Creative Collaboration. Trent brings her theatrical experience...

Do exhibits really teach? Do they really present big stories well? Is personalization really a must? Are exhibits getting ... better? Interpretive planner and designer Matt Kirchman joins me on the podcast to debate Six Provocative Questions. Listen in and see what your own answer is to each. But buckle your seat belts — these are called provocative for a reason. Quotable Quotes: “Exhibits tell gr...

Prototyping saves projects money and time, every time. But how do you do it right? Exhibition designer and prototyping expert Paul Orselli joins me to discuss his proven system: Prototyping with ELVIS.   Guest Bio: Paul Orselli, POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop) For over 40 years, Paul Orselli has worked to create inventive and playful museums and exhibits. He is now the Chief Instigator at POW! (Paul...

Exhibit fabrication expert Cathlin Bradley joins host Jonathan Alger to discuss the Five Questions Fabricators Always Hear.  Guest Bio: Cathlin Bradley has worked in the museum industry for nearly 20 years, holding a variety of roles in museums and the firms that serve them. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master’s Degree in Arts Adminis...

Audio visual technology experts Tony Warner and Bryan Abelowitz join Jonathan Alger to discuss the Six Secrets of Exhibit Technology.   Guest Bio: Tony Warner, CTS-D, LEED AP, CDT, President, Phase Shift Consulting Tony leverages decades of project experience and industry service. Having co-managed a technology practice within a top-five global design firm, he has both a strong grasp of technology...