Finding Inspiration and Joy at the Close of 2022
With bad news a constant refrain in the world, it’s easy to allow negativity and worry to seep into our consciousness and overlook the joy all around us. So, this month, we’re sharing ways we’ve felt uplifted and inspired by our colleagues in the museum industry. We hope it brings you joy as we close out 2022 and prepare for a new year!
December Coffee Break Picks
KATIE’S PICK
Empowering Gen Z
"One of my favorite sessions from AASLH’s virtual conference last month was ‘Plugging into Gen Z: How the Public History Field Can Reach Younger Generations,’ moderated by Molly Wilmoth from the High Desert Museum with speakers Cameron Katz, Henry Jacob, and Hope-Marie Delgado from Made By Us. We worked with Made By Us this year to evaluate their Civic Season programming, which focuses on Gen Z civic engagement. I appreciated the idea raised in the session about museums working on cultivating a community of Gen Zers over trying to pump out social media content or go ‘viral.’ I dug deeper into some of Made By Us’ online materials and really enjoyed this primer they put out earlier this year—especially the section ‘How can we empower the next generation?'"
CATHY’S PICK
Exhibition Versus Experience
"'Matters of Experience’ is a new podcast about the creativity, innovation, and psychology driving designed experiences and encounters, produced by Lorum Ipsum. In its opening episode, hosts Abigail Honor and Brenda Cowan have a lively conversation about the differences—or lack thereof—between ‘exhibition design’ and ‘experience design.’ Though it’s a quick chat about a dense topic, Abigail and Brenda pack a lot in, including thoughtful references to museum design history and important reminders that people drive their own experiences. There is also an intriguing discussion about why drawing a line between exhibitions and experiences is not particularly useful for museums. I recommend it to anyone interested in how the experiences around us are designed and shaped."
HANNAH’S PICK
What's Going on in This Picture?
"I recently facilitated a Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) discussion for our team during one of our internal coffee breaks, a time we use to share tools, discuss recent articles, and connect over issues impacting our field. VTS is typically used in educational settings like schools and museums to support students’ close looking and critical thinking skills. So I think we were all surprised by how effective VTS was in creating an open, non-judgmental space to bond and get to know each other in a new way—particularly helpful in a remote workspace like ours. You can learn more about VTS and how to get trained as a facilitator by clicking the link below!"
What’s New At Kera?
Cathy recently had a blast sharing insights with graduate students from the Pratt Institute’s School of Information on all things UX research, from methodology to analysis to career pathways. It was exciting to meet so many budding researchers!
New Project Alert! We are grateful to continue our work with the Anacostia Community Museum (ACM). In 2022, we helped ACM develop a strategy for achieving impact. In 2023, we will apply that strategy to an evaluation of their upcoming Center for Environmental Justice. Stay tuned for further updates!
Recently on our Learning Hub, Amanda questions assumptions around museums and trust, while Emily shares how you know you are ready to start an evaluation. Interested in something else? You can go to our Learning Hub to browse posts on a variety of topics!
Over the fall break, our team did a lot! We had team members travel to Europe, spend time with family, and eat lots of yummy food! We are grateful for breaks that allow us to unwind and relax. What did you do with your time off?
Moment of Wonder
“I recently had a powerful moment of wonder on a theatrical tour of the Dennis Severs’ House in the Spitalfields neighborhood of East London. I LOVE historic houses, but this was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The tour is difficult to describe, and we were not allowed to take photos. Paraphrased from the website: ‘Drawing upon newly-discovered recordings and unpublished writings by Dennis Severs…the evocative tour [presents] each room as a scene in a family drama, inspired by the shadows of the past Severs sensed within the house to transport his guests through centuries.’”
— Stephanie
