Unusual partnerships for extraordinary visitor engagement
Cultural/ educational institutions frequently seek to reinvent their galleries and programmes to enhance visitor experience. Ever-evolving audience expectations and established practices are among the challenges faced during this critical process. Furthermore, these institutions compete for audience attention not only with their fellow institutions but also with amusement parks, cinemas, and in-home entertainment.
Incorporation of the practices and philosophies of diverse visitor experience outlets may offer potential solutions. The enhancement of institution mission can be accomplished through innovative and thoughtful cooperation models with what have traditionally been considered unlikely partners for museums and science centers.
Our first speaker will discuss how the unique intersection of art, science, and university-based learning produced a conversation space that is currently expanding its model globally. We will then examine a cooperative master planning process involving experts from film, theatre and beyond. Finally we'll be addressing the future of technology and how gaming platforms and design can be integrated with science and cultural content.
Facilitator
Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education
Session speakers
Director of Operations and Strategy
Audrey Chang is Project Director at the San Diego Museum of Man. She oversees the development and implementation of the master plan, which includes architectural and interpretive planning. Audrey will share the outcomes of the cooperative interpretive planning model that seeks to reimagine and rebrand a 100-year old cultural institution.
Global Operations Manager
Sarah Durcan is General Manager at Science Gallery International, based in Dublin, Ireland. SGI represents on-going partnerships between research centers and universities to highlight the intersection of art and science. Sarah will discuss the creation and growth of this unique global network and showcase its international projects. She will focus on Science Gallery's recent co-production of HUMAN+ with Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), which broke all attendance records for this institution.
Project Director, Digital Experiences
New York City
United States
Brad MacDonald is an art director, game developer and Adjunct Professor of Design and Technology at Parsons School of Design. He has developed over 100 games and, at some point in time, has designed just about everything. He’s interested in the application of game design mechanics within the museum setting, the use of technology as a tool for augmenting the visitor experience, and creating emotional connections to content.
