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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Yes Peter, sponsorship contracts also occurred at
Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute
of Popular Science--although a few years before you
worked there.

One example: For several decades [1950s through early
1980s] the Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania
sponsored several communications-themed exhibits in
Buhl Planetarium's Mezzanine Gallery.

For a while this included the first *commercial* use
of Bell Telephone "Picture Phones" [real-time, not
slow-scan, but monochrome CRTs]. Pittsburgh's WJAS-AM
radio station, then a NBC owned-and-operated station
with a news/talk radio format, participated in the
commercial unveiling of Picture Phones, with Picture
Phone service available on their local talk shows!

Although Picture Phones had been demostrated to the
public as early as 1964, with a connection between the
New York World's Fair and Disneyland [of which I
used], Picture Phones were officially introduced,
commercially, in the late 1960s beginning in
Pittsburgh and Chicago. 

And, for a while, the contract between Buhl
Planetarium and Bell of Pennsylvania included payment
for a part-time attendant [Floor Aide] to answer
people's questions about the Bell Telephone exhibit
modules.

Another example, also a Mezzanine Gallery exhibit, was
the Duquesne Light Company, which sponsored a
stationary bicycle people would pedel to light-up
different wattages of light bulbs, depending on how
fast the bicycle was pedeled. Whenever this bicycle
required servicing, we would just call Duquesne Light
and their technicians would come and service the
exhibit.

gaw

--- Peter A Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Date:         Sat, 1 Dec 2007 13:36:53 -0500
> From:         Peter A Anderson
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: age when an exhibit is too old
> To:           [log in to unmask]
> 
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of
> Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums
> and related institutions.
>
*****************************************************************************
> 
> Victoria, Martin,
> 
> Victoria - Most interesting.  Another absolutely
> delightful "Museum of
> museums" is Teylers Museum in  Haarlem, near
> Amsterdam in the Netherlands. 
> I could write a lot about exhibits that have been
> around for a long time
> and are dearly beloved, but Martin asked about more
> recent exhibits .
> 
> Martin:  I know of some few exhibit sponsorships
> with commitments to renew
> - especially the Museum of Science and Industry in
> Chicago used to work
> that way, and had the clout to do it.
> 
> Even if you do have a contract for renewal after,
> say, five years, a
> sponsor's financial position, or policy regarding
> sponsorships, can change
> a lot in the period, and you may find yoursefl and
> the sponsor pulling in
> different directions.  And, if a sponsor does
> not/cannot come through with
> the goods, you have no reasonable recourse - you are
> unlikely to sue a
> sponsor, and you will want to maintain good
> relations with them with the
> future in view.  The maintenance contract is a good
> idea, and is
> straightforward.
> 
> Regards,  Peter Anderson

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh
Electronic Mail - < [log in to unmask] >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: 
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: 
  < http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com > 
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh: 
  < http://incline.pghfree.net >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >


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