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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Brian Greene told me face to face that the Cloud Chamber exhibition at the Exploratorium was formative in his work in subatomic physics.  Up until that point, he said, he never really comprehended that he was actually studying physical things when he was studying subatomic particles, it was all equations.

And what Jason said.

E

On Jan 3, 2011, at 3:17 PM, jason jay stevens wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> 
> As to whether a museum exhibit has ever changed the world, I've spoken with many individuals who claim life-changing experiences from exhibitions: for example, a high energy physicist confided once that he chose to pursue his life's work when he saw a laser exhibit as a child visiting the 1964 NY Worlds Fair.  I think this qualifies as a resounding yes to the question of whether exhibition can change the world, albeit by setting my own conditions, more "micro-" to Charlie's implied "macro."
> 
> As an artist I've fielded the question of whether art can change the world many times, to which I usually respond that I, too, am a skeptic.  But I keep a running list of examples that offer affirmative (particularly "macro-") proof anyway.  (My favorite--though arguably shrouded in so much legend, it needs to be taken with salt-- is the story of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony turning back the Nazi forces, ending the Seige of Leningrad.  That's a story for another time...)
> 
> As for the value of formal evaluation, I often cite a real world example of how the utility of the process was missed.  In short, I was involved in designing and producing a n exhibit which suffered copious text (forced by donor persuasion, ick).  There was a lot of nervousness on the museum staff about the word count, but one day, one of the exhibits team saw a young person using the exhibit and taking the time to read all of the text.  Horribly, in the formal evaluation vaccuum, like a staff-wide game of telephone, this exciting andecdote attentuated into testament.  At some point, our graphic designer was actually claiming to a group of nodding heads in the conference room that we'd discovered a font that encouraged visitors to read overly-long labels.  This may sound ridiculous to seasoned professionals, but in fact it's often the way information moves in the social systems to which we all belong.  I was swept up in the geist, as well, until these "findings" began to influence other projects, and I had a moment of clarity and blew a whistle.
> 
> All this to say, "institution-think" is a very real phenomenon, affects the wisest of institutions, and can be exceedingly dangerous.  Third-party, formal evaluation is one of the few tried-and-true checks and balances against memes-gone-wild.  We cannot rely only on what the critics write in the reviews.  (Cough.)
> 
> On the other hand, I'm a skeptic, too.  Formal evaluation in design shares similarities with big brainstorming sessions, of which I am a big fan.  But I am an even bigger fan of creative leadership that damns the committee and forges ahead responsibly toward a singular vision.
> 
> None of these thoughts are contradictory. because everything serves its own purpose in the bigger picture.
> 
> : Jason
> 
> 
> 
> 
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