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My Dear Buddy Wayne,

I've got to hand it to you. You have managed to start a conversation
that has razed (or is it 'raised?') enough hackles to even get me 
finally involved in this quirky discussion.

You have to give some kudos to any design firm that could pull this off 
so convincingly (if they have). How clever they must be. Magicians 
surely. Houdinis with a pencil! The next time I'm involved with an 
information based exhibit on the 'quantum atom' I want these guys around.

But really, can we black list someone for the kinds of clients they work 
for. Surely even you, in your long and multifaceted career, had to do
things that you didn't quite believe in whole heatedly. You're not black 
listed, as far as I can tell. Defense attorneys have to take on all 
kinds of sleazy clients. Every one is presumed innocent and has a right 
to competent legal representation. Should we black list all those 
lawyers that take on these distasteful clients? (okay, maybe using 
lawyers is a bad idea, but you get my drift)

And besides, you don't know the complete motivation of the design firm 
involved. Maybe it was their goal to bleed the 'offending' institution 
completely dry, thereby limiting that institution's ability to promote 
their latest I-Max film.

Every time I go to a science center I see inappropriate exhibits (in my 
opinion). Sometimes, despite an exhibit firm's best efforts to dissuade 
a client, the client must have this exhibit. It must have this message 
and it must be done this way. We could walk away, but every institution 
is entitled to competent design services, the best they can afford. 'You 
have the right to a design team. If you can not afford a design team one 
will be appointed for you...

Joe Ruggiero
www.theexhibitguys.com




WAYNE LABAR wrote:

>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Here is a recent article (today) from the Chicago Tribune
>
>http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/chitribts/20050807/ts_chicagotrib/museumexhibitsacreationistviewpoint
>
>Although some may know of this facility and the article does not shed much new information on this issue, it does raise one that I have not heard discussed before but one I thought I might enter into the discussion.
>
>Certainly I fully support the right of the facility mentioned in the article to exist, although I may not believe in their faith.
>
>But as I read this article the question that arose for me is that there was some company or companies that supplied this facility with the means to pull this off (designers, fabricators etc.).  Now I have no issue with any company making revenue but equally I may not want to send work from my institution to a company that felt that providing more sophisticated representations to help teach creationism was where they should be making money.  Similar to the fact that I may not accept donations from a company that has gotten its revenue through means I disagree with. 
>
>I know this could be a touchy subject but thought it should be explored as it delves deep into our business in ways not yet discussed.  I would love to here people's ideas on this.
>
>
>Wayne
>
>
>Wayne J LaBar
>Vice President, Exhibitions and Theaters
>Liberty Science Center
>251 Phillip Street
>Liberty State Park
>Jersey City, NJ 07305
>
>voice: 201.451.0006 x-347
>fax: 201.451.7046
>
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>

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