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Hi Alan, Jason Mac and others
I am not by any means saying exhibits should be simplistic or condescending. Nor do I disagree that some museum exhibits fail in just that way.

Great exhibits should be accessible to most visitors (including "the big lump of statistical visitors in the middle of a bell curve") , and interpretation at its best is seamlessly integrated into the overall experience.  Formative evaluation does not tell us what should be in an exhibit, but can tell us if what we are planning resonates with participants and whether or not it can be accessed successfully.

I admire the New York Hall of Science for taking risks in presenting very complex topics and making changes, sometimes small, sometimes large, to maximize that accessibility, and using multiple ways to convey information, raise questions, allow for feedback and encourage interaction.

Beverly Serrell, when she convened her 'excellent judges' group a few years ago, made a distinction between an evaluation and a critique.  That's perhaps what we are seeing here.  Both are needed but they perform different functions.  Perhaps we could ask, what is the function of a review like this and how does it complement evaluations.

Our field is not unique.  In impact evaluation one of the questions is, can expert testimony 'count' as a form of impact assessment.

Linda Wilson
-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Jay Stevens [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 7:36 AM
Subject: Re: Richard Dawkins, the Exploratorium and Exploding Custard

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> Our studies have consistently shown that content, whether on a graphic
> panel or the amount of information presented in a program, can easily
> overwhelm a visitor,

By "a visitor," of course, what is meant is the big lump of statistical visitors in the middle of a bell curve.
...and so it should come as no surprise that those members of our species who represent an end of that curve, those mature minds that thrive in and even crave dense scholarly environments, and still wish to learn and be challenged through exhibition, and for whom reading is not a chore whether standing up or sitting down, might regret that museums are evaluating and marketing themselves into a certain kind of obscurity. By their measure, that is.
I'm not  presuming to put words in Dawkins' or Rothstein's mouths, but I don't think we should pull those studies out at the beginning of the debate.


--Jason



Jason Jay Stevens
Flutter & Wow Museum Projects

P. O. Box 21576
Detroit, MI 48221

[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
210.364.6305

On Apr 1, 2013, at 12:13 AM, Wilson, Linda wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> **********************************************************************
> *******
>
> Alan, I was struck by your statement about the reviewer preferring
> exhibits with long texts.  Our studies have consistently shown that
> content, whether on a graphic panel or the amount of information
> presented in a program, can easily overwhelm a visitor, and less
> content presented at any one time is more impactful and is retained
> longer.  We've progressed so far from 'books on walls'.  I wonder if
> your reviewer really enjoyed standing for long periods, reading allo
> that <grin>
>
> Linda Wilson
> Sr. Director, Impact Assessment
> John G. Shedd Aquarium
> Chicago IL
> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> ________________________________________
>
>
> Interestingly he seems to have softened his views in recent years, and
> even had nice things to say about the Exploratorium in later reviews.
> Still I've noticed that long texts in any exhibit is an excellent
> predictor of how favorably Mr. Rothstein will review it.  The
> exhibition he liked best at NYSCI was our oldest one, with the most
> text.  We do indeed have our work cut out for us.
>
> Alan
> ________________________________________
> Alan J. Friedman, Ph.D.
> Consultant for Museum Development and Science Communication
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