before i die – kansas city

A few weeks ago, I was checking out Museum Unbound and stumbled across Ashley’s post on the Before I Die project created by artist Candy Chang. Call it street or participatory or engagement or whatever the latest label is, but I’m all for art that invites people in with a simple, accessible premise, namely to finish this statement: “Before I die, I want to_____.”

BEFORE I DIE PROJECT – VIA CANDYCHANG.COM

This project has been replicated in other cities and I immediately felt that it should happen in my home town, Kansas City, Missouri. We have a vibrant community with no shortage of ideas, opinions, beliefs and dreams plus plenty of large facades that could use some repurposing. Not to mention we could hit up local biz Hallmark for chalk donations!

But like most good ideas (The Snuggie, for instance), somebody else beat me to it. Leslie Lerner and Marion Merritt, self-proclaimed “Thunderbirds of Culture” and proud proprietors of the Box Building located in the Crossroads Arts District are currently in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to fund Before I Die in the Paris of the Plains, with larger plans to use the project as a springboard to transforming the Box Building into an community-based artistic hub. With a June 7 funding deadline approaching, the project is over halfway to its $1,500 goal and could use a bit more help.

*enter generous backers like you.*

Finding Ashley’s post and Leslie and Marion’s campaign on the same day is a lovely bit of serendipity. I’m willing to do what I can to make sure this happens, including shamelessly plugging it on my blog.

Are you still reading? Go back Before I Die Kansas City before time runs out.

on view: art is for everyone

I constantly hunt for videos related to art and/or museums. Sometimes for professional development but mostly because I can’t stop my inner culture geek from soaking up as much knowledge as possible. *Shameless promotion alert* This time I made one! 

(Subscribers will need to navigate to the blog to view.)

My former museum job had a lot of public interaction. I met new people, geeked out over our favorite artworks, assisted students with choosing classes and helped people find their way to the parking garage. Most of the feedback I heard from visitors was positive, but it also became quickly apparent that many people were intimidated by art, annoyed by draconian codes of conduct, and generally felt unwelcome. It’s a huge issue for museums, as perception is reality, but not insurmountable. However, acknowledging it is a great start!

genx says, aam reflections

I’m very pleased to announce that I’m a contributing author at GenX Says. This collaborative effort came from the American Association of Museums Annual Meeting workshop Generation X Transforming: New Paths, New Perspectives. My first post is here. Check it out, no matter your age, rank or serial number. Let’s learn from each other!

speaking of aam…

This was my second year attending and while the overwhelming feeling of sheer panic wasn’t nearly as bad this time around, navigating through the massive selection of workshops, tours, and special events was still daunting.

my handy-dandy conferencing tips:

• Select workshops that appeal to your career plans. If you aspire to lead a museum, you need to be in sessions that deal with such. Don’t feel trapped into a workshop track based on your current status.
• If it’s not what you expected, leave. One of the most valuable things at these meetings is time. There’s no shame in quietly ducking out if the workshop isn’t giving you what you need.
• Bring snacks. These meetings are all-day affairs and your blood sugar will get low. I had granola bars, a water bottle, chocolate and fruit stashed away in my Target-sponsored tote bag.
• Make time to see the city. I’ve visited Minneapolis before and each time, I find more to admire. I envy their parks and lakes,mass transit, and robust museum association. I made sure to dine locally and visit as many sights as possible.
  

  MINNEAPOLIS SCULPTURE PARK

• Socialize. I attended my first AAM meeting on fellowship, so I was determined to prove that I got as much out of the experience as possible. Unfortunately, I neglected the importance of simply chatting with other museum professionals in an informal (i.e.non-museum) setting. This time around I made a point to just hang out, engage with new people and stalk meet my Twitter crushes. If you don’t know where to begin, haunt the caffeine source.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously. One of the presenters with The Moth (the Peabody Award-winning storytelling collective that blew my mind at the general session) mentioned that he didn’t realize museum people partied so hard. Yes, we are human and yes, we like to have fun! Everybody knows you’re at the conference on business, but don’t that doesn’t mean your personality goes on lockdown. Just try to stay upright, and you’ll be fine.

stuff that excited me:

• Participatory, interdisciplinary art. It was everywhere! Projects, workshops, and performances from Open Field, Flux Foundation, Shine a Light and International Museum Theatre Alliance were engaging and offered a creative experience. Coming from a literary, visual, and performing arts background, this was a much-welcomed addition.

OPEN FIELD BUTTON-MAKING

FLUX FOUNDATION’S SOCIALLY ENGAGING ART PROJECT

• Thanks, Social Media! The most useful tool by far was my phone. Via Twitter, I quickly connected with other attendees, scheduled meetups, read highlights from various workshops, and used Instagram to share pictures with my museum friends who couldn’t attend.
• World Wide Wikipedia. From hosting in-person and online workshops to being name-checked in other sessions, Wikipedians were openly represented. It was encouraging to see that more museum professionals are becoming aware of and open to the valuable resources available via the GLAM-wiki partnership.

some things i would like to see:

• Price breaks for students/emerging museum professionals. The cost of the annual meeting is not discounted for students or those with fewer years in the field. Fellowships are offered, but they are extremely competitive and limited (I applied for three years before receiving one.) Many organizations do not offer professional development funding or if they do, it is restricted to managerial-level employees. The gathering collectively suffers when the viewpoints of those new to museum work are excluded. If AAM membership can be reduced for these groups (students, anyway), why not fees for the Annual Meeting?
• Make the opening party free. Once you get past the fees for the conference proper, you quickly realize that your budget also needs to accommodate the costs of attending organized tours and social functions. If there’s one thing that should be free, it’s the opening party. Nothing dulls the shine of the Welcome to our Meeting! message than having to pony up money for the kick-off gathering. For the event hosts, it’s a nice way of saying, “We appreciate your support” and allows everyone at least one cost-effective chance to interact with fellow attendees in an informal and fun setting.
• Creative meeting spaces. I felt really bad for the presenters who had really engaging and interactive content yet were restricted by the constraints of a  lecture-style meeting space. Can the meeting be held in the lobby on comfy sofas? Outside in the park? On the floor in a drum circle? Anything to break up the traditional environment would be appreciated.

Here’s a quick round-up of other attendees’ impressions:

• EMP:A Blog: Professional Development: So the Conference is Over. Now What?
• Museum 2.0: Dangerous/Ridiculous: Reflections on AAM
• Center for the Future of Museums: Illustrations of the Future
• Museum Means: What can museums learn from the Moth? 
• Studio Tectonic: AAM 2012

Please share takeaways you have from the Annual Meeting. If you didn’t attend, why not?