Making the Museum

[ASTC 2026 Special] Science changes fast. How can science museums keep up? What’s a “technology toolkit”? Can one interactive turn into another? Can you do that same trick with a whole room? What about a whole exhibition? What’s “Wizard of Oz-ing”? Do constraints make for better design? How could museums work together to solve the challenges they all face? A special episode for ASTC 2026, where Mike will be speaking about this and more. Mike Horvath (Vice President of Exhibits, Museum of Science, Boston) discusses “Innovation Secrets of the Museum of Science” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: Star Wars, Powers of Ten, and a lot of squirrels. Talking Points: 1. The Current Science Problem 2. Transformative Technology Toolbox 3. The F.A.S.T. Table Project 4. The A.I.M. Initiative 5. The “Always On” Presentation Area 6. Changing the “Changing Landscapes” Project How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Michael Horvath began his museum career as a designer at the Museum of Science in 1998. Today, as Vice President of Exhibits, he leads exhibit development for the Museum, which welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors annually. Over the course of his career, Horvath has led the design of numerous high-profile exhibitions, including The Science of Pixar , which received the American Alliance of Museums' Excellence in Exhibition Award for Planning Process and the Association of Science-Technology Centers' Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience. More than a decade after its debut, two versions of The Science of Pixar continue to tour science centers and museums around the world. He also led the design of Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination , which toured internationally for more than ten years and became one of the Museum's most successful traveling exhibitions. In 2005, while promoting the Star Wars exhibition, Horvath made national headlines when he threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game dressed as Chewbacca. The image was featured in Sports Illustrated and picked up by media outlets across the country. Fortunately for him, few people recognized the person behind the Wookiee costume. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Mike Horvath: mhorvath@mos.org Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-horvath-529b7712/ Museum of Science, Boston: https://www.mos.org/ The F.A.S.T. Project (Flexible, Accessible Strategies for Timely Digital Exhibit Design): https://informalscience.org/research/the-fast-table-a-new-approach-to-developing-timely-and-accessible-exhibit-experiences/ The A.I.M. Initiative (Alliance for Immersion in Museums): https://www.museumimmersion.org/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

A very special episode of Making the Museum, for the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. The unique, unforgettable story of the architect who found himself on the 9/11 debris pile right after the tragedy, working for years to save artifacts for a museum he could only imagine. What do you do when your two largest museum artifacts aren’t there anymore? What is the “Bilbao Effect Upside Down”? How is architecture a stage for a story? Mark Wagner (Design Principal, Arts & Culture Sector Leader, Stantec) discusses “The 9/11 Museum, 25 Years After 9/11” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: bicycling to Paris, recovering musicians, and an angel in a green gown. Talking Points 1. Cathedral Memories 2. Selecting Artifacts from The Pile 3. Architecture as a Stage for a Story 4. The Greatest Artifact is the Site Itself 5. The Bilbao Effect, Upside Down 6. Recognizing Visitor Sensitivity How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Mark Wagner, AIA, is a Design Principal in Stantec’s New York office and the firm’s Arts & Culture Sector Leader. With more than 30 years of experience, he has led the design of award-winning museums, cultural institutions, and civic projects from vision through realization. His practice focuses on experience-based design, exploring how architecture shapes memory, narrative, and human connection. Known for guiding multidisciplinary teams through complex cultural and technical challenges, Mark believes architecture can strengthen communities by creating meaningful public experiences. He advances this philosophy across Stantec’s global practice, championing design that enriches civic life through arts and culture. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Mark Wagner: Mark.Wagner@stantec.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-wagner-8a1242a/ Stantec: https://www.stantec.com The National September 11th Memorial & Museum: https://www.911memorial.org/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

If we’re not studying our visitors, how can we fulfill our mission? What is a net promoter score? And what should a museum’s net promoter score be? How do you ask a survey question if you want a meaningful answer? What is capacity building? What is COVES, and how can people get involved with it? Ryan Auster (Manager of Learning Metrics, Museum of Science, Boston) discusses “Improving Visitor Experience with Data” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: OERs, excellent vs outstanding, and statistics 101. Talking Points: 1. What is visitor studies? 2. What is COVES (Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies)? 3. Net Promoter Scores & Overall Experience Ratings 4. Drowning in data, but starving for wisdom 5. The Voice of the Visitor 6. How to join the COVES movement How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Dr. Ryan Auster (he/him) is the Manager of Learning Metrics at the Museum of Science, Boston (MOS) where he serves as the Project Director of the Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies (COVES), a research initiative with 100+ museum members across the United States and Canada. Ryan has a passion for simplifying messy data, advocating for visualizations that tell stories to inform decision making and improve societal outcomes, and believes that collaborative projects make for stronger work. Before joining the museum field, he was a professional ski bum and an amateur long-distance athlete, but now he just chases his two young sons for physical activity. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Ryan Auster: rauster@mos.org COVES: www.understandingvisitors.org Visitor Studies Association: www.visitorstudies.org Museum of Science, Boston: www.mos.org Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What could museums learn right now — from their competitors? What’s happening out there that museums should know about? How can museums compete with a sports venue that has 18,000 seats, each with its own interactive controller? What do IP, KPI, and F&B mean? What if museums went out and learned from theme parks, advertising, corporate centers … and even casinos? Renée Hampton (Strategic Partnerships Manager, Electrosonic) discusses “What Museums Can Learn from Casinos, Theme Parks, Sports, and More” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: eye tracking, Donkey Kong, and Cirque du Soleil. Talking Points: 1. What sports experiences … can teach museums 2. What theme parks … can teach museums 3. What advertising activations … can teach museums 4. What corporate briefing centers … can teach museums 5. What casinos … can teach museums How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Renée Hampton is passionate about bringing creativity and multidisciplinary partnerships into the way organizations design and build experiential attractions across industries. As Strategic Partnerships Manager at Electrosonic, she collaborates with architects, interior designers, exhibit designers, fabricators, media producers, and technology partners to develop innovative technology solutions for institutions, owners, and operators. With a background spanning film production, real-time interactive media production, and experiential events, Renée combines creative and technical expertise with partnership strategy, project management, and business development. She is dedicated to building strong relationships that help create immersive environments connecting people with spaces, stories, and technology through the power of design. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Renée via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-hampton/ Renée via Email: renee.hampton@electrosonic.com or renee.e.hampton@gmail.com Electrosonic: https://www.electrosonic.com/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

How can exhibitions create positive change in the world? Why is play the key? How can we build trust with a community that doesn’t know us? Why should exhibition makers preserve their “beginner’s mind”? What can exhibitions do climate change, polarization and global conflict? How do we measure our impact? Femke Bijlsma (Partner, Kossmanndejong) discusses “Make Space for Change (The New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: un-discipline, Santa Claus, and eating the story. Talking Points: 1. Why Make Space for Change? 2. PLAY 3. ACTION 4. REPRESENTATION 5. CREATIVITY 6. IMPACT How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Femke Bijlsma is a partner and content developer at Amsterdam-based design firm Kossmanndejong, creating immersive, narrative-driven spaces globally. Her work distinctively connects design with social goals, fostering meaningful inclusion and community empowerment. This approach shapes major projects like the Museum of the Mind, "Our Colonial Inheritance" at the Worldmuseum Amsterdam, and the UAE Pavilion for Expo 2020, alongside high-profile US work at the La Brea Tar Pits. Committed to positive change, Bijlsma co-founded the Refugee Company, chaired the Dutch Design Awards, and shares her expertise as a thought leader through regular international university lectures and workshops. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Make Space for Change (New Book): https://www.japsambooks.nl/products/make-space-for-change Femke: femke@kossmanndejong.nl Kossmandejong: www.kossmanndejong.nl Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

Museum lobbies have a huge influence on visitor experience. But what makes a good lobby? What is a “liminal space” in a museum? How does research actually work? What does “peer-reviewed research” actually mean? What do researchers hope their outcomes will be? Which department of a museum is even responsible for the lobby, and all the other “spaces in between”? Dan Clevenger (Principal), Monika Smith (Principal), and Helen Ho (Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher) from DLR Group discuss “Liminal Space Research” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Note: The "Liminal Space Research" project is in partnership with select art museum partners and cultural strategist Jill Snyder (Snyder Consultancy). Along the way: wonder, awe, gaps in the literature, and all the spaghetti you can throw at a cupboard. Talking Points: 1. DLR Group and the research team 2. What is a “liminal space”? 3. How research works 4. The peer review process 5. What the outcome will be 6. Sneak peek: things learned so far How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Dan Clevenger, AIA, LEED BD+C, Principal, Global Cultural + Performing Arts Leader, DLR Group. Dan Clevenger is an award-winning arts and cultural programmer, designer, and leader with more than two decades of experience across all phases of design and project development. His portfolio spans art museums, science centers, history museums, and natural history institutions, including the Heard Museum, Arizona Science Center, Chandler History Museum, C.N. Gorman Museum at UC Davis, the Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the University of Arizona Arts Master Plan. His work reflects a consistent commitment to institutions that strengthen their communities with purpose and longevity. Dan serves as a board member of the Western Museum Association and the Arizona State University Art Museum Creative Impact Board. Monika Smith, AIA , Principal, Cultural+Performing Arts Design Leader, DLR Group. Monika Smith brings a rigorous design craft to some of the most complex museum environments in the country. A senior designer with 28 years of experience in cultural facilities and historic preservation, she is known for technically demanding work across new construction, adaptive reuse, and landmark renovation. Her portfolio includes the Albany Museum of Art, Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Library of Congress Conservation Lab, and the Smithsonian Institution. Monika is a juror for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Buildy Awards. Helen Ho, PhD, EDAC , Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher, DLR Group. Helen Ho helps cultural institutions make informed, community-centered design decisions. With more than a decade of mixed-methods research experience, she connects stakeholder engagement, post-occupancy evaluation, and evidence-based frameworks to outcomes that matter: visitor wellbeing, spatial equity, and long-term institutional impact. She translates complex community needs into clear design metrics and research-informed strategies that support meaningful, people-centered spaces. Helen holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan. She is an EDAC professional and an AIA Associate Member. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Dan Clevenger: dclevenger@dlrgroup.com Monika Smith: msmith@dlrgroup.com Helen Ho: hho@dlrgroup.com Jill Snyder: Snyder Consultancy The Cultural+Performing Arts / Museums Practice at DLR Group Strategic Research Partnerships Yield Museum Design Insights, at DLR Group Heard Museum by DLR Group Albany Museum of Art Adaptive Reuse by DLR Group Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery by DLR Group Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

How do you build a museum? How do you build the right project team? How do you engage with community? What does it mean to plan a museum? What does it mean to design a museum? How do you align your budget with your purpose? How do you build the story of your museum project? Jamē Anderson, Monteil Crawley, Sarah Ghorbanian, and Chris Wood from SmithGroup discuss “Building a Museum: This is Not a Manual (the New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: a one-year process that took ten years, a mystery fifth guest, and branching out to herbal supplements. Talking Points: 1. Why a book like this? 2. How do I build the right project team, and what does it mean to engage with the community? 3. What does it mean to plan and design a museum? 4. How do I align budget with purpose? 5. How do you write a book? 6. How do I learn more from my network? How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Jamē Anderson is a vice president and director of SmithGroup’s national team of architects, planners, and engineers who focus exclusively on cultural capital projects. Her career is dedicated to cultural institutions, having held roles at the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Institution in addition to her tenure at SmithGroup. Monteil Crawley is a senior principal at SmithGroup and a leading expert in the design of museums and cultural facilities, shaping a unique design vision for each facility and institution. He has spent his career with SmithGroup designing prominent spaces and places that celebrate and reveal the history and culture of the United States. Sarah Ghorbanian is a principal at SmithGroup who specializes in the planning and project management of complex cultural projects. She is an expert at coordinating the intersection of architecture and exhibition design to create compelling, holistic, and engaging experiences for museum audiences. Chris Wood is a vice president at SmithGroup and leads the firm’s Washington, D.C., studio of design and engineering specialists devoted to cultural projects. He leads design teams for cultural capital projects of all scales and is a recognized expert in the planning and design of museums and collections facilities. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: The Book: https://www.smithgroup.com/buildingamuseum SmithGroup: https://www.smithgroup.com Jamē Anderson: Jame.Anderson@smithgroup.com Monteil Crawley: Monteil.Crawley@smithgroup.com Sarah Ghorbanian: Sarah.Ghorbanian@smithgroup.com Chris Wood: Chris.Wood@smithgroup.com Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

How do you design for all ages at the same time? What is “serious fun”? Does nature ever go out of style? How do you create content for both Native and non-Native audiences? What do education staff do when a gallery has no text panels? What are “Native sensibilities”? Why is Blue Deer blue? Shoshana Wasserman (Deputy Director) and Kimberly Rodriguez (New Media Specialist) from First Americans Museum, and Bill Smith (Principal, Storyline Studio) discuss “Serious Fun at the First Americans Museum” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: a 12-foot hawk, rotary phones, and Grandma Turtle’s Choctaw collar. Talking Points: 1. What is FAM? 2. What is the "FAMily Discovery Center" project? 3. Native Sensibilities Taking Center Stage 4. Native and Human Values: Community, Respect, Resilience, and Stewardship 5. We are all connected. 6. The project is still growing. How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Shoshana Wasserman (Muscogee Creek/Thlopthlocco Tribal Town citizen) began with a vision to weave culture, education, and community into meaningful spaces. For over 20 years, she helped bring First Americans Museum to life. A founding team member and Deputy Director, she oversees operations, guest services, and the store supporting Native artists. As co-curator of the FAMily Discovery Center, she champions immersive storytelling, tribal collaboration, and joyful design—all anchored in her belief We Are All Connected. For 18 years, Kimberly Rodriguez (Muscogee/Oglala Sioux) has been part of the FAM journey—from name changes to documenting the site “from the ground to the mound.” A co-curator of two exhibitions and a proud member of the powerhouse Communications team, she blends professionalism with a Looney Tunes sense of humor. With deep pride in promoting the stories of 39 tribes in Oklahoma today, Kimberly brings heart, wit, and collaboration to everything she does—because like water, humor is life. Bill Smith, Principal of Storyline Studio, brings over 40 years of experience as one of the nation’s leading exhibition designers. Formerly partner and design director at West Office Exhibition Design, he led award-winning projects for history, science, and cultural institutions. In 2003, he founded Storyline Studio to further his creative vision. His work has earned accolades from the Industrial Designers Society of America, AAM’s CurCom, and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Shoshana Waserman: shoshanaw@famok.org Kimberly Rodriguez: communications@famok.org Bill Smith: bill@storylinestudio.com First Americans Museum: https://famok.org/ FAMily Discovery Center: https://familydiscoverycenter.org/ Storyline Studio: https://www.storylinestudio.com/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

How can we make our exhibitions more sustainable — in every way? Where do we start? What can museum teams learn from sustainability advancements in architecture? What’s a “red list?” What is the difference between embodied and operational carbon? What does it mean to do “design for deconstruction?” And when can we all buy the upcoming “Sustainable Museum Exhibition Handbook?” Douglas Flandro (Exhibition Designer & Director of Sustainability, CambridgeSeven) discusses “What is Sustainable Exhibition Design?” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: museum egos, dark skies, and heat islands. Talking Points: 1. Embracing Imperfection 2. Design for Human Health 3. Design for Social Health and Equity 4. Design for Ecosystem Health 5. Design for Climate Health 6. Design for the Circular Economy How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Drawing on his background in theater and film design, Douglas Flandro is especially interested in sustainable exhibit design, new technologies, immersive experiences, experiential graphic design and hands-on interactive exhibits. He has designed exhibits and graphics for numerous science museums, children’s museums, nature and visitor centers, aquariums, and zoos. As the firm’s Director of Sustainability, Douglas leads CambridgeSeven’s Sustainable Working Group and has taught and lectured at AAM, ASTC, Parson’s School of Design, and the Rhode Island School of Design. He is the author of the forthcoming book, “The Sustainable Exhibition Handbook,” due to be released in the Spring of 2026. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Douglas by Email dflandro@cambridgeseven.com Douglas on LInkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-flandro/ CambridgeSeven https://www.cambridgeseven.com The Sustainable Exhibition Design & Construction Toolkit https://www.cambridgeseven.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SEDC-Toolkit_v6_Sep2024.pdf The Museum Exhibition Materials Pledge https://www.mindfulmaterials.com/museum-materials-pledge The Gallery Climate Coalition https://measure.galleryclimatecoalition.org/ The Bizot Green Protocol https://www.cimam.org/sustainability-and-ecology-museum-practice/bizot-green-protocol/ The Climate Toolkit https://climatetoolkit.org/about/ Living Future (ILFI) Red List of Worst in Class Chemicals https://living-future.org/red-list/ Green Science Policy Institute Six Classes of Chemicals https://www.sixclasses.org/ DarkSky International https://darksky.org/ Terrapin Bright Green 14+ Patterns of Biophilic Design https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/report/14-patterns/ The Design Museum, "The Waste Age: What can design do?" https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/waste-age-what-can-design-do Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

One in four people has a disability. Why aren’t we designing museums better for them? What is inclusive design? How does it relate to universal design, or the ADA? Which disciplines and departments have to get involved to make a museum truly inclusive? What happened when the military tried to design for the “average” jet pilot? If we design for better accessibility, are we designing for our own future selves? Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson (Principals, Prime Access Consulting) join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Inclusive Design Will Change the World.” Along the way: curb cuts, multimodality, and the finance department. Talking Points: 1. What is Inclusive Design? 2. The Average Jet Pilot 3. 1 in 4 People have a Disability 4. Vectors of Human Difference 5. Inclusive Design Has No Boundaries 6. It’s a Convincing Company, not an Accessibility One 7. A Company That’s Hopefully Pointless One Day How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Sina Bahram (President, Prime Access Consulting) is a blind computer scientist, consultant, researcher, speaker, mentor, and entrepreneur. He works with executive management, policymakers, engineering teams, content creators, designers, and others to promulgate accessibility and inclusive design throughout an organization. In 2012, President Obama recognized Sina as a White House Champion of Change. Sina and his PAC colleagues collaborate on creating digital experiences (web, app, embedded, projected, and more), immersive media, themed entertainment, capital builds, and any/all aspects of experiential design in order to welcome the widest possible audience. Sina serves on and chairs various corporate, research, and non-profit boards. Sina is a Mission Astro Access ambassador and recipient of a Thea Award. Corey Timpson (Principal, Prime Access Consulting) is an active collaborator and thought leader in the fields of inclusive design, digital media, and experience design within the cultural and themed entertainment industries. As one of the two principals of Prime Access Consulting, Inc. (PAC) Corey's primary focus is to facilitate the creation of inclusive, rich, and meaningful experiences that are welcoming to everyone. Among Corey’s previous positions, he was the Vice-President of Exhibitions, Research, and Design, and concurrently served as the Project Director, for the design-build of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights where his focus was on interpreting difficult knowledge and presenting it through an inclusive, multimodal, and transmedia storytelling approach. Corey’s design leadership has accounted for over 30 international awards in the fields of environmental, exhibition, and graphic design, digital and interactive media, digital systems design, film and linear media, and universal design. Corey serves as an Advisory Board member of Europe’s Best in Heritage and is a board member of the Portrait Gallery of Canada. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Prime Access Consulting (PAC): https://pac.bz Mosaic (M4C): https://m4c.space Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

Is there a better way to collaborate? What’s the secret to good feedback? How do you manage 40 people in a room? Are group facilitators ever truly neutral? Should you tell your teammates their responsibilities, or have them tell you? What’s a RACI chart? If collaboration is so important, why hasn’t there been a book about it — until now? Emily Saich (Vice President of Exhibitions) and Joey Noelle Scott (Director of Exhibition Projects) from the Monterey Bay Aquarium discuss their new book “A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: post-mortems, “Yes And,” and cardboard kelp cutouts. Talking Points: 1. A book for creatives, facilitators, and problem-solvers 2. Create responsibilities * with* collaborators 3. Truly neutral facilitators are rare 4. Healthy teams seek feedback 5. Build trust with contractors 6. Celebrate the work How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Emily Saich has more than twenty years of experience leading exhibition development, design, prototyping, and fabrication of exhibitions and innovative visitor experiences. She has worked on several award-winning and influential exhibitions and managed projects for all types of museums and organizations, including science centers, natural history museums, children’s museums, public gardens, performing art centers, art museums, historic sites, zoos, and aquariums. Emily is vice president of Exhibitions at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where she leads vision and strategy for major exhibitions and guides collaborative teams through design and creation of visitor-centered experiences. Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in studio art from California Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. Joey Noelle Scott is the director of Exhibition Projects at the Monterey Bay Aquarium where she leads teams that create innovative exhibitions that inspire conservation of the ocean. With 20 years of experience in educational and museum settings, she’s led a diversity of projects, including the creation of curriculum, professional development programs, digital products, and exhibitions. She’s built expertise in facilitation, program development, and project management with a particular focus on developing processes that support collaboration, creativity, and productivity. Her formal training includes a Bachelors of Science in genetics, an MA in education, and a certification as a Project Management Professional and LEED AP ID+C. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: How to Buy “A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making” (The New Book): https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/collaborative-approach-to-exhibition-making-9781538185261/ https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-collaborative-approach-to-exhibition-making-emily-saich/ee61b106aedc6e38?ean=9781538185261&next=t Emily Saich on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilysaich/ Joey Noelle Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-noelle-scott-6359aa12/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

Is a museum where experiences happen — or is the museum the experience? Can a museum be designed to inspire? What is the Medal of Honor? What role does a bold design idea have in making a project happen? Does the mission of a museum inspire the people who make it? Can everyone have a mission? Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB (Partner, Viñoly Architects) discusses “Making the Medal of Honor Museum” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: floating blocks, extra helicopters, and going above and beyond the call of duty. Talking Points: 1. What is the Medal of Honor? 2. A Museum Meant to Inspire 3. The Origin of a Design Idea 4. A Tour of the Museum 5. A Building Team Inspired by a Cause 6. Everybody Can Have a Mission How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB, joined Rafael Viñoly Architects in 2006 and became a partner in 2019, contributing to major projects on four continents. He collaborated closely with Rafael Viñoly on conceptual designs, leading design development and coordination through digital and BIM platforms. As Partner-in-Charge of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas, he has led all phases since the firm’s 2019 competition win. His portfolio includes London’s Battersea Power Station Master Plan, NYU Abu Dhabi, and projects in corporate, commercial, research, and healthcare sectors. He holds degrees from Harvard University and the American University of Beirut and speaks internationally on architecture. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Bassam Komati Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bassam-komati-562a11154/ National Medal of Honor Museum Website: https://mohmuseum.org Instagram: @mohmuseum Rafael Viñoly Architects Website: https://vinoly.com Project page: https://vinoly.com/works/national-medal-honor-museum/ Instagram: @rva_ny Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rafael-vinoly-architects/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What are the (top) secrets of better collaboration? Is collaboration like a game of ping pong? Or more like ballroom dancing? Is there a better way to disagree? Does having constraints make design ... better? How is an exhibition like a film? And what happens when your project feels — in this case, even literally — like “Mission: Impossible”? Barbara Miller (Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, Museum of the Moving Image) and Danae Colomer (Director of Exhibition Management and Design, Museum of the Moving Image) discuss “Mission: Collaboration” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: zombies, skateboards, and messages that self-destruct. Talking Points: 1. A Moving Experience 2. What is Collaboration? 3. Is It Ping Pong ... or Ballroom Dancing? 4. Constraints Make a Stronger Design 5. Sometimes It’s Mission: Impossible How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Barbara Miller is Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs at Museum of the Moving Image in New York, where she organizes exhibitions and directs the content of the Museum’s permanent collection of material culture related to film, television and digital media. Major projects at MoMI include The Jim Henson Exhibition; Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen; and Born Digital: Pathways Towards Preservation , an Andrew W. Mellon-funded initiative to institute sustainable collection and exhibition practices related to digital media. Prior to joining MoMI in 2009, Miller's wide-ranging research and storytelling projects included work on the nationally broadcast PBS documentary American Roots Music , for which she earned an Emmy nomination. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from New York University. Danae Colomer is an architect and exhibition designer with over 15 years of experience across museum, architecture, and film design. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and how it can be translated into physical space to create meaningful, immersive experiences. Originally from Spain, Danae discovered her passion for exhibition design at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Since relocating to New York in 2009, she worked at Ralph Appelbaum Associates on award-winning museums worldwide. In 2021, she joined the Museum of the Moving Image as Director of Exhibition Management and Design. She holds a Master’s in Architecture from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid and a Master’s in Exhibition Design from FIT in New York. When she’s not designing exhibitions, Danae explores the world through the curious eyes of her children — which currently means mastering the rules of soccer and decoding the unique language of skateboarding. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Barbara by Email: bmiller@movingimage.org Barbara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-miller-8b788b13b/ Danae by Email: dcolomer@movingimage.org Danae on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaecolomer/ Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI): https://movingimage.org/ “Mission: Impossible — Story and Spectacle” (Exhibition at MoMI): https://movingimage.org/event/mission-impossible-story-and-spectacle/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

How do you choose the right architect for your museum? Is architecture about more than a building? Is architect selection about more than architecture? What is a design “brief”? Why are museum projects on “elephant time”? Are anonymous open design competitions a good thing? What comes after “good design is good business”? Susanna Sirefman (President, Dovetail Design Strategists) discusses “The Art of Choosing a Museum Architect” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: cello studies, Winston Churchill, and two lions named Patience and Fortitude. Talking Points: 1. Design excellence is a basic human right 2. Architecture is about more than a building 3. Architect selection is about more than architecture 4. Selecting the right architect is vital 5. Ask the right questions and you’ll get the right answers 6. Moving beyond “Good design is good business” How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Susanna Sirefman, President and Founder of Dovetail Design Strategists, draws from extensive knowledge of the latest design and building trends, providing her clients with unmatched access to both emerging and acclaimed talent in architecture. Trained as an architect at the renowned Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, England, Susanna’s deep knowledge of the field informs her ability to advise on design, synthesize architectural concepts, making architecture accessible to the public. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Susanna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanna-sirefman-17b8a813/ Susanna by email: info@dovetailstrategists.com Dovetail Design Strategists: https://www.dovetailstrategists.com Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What if every museum were more like ... a children’s museum? Why is play “agnostic”? Can you design an entire museum for every generation, all at the same time? How are children’s museums like (and not like) other museums? How did they get that way? Wait, could we make an entire exhibition out of nothing but cardboard boxes? What is “co-learning”? And why don’t more museum people visit … other people’s museums? Along the way: teaching artists, art teachers, and what we really mean by “caregiver.” Talking Points: 1. Children’s museums, then and now 2. See the word “museum” differently 3. Play is agnostic 4. Designing for multiple generations 5. Caregivers as co-learners 6. Why professionals should visit other museums How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Edwin Link, M.Ed., serves as the Executive Director of Children’s Museum of Atlanta, where he applies his 18 years of experience in the nonprofit, arts, education, children museums, and youth development sectors. His experience includes developing and executing national initiatives focused on serving families in under-resourced communities, building community responsive experiences that create joy and wonder, building strategic partnerships, driving revenue to support strategic objectives, and identifying and implementing change management processes for operational efficiency. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Edwin Link on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinlink/ The Children’s Museum of Atlanta: https://childrensmuseumatlanta.org/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What can we learn from one of the most complex AI projects in any museum today? What is the history of AI in museums? Can we add AI to our experiences without a complete renovation? How do you teach an AI about 775 different football teams? How can AI put visitors literally into a story? Is AI accurate enough for a museum? What about bias? Doesn’t AI take away jobs? And how do you specify exactly what shade of college football orange you want to an AI — if you can only use words? Kimberly Beaudin (CEO, College Football Hall of Fame) and Geoff Thatcher (Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Creative Principals) discuss “A Museum Transformed with AI” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: Hypercinema, Salvador Dalí, and net promoter scores. Talking Points: 1. A College Football Museum Transformed with AI 2. History of AI in Museums 3. Adding, Not Redesigning 4. Putting Visitors in the Story: Cheerleader, Coach, Player 5. Accuracy, Inclusivity and Jobs 6. What We Learned 7. What Visitors Are Saying How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios: Kimberly Beaudin is the Chief Executive Officer for the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, one of Atlanta’s top attractions, and college football’s mecca. Beaudin joined the College Football Hall of Fame in June 2015 as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications. With over 20 years of experience in leading brand development and marketing strategy, she was later promoted to oversee the sales operations of the business in March 2016. In April 2020, Beaudin was appointed CEO of the Hall of Fame, making her the first female leader of the storied attraction. In her role as CEO, Beaudin focuses on strategic marketing initiatives, community and public relations, group sales and event sales as well as philanthropic development and partnership sales and activation. Geoff Thatcher is an experienced creative director who excels at leading projects from concept to reality. These projects are most often about creating world-class experiences in corporate visitor centers, executive briefing centers, museums, theme parks and live events.Great experiences are distinguished by great story telling. Whether it’s interviewing executives about the future of health care in America, walking the Fort Worth assembly line of the F-35 Lightning II or listening to a seventh-generation Hawaiian play ukulele in her living room, it all begins with finding the story and translating it into memorable experiences. Geoff’s passion and experience in leadership development is ultimately about creating an environment where great work can get done together. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Kimberly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-hartley-beaudin-a547933/ Kimberly by email: kbeaudin@cfbhall.com College Football Hall of Fame: https://www.cfbhall.com/ Geoff on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffthatcher/ Geoff by email: gthatcher@creativeprincipals.com Creative Principals: https://www.creativeprincipals.com/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What if the secret to better museums was … neuroscience? How can museums inspire human creativity? How much media should be in a gallery — or should there be any? How soon should you get feedback on your exhibition ideas? Can museums help us all “escape the algorithm”? What does knitting have to do with visitor satisfaction? In this episode, we’ll learn some unexpected tricks of the trade from a renowned museum leader. Lynda Roscoe Hartigan (The Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum) discusses “Creating Effective Museum Experiences” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: standup comedy, Iris Apfel, and moon chairs. Talking Points: 1. Embrace Human Creativity 2. Design is Critical — Use Media Wisely 3. Knit Experiences 4. Escape the Algorithm 5. Know Your Audience — Get Feedback Early 6. Consider the Neuroscience How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Lynda Roscoe Hartigan is The Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum. As a curator, scholar and museum executive, Lynda Roscoe Hartigan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to PEM. During her time as Chief Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, she led an internationally recognized acquisition initiative to build collections of works by Black, self-taught and modern and contemporary artists. In 2003, Lynda was appointed as PEM’s first Chief Curator and in 2016 became Deputy Director. Overseeing the interpretation and installation of PEM’s new wing, she was integral to developing and advancing the museum’s innovative exhibition program, collection stewardship, fundraising, education, publishing, digital and global leadership initiatives. Most recently, she was Deputy Director for Collections and Research and Chief Innovation Officer at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada's largest museum dedicated to art, culture and the sciences. Lynda has returned to PEM to become the museum’s first woman director and to boldly lead the nation’s oldest continually operating and ever-evolving museum forward. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Lynda’s Email: lynda_hartigan@pem.org Lynda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynda-hartigan-762b475/ Lynda’s Thesis: "Grandma Moses and the Implications of Memory,' in Grandma Moses in the 21st Century, Jane Kallir, ed., Art Services International, Alexandria, VA, 2001, pp. 64-79. https://www.amazon.com/Grandma-Moses-Century-Jane-Kallir/dp/0300089279 Calder exhibition: https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/calder-and-abstraction-from-avant-garde-to-iconic Ansel Adams exhibition: https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/ansel-adams-at-the-waters-edge Escape the Algorithm, PEM’s latest ad campaign: https://www.pem.org/blog/turning-heads-pems-chief-marketing-officer-gives-the-scoop-on-the-museums-new-brand-campaign Neuroscience initiative: https://www.pem.org/about-pem/pem-initiatives/neuroscience-initiative Art Pharmacy from Mass Cultural Council: https://www.artpharmacy.co/ FutureMuseum (PEM will be hosting museum leaders for this event on May 28 and 29, 2025): https://www.museumbooster.com/future-museum Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What if a museum were more like a laboratory? What if our exhibits were experiments? What if our galleries were more about questions, rather than answers? What if we didn’t fear failure as much? What if scientists, artists, and technologists all created exhibitions together? What happens when you edit an exhibit about editing DNA? Should every project have a post-opening contingency — in addition to the normal kind? Ann Neumann (Director of Galleries and Exhibitions, MIT Museum) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Museum as Lab.” Along the way: circadian rhythms, robots, maritime paintings, and a huge spiderweb you can play like a musical instrument. Talking Points: 1. The MIT Museum 2. Scientists, Artists, and Technologists 3. Editing the Genetics Gallery 4. Spiderweb Concert 5. Circadian Biology: Lighten Up 6. Moving 1,500,000 Objects How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Ann Neumann, Director of Galleries and Exhibitions at the MIT Museum, leads conceptual planning of museum exhibitions presenting MIT’s research, collections, and innovation in science, art, design and technology in the heart of the biotech corridor. Her focus is on the museum as an experimental test bed for ideas, conversations and experiences that reflect the critical issues of culture and society. She’s the recipient of numerous awards for her work and named a Blooloop Museum Influencer in 2024. Her experience developing museums and science centers in the US and internationally reflect a commitment to expanding the human experience and science understanding through interdisciplinary collaborations, visual communication and the built environment. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners, the exhibition and experience design studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Ann by Email: neumanna@mit.edu Ann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-neumann MIT Museum: https://mitmuseum.mit.edu Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | Design for Culture: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What if we're doing community engagement … wrong? How long should the process really take for a museum or exhibition? What’s the difference between demographics and psychographics? What does it mean to “move at the pace of community”? Why do community engagement experts sometimes cringe when they hear the word “charrette”? And what exactly does “community” mean? Nu Goteh (Founder and Principal of ROOM FOR MAGIC, and Co-Founder of Deem Journal ) joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Community Engagement Misconceptions.” Along the way: Red Bull, lived experience experts, and Burnt Caramel Cookie Crumble. Talking Points: 1. What Does Community Mean? 2. Moving at the Pace of Community 3. Engagement Isn’t Free 4. Finding Partner Organizations 5. Charrettes Are One Tactic (They’re Not a Strategy) 6. The Inherent Tensions 7. The Ice Cream Test How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Hi, I’m Nu—a designer, strategist, and educator dancing between design, culture, pedagogy and socially-engaged art. My practice integrates and reframes design beyond aesthetics. I’m interested in how design can serve as a catalyst for meaningful social change, informed by my Liberian heritage and a commitment to counter-culture ideals. I believe in the regenerative power of creativity to reimagine what is possible and to shape more inclusive and sustainable futures. As the Founder and Principal of ROOM FOR MAGIC (studio practice) and the Co-Founder of Deem Journal (research & narrative practice), I see design as more than a tool—it's a language that connects people, places, and histories, offering pathways to restore and reshape the world. For me, design carries within it the life of communities, the rhythm of culture, and the potential for social regeneration. I am passionate about creating projects that not only spark imagination but also nurture a sense of being, becoming and belonging. Whether building platforms for dialogue or designing systems for change, I am driven by a vision of community-focused spaces that invite others to participate, collaborate, and thrive. Design, at its best, becomes a bridge—a way to reclaim agency and envision new possibilities. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Nu via Email: nu@roomformagic.com Room for Magic: https://www.roomformagic.com Nu’s Personal Website: https://www.nugoteh.com Deem Journal: https://www.deemjournal.com @deemjournal (Instagram) Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | Design for Culture: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/

What if we combined immersion, emotion, storytelling — and games? We all want “engagement” … but what is engagement? How can our projects create it? What are the elements that go into it? Can game theory and play teach us how to make our experiences better? What is “narrative transportation”? Why are emotions key to memory creation? And what do Renaissance fairs have to do with museums? Ed Rodley (Co-Founder and Principal, The Experience Alchemists), joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Playful Engagement.” Along the way: holodecks, Sleep No More, portmanteaus, and Ed’s upcoming book. Talking Points: 1. What is “Playful Engagement”? 2. The Magic Circle 3. Immersion 4. Emotion 5. Storytelling 6. Games and Play How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Ed Rodley, Co-Founder & Principal, The Experience Alchemists (TEA), is an award-winning experience designer with over thirty-five years’ experience in making exhibitions and experiences for cultural organizations large and small. Incorporating emerging technologies into museum practice has been a theme throughout his career. As a thought leader in the digital transformation of the cultural sector, Ed frequently speaks at events around the world like ICOM’s International Symposium 2024 in Dubai and the National Digital Forum 2023 in New Zealand. He was one of Blooloop’s 50 Museum Influencers for 2021. His book “Designing for Playful Engagement in Museums” is due out in Summer 2025 from Routledge. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode: Ed Rodley by Email: ed@theexperiencealchemists.com The Experience Alchemists https://www.theexperiencealchemists.com “Taking the Plunge” in Museum Magazine https://www.aam-us.org/2022/11/01/taking-the-plunge/ This article discusses the current state of immersive experiences, some of the conversations around these experiences and their “authenticity” and surveys the psychological research into immersion in digital environments to explore what makes them compelling. "Thinking about Museums" Blog https://thinkingaboutmuseums.com/ Ed’s personal weblog on museums, content, design, and why they matter. Museopunks: The Podcast for the Progressive Museum https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-museums/museopunks/ Ed had the distinct pleasure of co-hosting with Suse Anderson her AAM-sponsored podcast which investigated the fascinating work and personalities in and around the museum sector, with a focus on emergent, boundary-pushing work and ideas. Humanizing the Digital: Unproceedings from the MCN 2018 Conference https://ad-hoc-museum-collective.github.io/humanizing-the-digital/ This book explored how museums can use technology to foster human connection and dialogue, advance accessibility and inclusion, and champion inquiry and knowledge, drawn from the Museum Computer Network conference. CODE | WORDS - Technology and Theory in the Museum https://medium.com/code-words-technology-and-theory-in-the-museum Brought together leading museum thinkers and practitioners to explore emerging issues about the nature of museums in the light of the dramatic and ongoing impact of digital technologies. Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger: alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | Design for Culture: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/