Education And Certification Requirements
Educational and certification requirements vary depending on your employers needs. Having a bachelors or masters degree in education and/or management will give you a better chance at a secure, high-paying position. Some institutions may hire you if you have at least a high school diploma and experience working in a museum, but the job may have lower pay and status.
Nearly all institutions require you to pass a background check and be fingerprinted.
Exhibits Built For Exploration
WOW! Childrens Museum believes in the power of play and that play helps develops critical foundational skills that benefit children in school and beyond. Informal play is being threatened at schools and at home, with children becoming more scheduled and having less freedom to play. WOW! plays a critical role in our community by providing informal play experiences in a safe and educational environment. Within our Museum walls, children explore exhibits about a variety of subjects, including STREAM, art, music, health, and practical life. Our exhibits are designed to stimulate healthy child development and to be engaging to children and families. With exhibits based on bubbles, light and sound, wind, art, health, market and food, theatre, dance and yoga, banking, solar energy, pirate ship, gardening, and a dedicated toddler space, the Museum is full of ways for kids to explore, discover and imagine!
WOW! uses measurable standards for Museum exhibits to guide future design and prioritize renovations for current exhibits. The majority of the Museums exhibits are created, designed and built right here in Lafayette, CO in our on-site workshop. Our design process allows us to gather valuable feedback from visitors so we can create exhibits that engage children and allow them to learn while doing.
What does it take to build an exhibit from the ground up?
What Are Some Of Your Favorite Tools You Use As Youre Designing
Creative ideas and an open mind have to be my most favorite tools. Other useful tools are pencil and paper so I can sketch and get something out of my head in a way that someone else can see and react to it. I might use cardboard and tape and literally put structures together. Or I might use CAD software to create empty shells of exhibit spaces and walk into the space virtually. And I use fly-throughs and functional 3D models to test ideas and layouts.
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Future Exhibit Designers: 5 Fun At
With closed schools and stay-at-home orders around the world, parents, teachers, and caregivers are rising to the occasion and figuring out innovative ways to homeschool students. When the schoolwork is complete, theres the continued challenge of keeping young children entertained and away from hours staring at smartphones, tablets, and TVs.
Whether youre a museum professional, exhibit designer, or simply a crafty stay-at-home caregiver, this is a great opportunity to teach children about how to create an exhibition. Let them know that being an exhibit designer is a blast! You get to draw things, learn about so many fascinating topics, and see thousands of cool objects.
Here are five super fun at-home make-a-museum activities for young children.
A Leading Museum Exhibition Design Company
At JRA, we know how to turn your initial vision into a successful reality. To do that, you need to provide inspiration, create meaning, and spark joy. No small feat, is it? Its easy to feel daunted by the task. But it doesnt have to be that way. We understand how to push the boundaries of the imagination while designing for the real world. We challenge our team to dream up fun, never-before-seen museum exhibits and cultural attractionsand guide them to completion. The result? Museum exhibits that engage visitors in new and innovative ways.
We design creative, immersive destinations for museums, science centers, cultural experiences, and leisure attractions worldwide.
- Museum Exhibit Design
- Cultural Attraction Design
- Brand Experience Design
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What Is Your Favorite Part Of Shipwreck Adventures
I love the fact that its a narrative-based exhibit. Its great to be able to invite people into a story and transport them to another place or time in this case, the bottom of the lake.
This exhibit is so different from anything else at the museum. It lets kids flex their imagination muscles in a whole different way. We drop you into the story, and let you explore it on your own terms. Weve got so many fun experiences in the museum, but nothing quite like this.
Jobs For Childrens Museum Educators Beyond The Museum World
Childrens museum educators may also work as teachers, librarians, instructional coordinators, assistant principals, principals, or as an educational administrator at a college or university.
Teacher: Childrens museum educators can easily become teachers if they obtain a teaching credential and have a strong educational background in the subject they plan to teach.
Professor: Childrens museum educators can become professors if they earn a doctorate in the area where they wish to research and teach.
Librarian: A masters degree in library science is generally required for employment, and some states also require librarians to pass a standardized test.
Instructional coordinator: Childrens museum educators are well-positioned to become instructional coordinators. Instructional coordinators should complete a masters degree related to curriculum and instruction and may be required to have a teaching or education administrator license.
Academic advisor: With a masters degree in an education-related field, you can transition into being an academic advisor at either the K-12 or college/university level.
School principal: You will need a masters degree in an education-related field to become a school principal. Most states also require public school principals to be licensed school administrators.
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Divide Larger Exhibits Into Sections
When it comes down to it, sometimes the easiest way to tell your story, create a linear flow, and build striking artifact displays is to break a larger exhibit into smaller sections. This can help make the information more digestible for your museum visitors. It also allows them to get a sense of completion as they move from section to section. Adopting this approach will allow you to get creative with your use of the walls and layout in your museum exhibit design. You can employ effective and dramatic storytelling through your choice of when to unveil different artifacts and information to people as they move through the exhibit.
Children’s Museum Exhibit Designer
Paul Orselli Workshop is a leading design and planning company for the field of Childrens Museums.
About Paul Orselli and children’s Museums – In addition to working at such innovative institutions as The Austin Childrens Museum and The Long Island Childrens Museum before forming POW! Paul Orselli has his Graduate Degree in Education and is the proud father of four children. He regularly teaches and lectures on Museum and Museum Education topics for Bank Street College, The University of the Arts, and The Fashion Institute of Technology.
Paul brings all of these experiences into his work of creating playful Childrens Museums and amazing exhibit environments with his many satisfied clients.
Contact the Paul Orselli Workshop today so we can start working together on your next Children’s exhibition project.
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From Concept To Design: An Interview With Senior Exhibit Designer Christopher Lee
The concept for Shipwreck Adventures had taken shape: An interactive exhibit based on a real-life shipwreck in Lake Superior. The exhibit developer had conducted research, visited the North Shore for inspiration and met with one of the divers that had discovered the wreck. Now it was senior exhibit designer Chris Lees time to shine. His task: Turn great ideas and lots of research into actual building plans.
We spoke with Chris to learn more about the role of an exhibit designer and hear about his process for creating new exhibits like Shipwreck Adventures.
Chris Lee and Mary Weiland review a map of Lake Superior.
Designing For Curiosity With The Childrens Museum Of Atlanta
Curiosity and creativity expand throughout all age groups, and our strong desire to poke around and discover made for a great collaboration between Georgia Tech students and one of Atlantas discovery focused spaces for youth.
Teaming up with the Childrens Museum sparked the students whimsical side, bringing about ideas for six exhibits that ranged from learning about nutrition in a fun and interactive way to playing and discovering light and photography. The exhibits varied in both design and intent, but one thing they all had in common was the use of lively and joyful colors.
Born out of the School of Industrial Design at Georgia Tech, the new course titled Designing for Curiosity, embraces design methods and user experience discovery. The course was led and developed by Assistant Professor with joint appointment at the School of Industrial Design and School of Interactive Computing, HyunJoo Oh.
Her intention is that her course, Designing for Curiosity, introduces fundamental design methods to students. I hope that students can apply further practices of design across various interaction design applications through this course, and what better collaboration for practice than the Childrens Museum of Atlanta? Oh said.
We collaborated with the museum to design and develop playful and interactive learning experiences for children.
Discovery and play were a success! The dynamic exhibits triggered wonder among the curious patrons.
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Professional Development For Childrens Museum Educators
Whatever your background, there are many routes to becoming a childrens museum educator. Youll want to think about what part of museum work best fits your skills and develop your education and experience in that area. Pursuing an advanced degree may be necessary, depending on your career goals. If you havent worked in a museum before, start volunteering at one at the earliest opportunity. Volunteering will give you valuable experience and help you develop a professional network of contacts in the museum world.
As you map out your approach to becoming a childrens museum educator, read as much as you can about current exhibits and trends in childrens museums. Follow interesting blogs and Twitter handles of museum educators and curators. Forming a thoughtful perspective on childrens museums and education is crucial to succeeding in interactions and interviews with potential employers.
You may also want to get involved in an organization or community like the Association of Childrens Museums and attend events to pursue networking opportunities.
Use Graphic Design To Create Interest Flow And Focus
The use of graphic design is vital to bring your museum exhibit to life. That can mean anything from signs and labels to banners and huge set pieces. On a basic level, signs and graphics can help organize the flow of traffic. Theyre also one of the best tools for turning your museum exhibit into a themed environment. Instead of placing your visitors in the role of casual observers, you can immerse them in the experience. With the right environment, theyll feel like active participants in history. The Kennedy Space Center exhibits are a great example, and how they make people feel like astronauts on the International Space Station.
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Who Makes A Good Childrens Museum Educator
To succeed as a childrens museum educator, you need to have a passion for science, history, and culture as well as a desire to educate children in an engaging way. If youre going to be working directly with children, youll need a friendly, accessible manner to help them understand the exhibits and programs in the museum.
Childrens museum educators also need superior organizational skills to oversee the creation, budgeting, and promotion of the exhibits. You should be able to communicate clearly with others verbally and in writing. Computer knowledge will be essential if you are coordinating exhibits that rely on interactive media such as touch-screen kiosks and audio tours.
Successful childrens museum educators usually possess several of these traits:
- Passionate about interactive educational experiences
- Sociable and easy to talk to
- Patient and resourceful
Lets take a look at each of these areas in more detail.
Management and operations
If you work in management and operations, you will be responsible for overall educational objectives of the organization. Job duties for a childrens museum educator working in management and operations may involve:
Research and design
If you work in research and design, your job will be to develop engaging educational exhibits for young museum-goers. Job duties may include:
Construction and maintenance
Construction and maintenance workers build and maintain museum exhibits. Construction and maintenance responsibilities include:
Andrew Mathews President Board Of Trustees
Andy Mathews is a commercial lawyer with years of experience providing pragmatic and outcome-oriented legal and compliance advice. He has led the legal departments of two different Seattle-area real estate companies, including in his current role as General Counsel of John L. Scott Real Estate. He also provides pro bono legal services to refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. as a volunteer attorney with a prominent immigrant rights organization.
Andy joined the Board of Trustees in 2017, and was elected president in 2020, just as the pandemic emerged. The museum closed to protect staff and visitors, and to comply with city and state guidelines, but Andy has fond memories of bringing his two kids to the Museum in the early 2010s and looks forward to welcoming back the next generation of young visitors as the Museum reopens.
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Childrens Museum Of Cleveland
DESIGNED FOR KIDS TO WANDER IN WONDER.
Imagine unleashing your wildest imagination and climbing a treehouse in Adventure City as a young, urban explorer before whisking off to Wonder Lab with whimsical water play and exploring dollhouses as if you are the miniature inside.
Is it make-believe? No, this is the Childrens Museum of Cleveland and its new home at the restored Stager-Beckwith mansion, a four-story historic site in the heart of Cleveland, one of the last standing mansions on Millionaires Row. At 40,000 square feet, CMC quadrupled the size of its former exhibit space in University Circle and created a fresh, engaging brand in a venue thats designed for roaming imaginations and fearless curiosity.
To reinvent its brand and transform the mansion into a hands-on, play-and-learn environment, CMC engaged a team of architects and designers, including Richardson Design. Our charge: To create a fresh, engaging brand for CMC and a visual identity system to capture the excitement and ingenuity of the institution while positioning it for future growth. Richardson Design provided interior design services as well as graphic design and branding for CMC. To transform the 1866 French Second Empire-style building into a museum of interactive exhibits, Richardson collaborated with CMC Director of Exhibits Karen Katz, architecture firm AoDK Inc., architect Sharon Sanders of SKS Designs, and design-build contractor The Krill Co., Inc.
Richardson Design, LLC
Alissa Rupp Faia Acting Director
Alissa Rupp is an architect, planner and facilitator, and is a leader in the design of places for community building, informal education and lifelong learning. She works with the conviction that we can improve public life through the serious work of creating spaces where art, nature, culture, and especially play, intersect. Her values include equity, universal access, interdisciplinary thinking, collaboration and co-creation.
Alissas early career was forged in childrens museums her positions on staff at the Boston and Seattle Childrens Museums led her to pursue a career in architecture and exhibit development. Since then, her goal has been to serve the field of Informal Education through design, strategic planning and thoughtfully executed capital projects. She has worked with many spaces dedicated to kids and families, including: KidsQuest Childrens Museum in Bellevue, Hands On Childrens Museum in Olympia, Discovery Childrens Museum in Las Vegas, Kidspace in Pasadena, Kids on 8! and Run, 2, 3! in Hong Kong, and Bay Club Kids Zone in Mumbai.
She is pleased to return to Seattle Childrens Museum in an acting capacity, and to support this organization that was so important to her when she first arrived in the Pacific Northwest. She has confidence in the future of the museum, and looks forward to its re-emergence on the citys arts and culture landscape.
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Tips For Museum Exhibit Design Success
If youre trying to design a permanent or temporary museum exhibit, you already know that they make the perfect outing. With a successful museum exhibit, you can provide individuals and families with a unique way to learn and experience history, inspiration, art, and wonder. But it raises the question how do you create great museum exhibit design?
Successful museum exhibit design enhances the experience your visitors receive and the learning or entertainment value they take from it. No matter what youre exhibiting, we have some suggestions that can help any museum create a winning display. Here are our top 10 tips for designing a great museum experience:
Make A Natural History Exhibit
Collect all of your favorite stuffed animals and show them some love by assembling them into a cozy natural history exhibit or mini-wildlife center.
Arrange them around a room, and create little settings for them, if you like. Make museum labels for each one, identifying its name, type of animal, age, and where the stuffed animal is from. Research each kind of animal on the Internet, or in books you may already have, to include information about what they like to eat, where they live, and other interesting facts. If you dont want to type and print labels, you can write them by hand on index cards. For a big natural history exhibit, look beyond stuffed animals. You can also make labels for plants, pine cones, and rocks.
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Karen Katz Exhibit Design
Karen Katz is an exhibit designer based in Cleveland, Ohio who specializes in creating interactive learning environments for children and families. Katz, who holds a masters degree in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design, has worked in the field for over 20 years, having spent many years as the Director of Exhibits at The Childrens Museum of Cleveland. In her most recent role at the Museum, she participated as part of the leadership team to help secure $11 million to move the Museum to a new location and designed 20,000 square feet of exhibit space for the new facility. Katz continues her work with the Museum as an ongoing advisor, planning new design and exhibit concepts as the Museum continues to grow.
What sets Katz apart from other firms is her vast experience and knowledge in the field of early childhood exhibit design and her expertise in how children play. For each project, she draw on experiences of traveling to childrens museums across the globe to source ideas and find innovative techniques that make each design one-of-a-kind.
Clients will have the opportunity to access Katzs team of professionals that work with her to bring design concepts to fruition. From architects and interior designers to artists and fabricators, each project will benefit from Katz’s wide network of providers and embody the quality and creativity that have made her a sought-after exhibit designer.
