testing the theory: exploring museum "practices"

when ray mentioned towards the end of our discussion of museum 2.0 last week that nina simon is known to accept facebook friend requests and respond to personal emails in record time, i decided to try it out.

i've been talking to cheri, liz, and kevin of the student museum coalition (smc) about putting on an event at the museum this spring as part of, or perhaps as an addendum to, their treasure hunt series. my idea started when i read about the mp3 experiments, a series of projects put on by the new york-based improv everywhere, in this post on her blog.

i wondered if, in addition to encouraging visitors to navigate the galleries, locate works of art, and glean information from labels, it would be possible to facilitate a more loosely structured exploration of museum space and resources, and encourage visitors to converse and interact with each other, by designing a podcast that would function like the mp3 experiments, but in the museum.

however, i was hitting a wall with regard to a few logistical issues, so i decided that i would see if ms. simon had any advice for me. less than 12 hours later, I got my advice:

It sounds like what you are conceiving is a collection of "practices" for experiencing art. Instead of treating them sequentially (which may make some people feel like they have to rush through them to complete the set), I'd recommend a starting message that says something about there being lots of ways to experience art, pick one or two to play with today, etc.  I also wonder whether you constrain yourself if they're all audio-based. You could have a few that are on cards and some that are audio-based - that would encourage more social and spontaneous use.

she also pointed me in the direction of an online voicemail box system that could be used in lieu of a podcast or a series of audio tracks. this seems like a great idea, since it eliminates the need to download something onto an mp3 player; audio-based activities can be accessed instead by the use of a cell phone.

anyways, i know this is a sketchy insight into the project i'm developing, but i just wanted to say thanks for the tip and let everyone else know that nina simon really is as cool and helpful and intelligent as her blog suggests. also, if anyone is interested in talking more about this proposed event and/or wants to get involved, let me know! peace out.