More to Explore: Participate!

Participate!

The Museum is more than a place to see exhibits -- we also want it to be a place where you, the visitor, can contribute and help us tell the stories of our community and our world.

Visitor participation will be a key element in our new Museum, and as we go through the planning process we'll be trying out some new ways in which you can participate. Some will be online only; others will be here at the Museum, or a combination of both.

So don't be shy; join in!

the magnetic museum

If you were building your own museum, what would it look like? Visitors use the artifact magnets and arrange them on the whiteboard, using markers to design their own galleries and exhibits. Some people are very systematic; others prefer a more free-form arrangement!

what's the story? science or history (or both!)

With an interesting object from our collection as the focal point, the "What's the Story?" exhibit asks visitors to tell us whether they think the object represents science, or history, or both, and to tell us why. We're getting some really interesting answers! Stop by and add your thoughts.

urban wildlife photography challenge

As we plan for the new Museum (which will break ground in 2010), we’re launching pilot projects to test with our visitors. Our first pilot project was a photography challenge, where we experimented with image display, and how people interact with photos in the Museum.

We had a great response to our invitation to upload photos to our Flickr group, which you can find at www.flickr.com/groups/1178989@N20/. Check outthe group page and enjoy the great photography contributed by community members.

We exhibited the photo project from October 2009 through early February 2010, along with visitors' contributions of urban wildlife stories in the “Field Notes” section, and drawings of urban wildlife encounters.

conversations about place

"A place is a story happening many times." What place tells your story, and why? Join our VoiceThread conversation and add your thoughts. You can also read more about the project on our blog.