A provocative call for the transformation of science museums into
"idea colliders" that spark creative collaborations and connections.
Today's science museums descend from the Kunst-und Wunderkammern of
the Renaissance--collectors' private cabinets of curiosities--through
the Crystal Palace exhibition of 1851 to today's "interactive" exhibits
promising educational fun. In this book, Michael John Gorman issues a
provocative call for the transformation of science museums and science
centers from institutions dedicated to the transmission of cultural
capital to dynamic "idea colliders" that spark creative collaborations
and connections. This new kind of science museum would not stage
structured tableaux of science facts but would draw scientists into
conversation with artists, designers, policymakers, and the public.
Rather than insulating visitors from each other with apps and audio
guides, the science museum would consider each visitor a resource,
bringing questions, ideas, and experiences from a unique perspective.
Gorman, founder of the trailblazing Science Gallery, describes three
scenarios for science museums of the future--the Megamuseum Mall, "the
Cirque de Soleil of the science museum world"; the Cloud Chamber, a
local space for conversations and co-creation; and the invisible museum,
digital device-driven informal science learning. He discusses hybrids
that experiment with science and art and science galleries that engage
with current research, encouraging connection, participation and
surprise. Finally, he identifies ten key shifts in the evolution of
science museums, including those from large to small, from interactive
to participatory, from enclosed to porous, and from subject-specific to
cross-disciplinary.
