Erik Schilp (r) and Valentijn Byvanck (l) present Blueprint to Jan Marijnissen.
This blog was once started to document the (digital) development of a museum of national history in the Netherlands. As most readers will know, that museum never happened. What most readers – acquainted with our very visible projects such as xwashier and the National Vending Machine – might not know is that a large part of the work done by our curators has never been made public. Until now.
Yesterday in a packed Felix Meritis in Amsterdam the publication Blueprintwas presented. The book shows in detail our plans for the design and contents of a museum of national history for the Netherlands. It contains sketches of exhibitions, descriptions of displays and interactives and even ideas for the architecture of the physical building. It is the outcome of years of work by some of the most talented people I’ve ever met and beautifully designed by one of my favourite designers in the Netherlands.
Last week Jim Richardson (Sumo/MuseumNext) and I hosted a 2-day workshop to help the Qatar Museum Authority (QMA) develop their digital engagement strategy. After two intense days of gamestorming, project design and requirement discussions I left Doha with the strong feeling we might have to look east if we want to discover what the museum of the future looks like.
QMA’s vision is to be a global leader in the world of museums, art and heritage. Currently, they operate two museums and many others are planned. Their range spans from the existing mindblowing Museum of Islamic Art till a (planned) collection-less National Museum and an interactive Sports Museum. Their chairperson Sheikha Al Mayassa talks beautifully about the reasons behind such a strong focus on culture in a recent TED talk.
This post will answer the number one question I’ve been asked after it became known the Museum of National History would cease to exist in January: What will I do next year? And to take away some worries immediately, I won’t be gone from the cultural sector. At least not entirely, as I will explain shortly.
Starting right after New Year I will be working on what we call a “strategy start-up”. Together with the talented digital producer, music enthusiast and my good friend Erwin Elling, I will start a company that will help others to use the opportunities of the 21st century strategically and sustainably, and create campaigns and strategies that add value to brands.
We call it a strategy start-up because on the one hand we will use the no-nonsense mindset of start-ups in approaching challenges, while at the same time we will look beyond the short-term objectives that often dominate (digital) projects.
Ever more organisations have taken successful first steps in the digital domain, and can pride themselves in an established traditional presence. Today, however, they’re faced with the question “what’s next?” How to turn Facebook fans into visitors? How to connect with completely new target groups? How to build a meaningful relationship with our audience that spans the physical and digital domain? How to make some money doing so?
That’s where we come in. Together with our future clients we will give workshops, training, co-create successful campaigns and strategy, develop a vision for the coming years and help you make sense of the immense possibilities of the 21st century. Read the rest of this entry »
After the news that January 1st 2012 the Museum of National History, my employer, will cease to exist, I received countless heartwarming and encouraging messages from all over the world. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank everybody for his or her kind words and pats on my back. Thank you, you are amazing!
It’s wonderful to know the international community of cultural innovators (if I may call you that) is a place where people share and care.
Many of you have asked me what’s next for me. Good question: What’s next?
In his wonderful book Where good ideas come from (video) Steven Johnson gives some guidelines – say, life’s lessons? – to stimulate creativity and develop a sense of direction to something truly worthwhile. If you haven’t yet, read the book.
What’s next for me is that I will do some of the things Johnson recommends to prepare for an as yet unknown adventure that will eventually connect keywords such as culture, society, innovation and people.
Some of these recommendations I can do myself; taking walks, writing everything down, making mistakes…
With some others I could use your help. Here’s how:
I’d love to discover how a wide variety of institutions work. Museums, archives, theatres, NGOs… What are your challenges? What makes you unique? If you can, I’d truly appreciate to come by and see what you do. In exchange I’m happy to share everything I know in a presentation, workshop, etc.
Good news for all fans of our National Vending Machine: this week we received confirmation of a significant subsidy to further develop the project. The great people at the DOEN Foundation will invest in improved visitor participation, a better website and information structure and activities to involve new audiences. Thanks!
These new funds allow us to work on some of our own recommendations for improvement. For instance, it allows us to put in practice the lessons about participation and crowdsourcing we detail in our Museums and the Web paper. Also, we can professionalize our outreach activities. Here’s some of the things we’re hoping to do with the help of DOEN: Read the rest of this entry »
