Circus Lessons for Museum Professionals, with Jennifer Lemmer Posey

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Recorded11 Jun 2024

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What’s the role of wonder in experience design? What can the circus teach us to make our exhibitions better? (Spoiler alert: a lot.) Could being “with it and for it” be the secret to success for museum projects? How much technology is too much? Can we really design for all five senses? Can an exhibition be a high-wire act — literally? Jennifer Lemmer Posey (Tibbals Curator of Circus at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to teach some inspirational “Circus Lessons for Museum Professionals”. Along the way: popcorn, a wall of clowns, and that special smell of elephants.Talking Points:1. Build a team that is “with it and for it”2. Engage all of the senses3. Technology shouldn’t steal the center ring4. Wonder is in the details5. Create opportunities for shared experiences6. Design a space that can be ever-changing, never-changing How to Listen:Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Everywherehttps://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio:As the Tibbals Curator of Circus at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Jennifer Lemmer Posey oversees the interpretation and care of objects and ephemera related to the history of circus. With more than twenty years of experience, Jennifer serves as a liaison to the international circus community and facilitates academic study of circus arts. A leading scholar in American circus history, her work has been included in numerous books, catalogs, and journals. Jennifer served as editor for Bandwagon: The Journal of the Circus Historical Society and was an Advisory Scholar in Circus Arts for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2017.About MtM:Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Links:About Jennifer:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlemmerposey/ https://www.instagram.com/wonderfilled_curator/ About the Ringling:https://www.linkedin.com/company/theringling https://www.instagram.com/theringling/ https://www.facebook.com/TheRingling From Point 1 - Building a team that is “with it and for it”:Behind the scenes of the Howard Bros. Circus model - museum staff programhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxntny_wC_M Wagon Wheel installationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgF8__NDnJQ From Point 2 - Engage all of the senses:The Ringlinghttps://www.ringling.org Wonder Symposiumhttps://www.ringling.org/wonder-symposium/ From Point 3 - Technology shouldn’t steal the center ring:The Greatest Show On Earth Gallery at The Ringlinghttps://www.ringling.org/event/the-greatest-show-on-earth-gallery/ Manage This Podcast – My Project is a Three Ring Circushttps://www.velociteach.com/manage-this-podcast/my-project-is-a-three-ring-circus/ From Point 4 - Wonder is in the details:Howard Tibbals & the Howard Bros. Circus Modelhttps://www.pbs.org/video/wedu-arts-plus-311-howard-tibbals/ Smithsonian Folklife Festival – Wonder Is by Albert Tong and Hae-Yang Changhttps://festival.si.edu/blog/wonder-is-circus-arts Circus Museum Collection Highlightshttps://emuseum.ringling.org/collections/5163/circus-highlights/objects From Point 5 - Create opportunities for shared experiences:The Ringling’s Collecting Recollections series features fascinating people with fascinating stories to tell about their lives, the Museum, the Circus, Sarasota – and more. I recommend Dolly Jacobs, Kenneth Feld, Jackie LeClaire, Peggy Williamshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLctJhityCmSnHNtgDWP6uWK3Nf0l7Pkr1 From Point 6 - Design a space that can be ever-changing, never-changing:The Circus Museum at The Ringlinghttps://www.ringling.org/visit/venues/circus-museum/ To learn more about circuses:Federation Mondiale du Cirquehttp://www.circusfederation.org Circus Historical Societyhttps://circushistory.org Circus Sarasotahttps://circusarts.org Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baileyhttps://www.ringling.com MtM Show Contact:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger [email protected] https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Newsletter:Liked the show? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.