How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit Pt.2
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Work
This is the second and final part of a series on how to build a simple interpretative panel for an exhibit. If you missed part one, then point your browser to How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit Pt.1.
Now that the final exhibit graphic has been proofed and the substrate cut and finished, it’s time to move on to the last few stages of production.
Assemble The Panel
It’s time to assemble the exhibit panel. The first step is to mount the graphic to the front of the substrate. There are several different adhesives and transfer papers on the market for applying the graphic. We’ve had much success using Perma Trans inkjet transfer paper to mount graphics. The material adheres well and the end result is a smooth and clean presentation.
While one could stop after completing this task, I highly recommend adding a second surface to the panel. This helps to protect the graphic and it adds longevity to the panel (keeps those sticky fingers from damaging the graphic). Additionally, it helps to reduce glare from gallery lighting. In general, we use a 1/8 inch piece of acrylic cut to the same dimensions as the graphic and substrate. As mentioned, our preference is to use non-glare acrylic.
Admittedly, these few steps may seem daunting to a novice. Therefore, I recommend checking with a local printshop to see if this service is available. It’s relatively inexpensive and the turnaround time is usually quick. Go with what feels comfortable. While screwing up a panel is not the end of the world, it will set you back on time and money.
The final, assembled exhibit panel.
Add The Mounting Hardware
OK, the interpretative panel is now finished and ready to be mounted to the wall. Congratulations! It’s time to add the mounting hardware. Similar to the other steps in this process, there are numerous ways of approaching this task. Our preference is to use aluminum “z” clips for mounting panels. These clips are both strong and durable, as well as easy to assemble and install.There are numerous vendors for “z” clips on the Internet. If you have the tools, I recommend purchasing larger lengths and cutting them to meet the size of each individual panel. Otherwise, one can usually have them cut by the vendor.
Once you’ve got your clips cut to size, mount one of the interlocking clips to the wall at the spot where you want to hang the panel. Now, mount the second interlocking part on the back on the exhibit panel. However, before mounting the panel to the wall I recommend adding a small strip of Sintra or foam board to the lower portion of the panel. This will help stabilize the panel and keep it flush with the wall.
Pat Yourself On The Back!
Congratulations, you’re done! Take a moment to admire your hard work. As you can see from the picture below, these simple panels make a very professional gallery when hung together and placed with artifacts.
The Gallery.
How To Roast Coffee With An Air Popcorn Popper
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Maker, Museums, Work
As mentioned in a previous post, (How To Make Turkish (or Arabic) Coffee), the Arab American National Museum is currently hosting an exhibition entitled From Mocha to Latte: Coffee, the Arab World and the $4 Cup. This exhibit explores coffee’s Arab cultural roots, the global institution we know as the coffeehouse and the consumption and production of the beverage in today’s marketplace. In addition to the exhibition, we are planning a series of fun and engaging public programs. Speaking to this, we’re having some fun creating online tutorials on coffee roasting and coffee brewing. Further, these tutorials are meant to encourage our audience to participate in maker culture.
Our first tutorial focuses on roasting coffee beans with an air popcorn popper. The following short video will walk you through the steps and set you on your way to a better tasting cup of Joe. Stay tuned for a forthcoming tutorial on brewing coffee with a siphon!
- Devon Akmon
How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit Pt.1
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Maker, Museums, Work
Outsourcing the design and fabrication of exhibits is not a new trend in the museum industry; this has been happening for quite some time. However, the current economic downturn is altering how we approach the design and fabrication of exhibition materials. A recent article in the publication Exhibit City succinctly explains the current trends in exhibit building:
Today, exhibit houses are under pressure to alter their business strategies. These pressures are spawned by the current economic downturn and competitive influences. Clients are demanding more from their exhibit houses but wanting to pay less. Custom builds and refurbishing services are down while rental exhibits are increasingly popular. Storage, drayage and shipping costs continue to escalate, and general service contractors (GSCs) bundle services to make it more difficult to compete.
The prevailing economic winds show no sign of letting up anytime soon, at least not in Michigan. As indicated above, this means more museums are trying to get by with less and, in turn, exhibit builders are floundering. Of the two large firms based in SE Michigan, one has gone out of business and one has greatly reduced its scope of services.
A couple of years ago, when the economy started going south, we decided to look at our exhibit building options. Clearly, for medium to large scale exhibits we knew that we would need to hire a firm. However, we also realized that small exhibits and “permanent exhibit” modifications could be handled in-house. For example, our web designer has been handling more print design. Our IT staff have been identifying new ways of building/modifying interactives (an Arduino, an mp3 player and some LEDs can go a long way and save some serious cash!). And our curatorial department has been creating more with so much less.
Speaking to this, I will walk you through the steps of creating a very simple exhibit panel. This is very basic, not hard to produce and the final project will look clean and professional. There are numerous modifications one can make, so play with it to meet you needs. Normally, the panel I show below would cost a couple of hundred dollars to have made. However, this one cost us under one hundred dollars to produce.
Step One: Create the Graphic
The first step is to draft the text for your panel. After you’ve proofread the material and are comfortable with the language and length, drop the text and any supporting graphics into a graphics application such as Adobe Illustrator. I won’t spend too much time discussing accessibility standards, but I will mention a few general guidelines one should follow:
- Avoid the use of colloquial and complex English, jargon, and technical language
- Use the active voice
- Use a sans-serif or simple serif typeface
- High contrast for type and background
For more information on sign and label standards, visit the Smithsonian Guidelines For Accessible Exhibition Design website or check out the Standards Manual for Signs and Labels from the American Association of Museums.
The text and graphics should now be laid out and the graphic panel set to its final dimensions. I generally use Adobe Illustrator to create my template. Before saving the final version, I “select all” and then “create outlines” of all the text. This helps to ensure the correct font type when printing the graphic.
Create the graphic.
Create a Proof
One could create a proof in-house if a quality printer is available. However, we generally send our templates to a high-quality printshop. We prefer to have the graphic created on a Lambda or LightJet machine. I would recommend using the Pantone Matching System to ensure the print colors meet your specification. Once your proof is ready, I highly recommend taping it to the wall at the panel’s final location. This helps to see what the panel will look like under the current lighting arrangement and, if there are similar panels nearby, it helps to ensure that the print blends in with those in the surrounding area. If the results satisfy your needs, it’s time to move on to building the substrate.
The proof of the graphic.
Prepare the Substrate
There are numerous substrates one can choose to use. However, we generally choose medium-density fiberboard (MDF). It’s cheap, durable, readily accessible and easy to work with. Mark out your dimensions on the substrate, measure again and make the cut. Be sure to cut your panel exactly to size. If a power saw is utilized then be sure to compensate for the kerf.
Once the panel is cut to size, use 600-1000 grit sandpaper to clean up the edges and surfaces of the substrate. Then, dress up the edges with several coats of paint that complement or match your graphic. I recommend at least four or five coats of paint. Don’t worry too much about the surface of the substrate; the graphic will cover one side and the other will face the wall. Once the paint dries and meets your satisfaction then you’re now ready to move on to the next step: putting the panel together.
The substrate.
Tune back in a couple of days for the second part of How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit. We’ll discuss the final steps in putting together a simple exhibit panel.
- Devon Akmon
Efforts to Avoid Reinforcing Stereotypes in a Museum Exhibit
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Work
As an ethnic museum representing a community that is often maligned and/or misrepresented by the media and popular culture, we are always cognizant of the potential pitfalls of accidentally reinforcing a stereotype while presenting exhibitions. Unfortunately, common misconceptions of Arabs and the Arab world focus on backwards and unfriendly people living in an inhospitable environment with a culture frozen in previous times (sheiks, deserts, camels, terrorists, etc.). The images and stereotypes that illustrate these ideas are continuously reinforced by films and other popular media and news outlets. Therefore, a large portion of our work seeks to counter these stereotypes and misconceptions. However, even the most seemingly apolitical topic can have subtle elements that reinforce stereotypes. Speaking to this, we constantly need to carefully examine the materials that we are presenting with a very critical eye.
To help illustrate my point, I’ll present you with a tangible example. We are currently in the process of developing a small exhibit on the history of coffee and its roots in the Arab world. Within the gallery, and above a display of coffee making artifacts, is a historical image of a Bedouin tribe making coffee in a tent.
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. LC-DIG-matpc-01315. Making coffee in Bedouin tent.
This seems like a rather benign image. It’s a historical photograph that shows what one might have seen at a coffee ceremony in the early 20th century. Within the image one will notice several coffee-related elements – mortar and pestle, grinder, etc. – that would have been used during this time period. So, what’s the problem?
As many historians know, it was very common during this era for photographers to capture images of “exotic cultures” and depict them as primitives or “others.” Perhaps one of the most well-known controversies surrounds Edward Curtis and his series of photographs, The North American Indian. Curtis is accused of portraying Native Americans in the popular notions and stereotypes of the times. Similar to this, numerous photographers traveled to the Middle East in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to capture images of Arabs. Renowned scholar Edward Said is most famous for describing and critiquing “Orientalism,” which he perceived as a constellation of false assumptions underlying Western attitudes toward the East. Images such as this can easily fall into the category of Orientalist art and photography, especially when considering the context in which these images were produced.
The American Colony was an independent, utopian, Christian sect formed by religious pilgrims who emigrated to Jerusalem from the United States and Sweden. They were responsible for creating this and several other photographs in historical Palestine. According to the Library of Congress, “These photographs captured the interest of the public and were greatly in demand.” As you can see, these images were both popular and a good source for much needed revenue to help improve the Colony’s living conditions in a foreign land. Arguably, the interest of the sitters was not a priority.
Similar to other ephemera, a greater understanding is constructed when viewed in the cultural context in which the object was produced. Unfortunately, this is not always an easy task. By exhibiting this image in a gallery that shows the history of coffee, we run the risk of potentially reinforcing an age-old stereotype about the Arab world. Speaking to this, our curatorial team has two strategical approaches it is exploring for addressing this issue. One approach is to make a game utilizing the artifacts in the exhibit and the photograph. A label next to the image asks visitors to locate within the gallery the objects that appear in the photo. In doing so, the curatorial team hopes to place the most amount of emphasis on the objects in the photograph. Second, the team is considering whether or not a second didactic label is necessary. This one might address the stereotype head on. While one approach seeks to distract attention, the second seeks to address the issue in a more transparent way.
We have not yet discussed how we might evaluate the success of these two approaches. Right now the curatorial team is working hard to put the finishing touches on the exhibition. I presume we will further delve into this in the coming week.
Thoughts? Reactions? Do you work in a museum? Have you had similar experiences? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
- Devon Akmon
How To Make Turkish (or Arabic) Coffee
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Food, Work
My colleague Khaliph created a great short video on how to make Arabic coffee for the forthcoming exhibit, From Mocha to Latte: Coffee, the Arab World and the $4 Cup, at the Arab American National Museum. This small exhibit opens to the public this Thursday, January 28, and runs through August 15, 2010. If you come to visit the exhibition, be sure to stop by Hashems Nuts and Coffee Gallery of Dearborn and to say hi to Wessam! He is our instructor for this lesson.
“Coffee culture” as we know it has come a long way from its origins in the Arab World. Many myths surround the discovery of this fascinating beverage, but it is coffee’s Arab cultural roots that have led to continuing social traditions, the global institution we know as the coffeehouse and even some of the greatest intellectual achievements in human history.
Take a break from the daily grind to drink it all in at the Arab American National Museum’s new exhibition From Mocha to Latte: Coffee, the Arab World and the $4 Cup. It explores the effects of coffee on the history of the Arab World and consequently, the rest of the world. The exhibition runs January 28 – August 15, 2010 in the Lower Level Gallery. It’s free with Museum admission.
The public is invited to a free opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, January 28, 2010 in the AANM’s dramatic Community Courtyard, featuring complimentary Arabic coffee and sweets, sponsored by Hashems Nuts & Coffee Gallery of Dearborn.
A Short History of Social Media at the AANM
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Technology, Work
I was recently asked by the fine folks at Museum Identity to write a short (300 word) piece on how the Arab American National Museum uses social media. My write-up will be included in a forthcoming article on the ways that social media is being used by museums. Here is what I submitted for inclusion. I’ll provide an update later when the article is published. I’m looking forward to learning more about social media usage from other museums around the world.
Similar to other institutions, the Arab American National Museum (AANM) began using social media in a rather piecemeal fashion. The community-based museum opened to the public in May 2005 and, with a relatively young staff, immediately began finding ways to incorporate social media into its outreach strategies. The nature of social media lends itself well to an institution so rooted in its community. Usually, a staff member would propose using a particular social media platform, present to staff on how it could benefit the institution, and adopt the day-to-day management and oversight of it.
In September 2009, the AANM hired its first Social Media Marketing Coordinator. Shortly thereafter, the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan (CFSEM) launched its inaugural Challenge—Arts and Culture, which sought to help raise much needed funds for the 75 cultural arts organizations that make up the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan. Recognizing the importance of individual giving via the Internet, the CFSEM online Challenge required institutions to use social media as a primary tool for raising funds. The Challenge lasted approximately 12 hours, and the AANM placed fourth among all institutions, raising over $300,000 in unrestricted funds (see our Challenge video here).
Currently, the Social Media Marketing Coordinator manages the oversight of all social media tools at the AANM. At this time, the Coordinator is developing a social media strategy for the Museum. In addition, the Coordinator works within the Marketing and Communication Department to produce online messages while also monitoring conversations relevant to the AANM.
The AANM is currently utilizing several social media outlets: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Delicious, blogs and iTunes U. Further, the AANM is developing other social media tools for collecting community history and building community (e.g Wikis). Lastly, social media tools are now being used within exhibits to enhance visitor participation.
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Technology, Work
Handheld Guide Survey and the AANM #handheldsurvey
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Technology, Work
Learning Times recently published the findings of its Handheld Guide Survey for museums. The goal of the survey was to gain “a better collective understanding of the museum community’s use and ambitions with handheld guides and mobile interpretation.” Our museum was among the many institutions that took part in the survey. For the sake of clarity, the term “handheld” refers to the following in this survey: all types of digital, mobile interpretation tools including audio tours, PDA/multimedia tours, MP3 download tours, iPod Touch tours/applications, interactive tours, and cell phone tours.
Not surprisingly, the three main reasons museums utilize handheld devices are to provide supplementary information to visitors, to create a more interactive experience and to provide multiple voices into the visitor experience. I would say that these all hold true for our institution. Additionally, the fifth-ranked objective – to provide a foreign language provision – definitely ranks in the top two for us. On the other hand, the majority of challenges facing other institutions haven’t been much of a problem for our museum. Updating content is definitely a requirement, but we don’t necessarily perceive it as a challenge.
Currently, our museum is hosting a cell phone-based audio tour for our guests. We launched this service in the Fall 2008. At the time there was only one other local museum utilizing a similar tour, and they had employed the service for a temporary exhibit. I have recently noticed several other large museums in our area are now using similar platforms. I’m curious to learn more about their success and failures (sounds like a good session for next year’s Michigan Museums Association conference!).
When we first began exploring cell phone-based audio tours in 2005, there were only two providers offering this service and very few museums nationwide hosting such tours. We initially planned on hosting a more traditional handheld experience, but we weren’t too keen on the costs of developing and hosting the tour. Further, we found that with some providers there were gray areas on who owned the copyright/intellectual property rights of the tour. Not good. In the end we chose to host our service through Guide By Cell, which is based in San Francisco. We met early on with founder Dave Asheim and really enjoyed his laid back approach to the service. He offered to let us try the service out and, if we liked it, we could sign up at a very affordable rate. If you’re interested in learning more on some of our early thinking on the project, see the second presentation below.
Our audio tour is delivered in two languages, English and Arabic (each has its own phone number), and it is made available through both cellular service and museum issued iPods. We piloted the first phase of the tour last year and it focused on the first “permanent” exhibition space, as well as a temporary exhibit in one of the rotating galleries. At this time we are finalizing the second phase of the tour’s development, which will feature ten stops in the Coming To America gallery. While usage of the tour has been decent, we get limited feedback through the integrated feedback system on the phone service. This has been a bit of a bummer. We are certainly looking for other avenues to break down the walls between the museum and its guests.
Unlike some of our peer institutions, our tour rarely features museum staff on the audio tour recordings. Because we are a community-based museum, we incorporate community members into the tour. Some recordings are scripted by the staff, others are spoken from the heart by those featured on the recording. We feel this adds to the user experience, considering most of our exhibits utilize the personal narrative as a means of convening information. I presume we will begin the third phase of the tour in early 2010 (we have the tour planned out over four major phases, with minor ones throughout the process).
In addition, we are always exploring new ways of delivering and exchanging information with our guests. Some projects that are currently in the incubator include iPhone apps, online mash-ups that include audio and potentially video (say yeah to the API!), and hopefully a mobile website for the museum. Further, we are tossing around ideas for GPS and location-aware applications for the phone. Most recently we launched a museum site on Apple’s iTunes U, which has gotten off to a great start. In addition to providing museum content 24/7, visitors can download audio tours, interviews, etc. straight to their mobile phone. We will continue to develop this promising tool as well.
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Technology, Work
Xtra-Normal Makes For Xtra-Fun Times With Text-to-Movies
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Technology, Work
My friend @JRKnecht shared a hilarious video last night called Hipsters Discussing Cyclocross. This short clip was made on the Xtra-Normal website utilizing its text-to-movie interface. Xtra-Normal is a real time movie making site featuring drag and drop animations, automatic lip syncing and international voices. You can make movies in minutes by simply typing in your scripts. Here’s a pretty good overview of the site and its capabilities:
So, I had to take a stab at making a short movie. I decided to make something for work; a short advertisement. I’ll have to cook up something a little more fun in the future, but for now (just click on the shoulder below):
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Technology, Work
A Country Called Amreeka
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Work
The Arab American National Museum is pleased to announce that Alia Malek will be conducting a reading and signing of her new book, A Country Called Amreeka: Arab Roots, American Stories, on Thursday, December 10, 2009. The event, which is free to the public, will start at 6 p.m. in the Museum’s Library & Resource Center.
Among the surfeit of narratives about Arabs that have been published in recent years, surprisingly little has been reported on Arabs in America – an increasingly relevant issue.
This book is the most powerful approach imaginable: it is the story of the last forty-plus years of American history, told through the eyes of Arab Americans. It begins in 1963, before major federal legislative changes seismically transformed the course of American immigration forever.
Each chapter describes an event in U.S. history – which may already be familiar to us – and invites us to live that moment in time in the skin of one Arab American. The chapters follow a timeline from 1963 to the present, and the characters live in every corner of this country.
These are dramatic narratives, describing the very human experiences of love, friendship, family, courage, hate, and success. There are the timeless tales of an immigrant community becoming American, the nostalgia for home, the alienation from a society sometimes as intolerant as its laws are generous. A Country Called Amreeka’s snapshots allow us the complexity of its characters’ lives with an impassioned narrative normally found in fiction.
Alia Malek is an author and civil rights lawyer. Born in Baltimore to Syrian immigrant parents, she began her legal career as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. After working in the legal field in the U.S., Lebanon, and the West Bank, Malek, who has degrees from Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities, earned her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. Her reportage has appeared in Salon, The Columbia Journalism Review, and The New York Times. A Country Called Amreeka is her first book.
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Work
More Google Goodness – Google Local Business Center
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Technology, Work
Google manages to create new products at a lightning pace. Yeah, some of these stay in beta forever and others don’t seem to be the most useful. However, overall, Google does have a pretty impressive collection of web tools.
Recently I was informed of one such tool, the Google Local Business Center, which let’s you create a free listing for your business to help customers find your location on Google Maps. Think about how often a customer/client Googles your company for information on your business and its location. The Google Local Business Center let’s you claim your business’ location on Google Maps. Further, it provides an opportunity to add rich content to your listing, including photos and videos, and information on parking, payment options, and other relevant information for guests.
Like all things Google, there is a terrific dashboard for registered users that captures vital analytics. This includes:
- Impressions: The number of times the business listing appeared as a result on a Google.com search or Google Maps search in a given period.
- Actions: The number of times people interacted with the listing; for example, the number of times they clicked through to the business’ website or requested driving directions to the business.
- Top search queries: Which queries led customers to the business listing; for example, are they finding the listing for a cafe by searching for “tea” or “coffee”?
- Zip codes where driving directions come from: Which zip codes customers are coming from when they request directions to your location.
Another great features is the ability to create web-based coupons for your listing. We just piloted this and looking forward to seeing how frequently the coupons are used.
We’re really excited about this simple, yet important web tool. The analytics and coupon features are great, and we look forward to monitoring the details to help better inform our marketing.
If your business is not yet listed on the Google Local Business, you are missing out!
- Devon Akmon
Tags: Technology, Work
