Museums – Creative Minds Out Loud

Episode 114: Reflecting the Community in Art Spaces

In late 2019, we spoke to Doneeca Thurston, the newly-named Director of Lynn Museum/Lynn Arts. The 29-year-old Lynn native said her new role felt like a homecoming. She shares her vision for how the museum can be a champion for its majority minority community and ensure that local artists feel respected and celebrated.

Doneeca Thurston (Image by Christopher Padgett / Citizen Salem) Doneeca Thurston is currently the Director of Lynn Museum/LynnArts, located in the heart of the Downtown Lynn Cultural District. A Lynn-native, a lot of her efforts are focused on community-centered initiatives, committed to making Lynn Museum/LynnArts’ spaces more inclusive, accessible, and visible to all.

Continue reading “Episode 114: Reflecting the Community in Art Spaces”

Episode 98: Broadening the Canon

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Luis Croquer is the Henry & Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator of the Rose Art Museum. He discusses how the inclusion of more art historians from diverse backgrounds is helping rewrite the stories of artists previously overlooked by collecting institutions. He says centering the work of these artists also complicates the whole idea of art history – what are movements, who are innovators, and who gets to decide?

Luis Croquer. Photo by Stanton J. Stephens. Brandeis University named Luis A. Croquer as the Henry and Lois Foster Director of the Rose Art Museum, in July 2017. Previously, Croquer was Deputy Director of Exhibitions, Collections, and Programs at the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington in Seattle, and the Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

Continue reading “Episode 98: Broadening the Canon”

Episode 76: Celebrating Science and Technology in the Community, for the Community

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

John Durant, Director of the MIT Museum, discusses the origins of the Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States. Now in its 13^th year, the Festival attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually, hosts events in more than 70 different venues from Cape Cod to Central Massachusetts, and works with more than 100 collaborators.

John Durant trained in natural sciences (MA) and the history of science (PhD) at the University of Cambridge in the UK. He has spent his entire career working at the interface between science and technology and the wider community. He was Assistant Director of the Science Museum, London, between 1989 and 2000, where he oversaw the development of the Wellcome Wing.
Continue reading “Episode 76: Celebrating Science and Technology in the Community, for the Community”

Episode 73: Hands-on Learning, Creating for Kids and Caregivers

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum that blends science, nature, and play, inspiring families to explore and learn together. Neil Gordon, CEO, discusses how universal design and User/Experts informed their recent expansion to a 16,000sf accessible building. He also shares their efforts to integrate parents into the exhibit experience. He says that in the museum’s new exhibits for children ages 0-3, the parental education that’s incorporated is as important as the child’s play.

Neil Gordon. Photo by Mitchell Green. In his nearly ten years as CEO, Neil Gordon has steered the Discovery Museum through a period of tremendous growth and change. Prior to joining the museum in 2009, Gordon served for 14 years as the Executive VP and COO for the Boston Children’s Museum. He is also past chairman of the board of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), a past board member of the New England Museum Association (NEMA), and a board member of the Massachusetts Institute for the Teaching of Science (MITS).
Continue reading “Episode 73: Hands-on Learning, Creating for Kids and Caregivers”

Episode 68: Access Means Overcoming Psychological Barriers, Too

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Matthias Waschek, Executive Director of the Worcester Art Museum, says truly accessible museums create experiences that make visitors want to return. In doing so they must challenge institutional norms to welcome and engage more diverse populations.

Matthias Waschek joined the Worcester Art Museum in 2011 as the C. Jean and Myles McDonough Director. German born, he earned his Ph.D. from Bonn University, working on French art in the age of Colonialism. He has published extensively in the areas of French art nouveau and the history of art history. His curatorial experience spans from old masters to contemporary art.
Continue reading “Episode 68: Access Means Overcoming Psychological Barriers, Too”