Open Forum

Dear Colleagues,

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is interested in getting feedback about experiences that you have had with Master Planners, good and bad alike. Specifically, on projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities.

Thank you

Mark

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Mark Osterman
Guiding Programs Manager
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Miami FL
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I too would be interested in hearing about these experiences and recommendations. Thanks!

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Ruth Haus
President
Living History Farms
Urbandale IA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2014 09:05 AM
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Master Planners and Projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities

Dear Colleagues,

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is interested in getting feedback about experiences that you have had with Master Planners, good and bad alike. Specifically, on projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities.

Thank you

Mark

------------------------------------------

Mark Osterman
Guiding Programs Manager
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Miami FL
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Dear Colleagues,

The Valdez Museum is in the Pre-Planning phase of a new facility and is currently researching Master Planners as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Patricia Relay
Executive Director
Valdez Museum & Historical Archive
Valdez AK
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Original Message:
Sent: 12/3/2014 9:05:20 AM
From: mark.osterman@vizcaya.org
Subject: Master Planners and Projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities

Dear Colleagues,

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is interested in getting feedback about experiences that you have had with Master Planners, good and bad alike. Specifically, on projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities.

Thank you

Mark

------------------------------------------

Mark Osterman Guiding Programs Manager Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Miami FL -------------------------------------------

We recently completed a Master Plan and I can comment on a few things about the process that may have made ours go smoother.  First, it is important before the planning process begins to get buy-in from staff and board about what the planning if for and what the goal of the planning is.  Communication before, during, and after is essential and do not underestimate the amount of information you need to share with staff and board.  Last, be clear if your master plan is more conceptual (i.e. about how to use or define spaces) or is definitive (i.e. this is how the spaces will actually look). 

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Jennifer Kovarik, Registrar & Youth Educator
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
Decorah IA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2014 09:05 AM
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Master Planners and Projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities

Dear Colleagues,

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is interested in getting feedback about experiences that you have had with Master Planners, good and bad alike. Specifically, on projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities.

Thank you

Mark

------------------------------------------

Mark Osterman
Guiding Programs Manager
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Miami FL
-------------------------------------------

Hello Jennifer any chance of seeing a copy of your master plan - interested in seeing the approach ahavelkand how it was organized - thanks
Marilynn

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Marilynn Havelka
Chief Administrative Officer
Ruthven Park
Cayuga ON
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-05-2014 09:25 AM
From: Jennifer Kovarik
Subject: Master Planners and Projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities

We recently completed a Master Plan and I can comment on a few things about the process that may have made ours go smoother.  First, it is important before the planning process begins to get buy-in from staff and board about what the planning if for and what the goal of the planning is.  Communication before, during, and after is essential and do not underestimate the amount of information you need to share with staff and board.  Last, be clear if your master plan is more conceptual (i.e. about how to use or define spaces) or is definitive (i.e. this is how the spaces will actually look). 

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Jennifer Kovarik, Registrar & Youth Educator
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
Decorah IA
-------------------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2014 09:05 AM
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Master Planners and Projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities

Dear Colleagues,

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is interested in getting feedback about experiences that you have had with Master Planners, good and bad alike. Specifically, on projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities.

Thank you

Mark

------------------------------------------

Mark Osterman
Guiding Programs Manager
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Miami FL
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This is a really interesting and important discussion (and unfortunately, I'm a bit too junior to have been in the middle of it in my career just yet). 

But I'm going through a potentially similar experience with my church- we are a historical congregation with a historic church space, historic rectory, and not much space to have events, do community outreach, house our food/clothing/housewares pantry, house events and services for the deaf community who make up a large portion of our parish, and do non-worship activities, etc. So the church has launched a new master plan for a brand new building on a rather iconic piece of land. 

What's fascinating about this whole experience is that it is being done with rather radical transparency in to costs, plans, selection processes, etc. through publication, public announcement, and public meetings. 

So those of you who have done new master plans, what were your plans for transparency? Were there any? How much did you share with staff who weren't directly involved? The public? I'm wondering how this varies between say, a state/municipal/publicly run museum versus a privately run museum (or hey, even a for profit museum)?

Good topic!

Cheers,
Tracey

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Tracey Berg-Fulton
Collections Database Associate
Carnegie Museum of Art
Pittsburgh PA
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Mark,
In response to your question about Master Planners, the scope of work and thus procedures will be different for every institution of course, but here are a few general lessons learned at RISD from building a new building while simultaneously renovating an adjacent historic building (and staying open to the public with full programming throughout the process). 1. Define the scope of the project and desired goals with board, staff, and important stakeholders before contracting a Planner.  But, be open to the opportunities and new ideas that the Planner presents once he/she starts to work on the project and be ready to provide constructive feedback. It should be a collaborative process. 2. Identify a member of the staff as point person/liaison to the Planner.  He/she should attend all meetings, keep records, and be able to quickly provide documents, information, and decisions from the Director to the Planner. This person should have deep knowledge of the physical space needs of the collections, programs, building, and site, and should be able to convene appropriate staff colleagues around aspects of the plan. He/she needs to have direct access to the Director or CEO. 3. Make sure your contract with the Planner has a duration, specific deliverables, and includes meetings at key points in the process with staff and board for their input and plan adjustments.4. Have fun! This is a very exciting process that should inspire everyone involved.
All the best for success,
Ann

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Ann Woolsey
Independent Consultant
Providence RI
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2014 09:05 AM
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Master Planners and Projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities

Dear Colleagues,

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is interested in getting feedback about experiences that you have had with Master Planners, good and bad alike. Specifically, on projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities.

Thank you

Mark

------------------------------------------

Mark Osterman
Guiding Programs Manager
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Miami FL
-------------------------------------------

Paul,

I've specialized in museum master planning for 15 years and agree with what has been said so far. I'd add a few points.

• Many people mix up strategic planning and master planning. I distinguish between them in terms of their time frame. A strategic plan looks ahead 3 to 5 years. A master plan might unfold over 10 to 20 years.
• Unlike a strategic plan that focuses on operations, a master plan will also typically include substantial capital costs, for facilities, exhibits, or landscape. Being clear about this distinction often helps people to understand the purpose of the plan.
• Where the staff might develop a strategic plan, because of the time frame and the likely need to fundraise, it is essential  to include board members and outside stakeholders in developing a master plan. The richer and more inclusive the conversation, the more successful the project will be.

To more directly answer your question about experiences with master planners, here are a few observations:

• Many design firms, (architecture, landscape, or exhibit) do master planning as an initial phase of design work. The assumption is that the planning work will lead to design.  If your needs are clear, working with such a firm can be an good idea. If your needs are not already well defined, it is likely that the solutions provided may be driven more by the planner's design discipline than your needs. That is, they may provide a solution that fits their concept of your needs, rather than one that actually fits your needs. This falls into the category of never asking a barber if you need a haircut.
• Many economic planning firms will also offer master planning services.  When economic issues are a primary concern, these firms can be very helpful.
• Of the firms master planning speciality firms, many focus on specific kinds of museums, science centers, children's museums, or natural history museums, for example. These firm have ready answers to the most common questions their clients bring and can help to bring best practices to these types of museums.They aren't as helpful when working with disciplines outside their core expertise. 
• The firm you choose to lead the master planning will often include other disciplines on their teams. While the other firms' contributions will be valuable, the final outcome of the project will be shaped primarily by the lead discipline.  

Of the generalist master planning firms, which may be where you are heading, a few additional observations:

• Look for a firm that is good at asking questions rather than a firm that promises to have ready answers. Defining the problem is always more difficult than proposing solutions.Your situation is likely unique enough that you need a deep and thoughtful look at your current situation and future opportunities. A firm that comes in already knowing the answers ("We wrote the book ....") is less likely to be able to help you to find solutions that meet your unique needs.
• Be very sure that the specific people that you will be working with are a good fit for your staff and board. Larger firms often work with a business model where the firm's leaders are very capable, but the bulk of the work is done by lower level, less experienced staff. Be sure you know who will be on site and who will be doing the research and the writing.
• Look out for boiler-plate work. Ask to see sample interim and final reports from other projects. Many firms will recycle work they have done for other projects. This can be useful if there are distinct similarities. It can be a problem if it is used as a shortcut.

And a final bit of advice. Planning is cheap. Building is expensive. The more time, and money, you spend on planning, the more likely you are to have a successful project, one that will truly serve the organization for years to come. 

That's my two cents.

Good luck!

Guy

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Guy Hermann,Principal
Museum Insights
Master Planning for Museums
http://www.museuminsights.com
Mystic Connecticut
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2014 09:05 AM
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Master Planners and Projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities

Dear Colleagues,

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is interested in getting feedback about experiences that you have had with Master Planners, good and bad alike. Specifically, on projects that dealt with expansion or opening of new facilities.

Thank you

Mark

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Mark Osterman
Guiding Programs Manager
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Miami FL
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