Open Forum

Yesterday, the Smithsonian launched the first of a monthly #SmithsonianEdu challenge series, with open-ended activity prompts for families to participate in at home. This month, we're highlighting exhibit design with the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Learn how museum teams think about objects and the stories they tell, then create your own mini-exhibit. You can read more about this month's challenge via Smithsonian Learning Lab: s.si.edu/EduChallengeExhibit.

Curious if there are other examples of similar challenges that you've led (or seen) from other museums in this vein. 

Of course, if you and your families are looking for a fun to challenge to explore together, please feel free to join in--looking forward to seeing what you and your families create!

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Ashley Naranjo
Smithsonian Institution

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Just wanted to thank you for posting this. I used this as an ice-breaker assignment and an introduction to talking about exhibitions for my class of freshmen. It was engaging, and revealing, and really fun.  Even the students in quarantine found a way to create an exhibition. I was amazed at how much we can learn about people from just a few small, selected objects.  And all of these students had just moved to campus and only brought the necessities, but that included some objects of great personal meaning, and they seemed happy to share these, and tell their stories.  I had asked for video submissions, but also got some powerpoints, and even some groups of images with live narration, and these all worked well. I will be using your idea in the future as well, and look forward to future challenges.  Thank you again for a great beginning-of-the-year project in a challenging semester.

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Laura Richens

Curator, Carroll Gallery

Adjunct Professor

Tulane University
New Orleans, LA
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-12-2020 11:59 AM
From: Ashley Naranjo
Subject: Family At-Home Challenges for Engagement: Design a Mini Exhibit

Yesterday, the Smithsonian launched the first of a monthly #SmithsonianEdu challenge series, with open-ended activity prompts for families to participate in at home. This month, we're highlighting exhibit design with the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Learn how museum teams think about objects and the stories they tell, then create your own mini-exhibit. You can read more about this month's challenge via Smithsonian Learning Lab: s.si.edu/EduChallengeExhibit.

Curious if there are other examples of similar challenges that you've led (or seen) from other museums in this vein.

Of course, if you and your families are looking for a fun to challenge to explore together, please feel free to join in--looking forward to seeing what you and your families create!

------------------------------
Ashley Naranjo
Smithsonian Institution

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