Thoughtful article in Museum: "Are DJs, rappers and bloggers ‘curators’?"

N. Elizabeth Schlatter, an expert herself in the realm of curating and museums, wrote a thoughtful article on new twists on "curating". While we don't curate here at Gyroscope in the strictest sense, we create institutions and platforms thata support all sorts of curatorial endeavors.  It's a good read:

http://www.aam-us.org/pubs/mn/newspin.cfm

Been to Chabot Space & Science Center? Take their survey!

Chabot Space and Science Center is working with Reach Advisors and "other museums" on what people want out of their museum. If you're in the Bay Area or have been there, head over to this link and give them a moment of your time:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22A54ZWX2WT

A Gift of an Idea

Just before the holidays, I received an email about a "New Museum First-Aid Kit" which is "...packed with items every art lover needs, including a New Museum gift Membership."

This is a fun idea, and an innovative way to wrap the gift of membership. Yet the costs for this particular "gift" are in the realm of a significant tax-deductible donation to the museum. 

But it got me thinking.

What about  beloved museums in the country, large and small, who have unique communities and unique identities... could a nuance of this idea benefit them and help raise funds while also reinforce their identity or mission?

Perhaps curating an annual museum "gift box" could be worth trying out.  In the next couple of posts I'm going to look at what this might look like for a variety of institutions and sketch up some possibilities.