Refreshing a Gallery with New Components (pt. 2 of 2)
An Otter Cove Case Study
Part 1 of this post introduced the Otter Cove Children’s Museum’s recent exhibit expansion in connection with a grant from a regional energy company. Four new exhibit components, focused on renewable energy, opened earlier this month to rave reviews from children, caregivers, and staff!
Ribbon cutting: New exhibits give the community reasons to visit again and again!
It was crucial that the new components fit the vision, look and feel of the gallery and the museum. As we developed the interpretive plan, the museum’s values, goals, mission, and vision served as filters and guideposts to make sure that the added components would support and strengthen the visitor experience Otter Cove has been so intentional to achieve.
There are overt and subtle ways the new components demonstrate this intentionality, such as:
To support the values of joy in working together, and shared responsibility, two of the new components require two or more plays for full activation.
To reinforce the notion that energy is not infinite, only one light at a time can be activated.
To instill a sense of place and purpose, the hydro dam component is recognizably inspired by the real Central Dam, just a block away from Otter Cove.
Two young visitors work together to turn wheels that first power the sun overhead and then power a sequence of different lighting fixtures in an overhead cubby space.
Spinning the turbine and pressing varied buttons on this graphic depiction of a hydroelectric dam results in an assortment of energy effects: colored LED lights, sounds, and a nearby blowing fan.
With these successful new additions, visitors will appreciate something new and fresh, giving them a reason for return visits. A more valuable measure of success is that the children’s play experience goes deeper and longer, and the new components add to the depth of their play experiences, keeping their imaginations activated longer. Time will tell what additional measures of value Discover Energy! brings to the Otter Cove visitor experience.
