Supplies
Springfield Museums
Springfield, MA
Thematic vintage typewriters were placed in the galleries of the Springfield Science Museum, The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, and the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. While the interactive was inspired by the loan of Thomas Hart Benton’s New England Editor, each station reflected the gallery in which it was placed. “The Curator’s Office,” located in the science museum, invited visitors to classify specimens and type out a collection record. “The Writer’s Office” encouraged visitors to try their hand at writing a Seussian rhyme, and “The Editor’s Office,” placed next to the featured artwork, asked visitors to respond to prompts surrounding the world of “fake news.”
The goal of the Typewriter Trail was to spark curiosity, invite guests to explore an unfamiliar piece of machinery, and provoke interest in learning more about the surrounding exhibitions. Because the stations were placed in the art, history, and science museums, the Springfield Museums expected that 100,000 visitors would interact with the typewriters.
Over 127,000 visitors engaged with the typewriters. The Springfield Museums saw multigenerational interactions in which visitors were able to teach, learn, and share with one another. Responses to the prompts informed museum staff that visitors appreciated the fresh, interactive elements within the space.
To cultivate curiosity through gallery interactives, anchor each activity in the surrounding environment so visitors feel invited into the story of the space. The key is to design interactives that feel native to the gallery, spark imagination, and encourage personal expression.
The Dennos Museum Center partnered with Here:Say Storytelling and students enrolled in the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District’s Front Street Writers program to record personal stories responding to the artworks in “Visions of American Life: Paintings from the Manoogian Collection, 1850–1940.”
Art Museum of South Texas (AMST) convened their Teen Advisory Council to create and participate in artmaking, financial, and business workshops centered on themes from "Native Impressions."
The Dennos Museum Center partnered with Here:Say Storytelling and students enrolled in the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District’s Front Street Writers program to record personal stories responding to the artworks in “Visions of American Life: Paintings from the Manoogian Collection, 1850–1940.”
Art Museum of South Texas (AMST) convened their Teen Advisory Council to create and participate in artmaking, financial, and business workshops centered on themes from "Native Impressions."