Gratuitous observations made

2014 travels to the west coast of the USA

Los AngelesPhoenix

Association of Children's Museum ConferenceLas VegasSeattle

Alliance of American Museums AGM and ExpoSan Francisco

including the surprising highlights:Las Vegas’ Neon Light Boneyard MuseumSan Francisco’s 826 Valencia The Pirate Store

Los AngelesThe Getty

The cafes, shops and site given the same prominence as the exhibitions

• Getty Family Room

• Two languages in signage

• Little relationship between inside and outside-though adult galleries showed scant regard for this opportunity (the landscaping stunning but the weather is hot to the point of hostile)

• Family booth at the entry with children's trails and hire of audio trail for families

• Getty Family Room

• 5 immersive rooms with photo of artwork at the entry of each

eg a child can try out the bed

• Getty Family Room

• Manipulate the structure

• Getty Family Room

• Use the light box to trace

• Publish drawings (in a very low key way)

• Getty Family Room

• Unfortunate lighting of exquisite illustrated manuscript

• You CAN draw on the walls!

• Getty Family Room

• Use of questions

• Best suited to regular visitors-it’s a bit late here to realise you need to hire the audio

• Getty

• Child has made her mask

• Becomes part of the painting

• Adult using ipadcamera

• Getty Family Room

• Staff station

An exhibition that explored museums as cultural and historic artefacts. Included photographs of dioramas, wax portraits and re purposing photographic negatives. It was unrelated to my research yet fed my fascination with collections and the notion of truth. It was enchanting.

PhoenixAssociation of Children's Museum Conference

• Downtown Phoenix was low rise; misted footpaths and had Little Free Libraries dotted around town

Study tour of Phoenix Children's Museum

Customised family friendly promotions by monthly program sponsor

ATM and two tiered bubbler at the entry

Playful even in the corridors

Pop up corridor sports based on Special Olympics program for children

Still in the corridors-for storing shoes

Rearranging bouquets of flowers. The Van Gogh (a reproduction, though in the States who can tell and would it matter here?) as inspiration.

The noodle forest simple yet compelling for children and adults

Painted daily by children until replaced by new structure to be painted again

Collage of mini artworks. Note egg carton frame

Straight talking (dual language)directional signage

I.D.E.A Museum visit

Las Vegas

Chihuly in the Bellagio FoyerKitsch surprisingly difficult to find though gold when it was

Floral painting based on artwork by Polly Thayer displayed in the garden to cross promote a travelling exhibition from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in the Bellagio’s own Gallery.

‘Drink, play, discover’Slogan for grown up child’s space in The Luxor

A pedal powered bar

Made of jellybeans

Las Vegas Neon Light ‘Boneyard’ Museum

Alliance of American Museums AGM & Expo

• Lessons from the International Community: Museums, Teachers and LiteracyEducation and Interpretation

• Wednesday, May 21 10:15-11:30a.m. Washington State Convention Center 620Innovative Art Teaching Using Museum

Resources explores the “A is for Art” program, a collaborative effort between the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts, which aims to build competencies of elementary art teachers to meaningfully engage students in museum-based art lessons.

• Dating Literacy: A New Relationship examines a pilot project between the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in which partners from museums, a state library, community agencies and families address literacy as a new organizing principle in which to encourage public engagement with museum collections and ideas.

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Global PerspectivesPresenter: Greg Stevens, American Alliance of Museums; Helen Whitty, Powerhouse Museum; Melissa Viswani, Asian Civilisations Museum, National Heritage Board

Chihuly Art Gallery and garden

Seattle’s Experience Museum Project Museum

San Francisco

Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity Mural

Coit tower murals

Exploratorium Adult Only evening

Valencia 827

826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. 826 Valencia was founded in 2002 by author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari. Its shop front is a Pirate Store that sells pirate stuff and children's writings.

De Young Contemporary Art Gallery

California Academy of Sciences