How do we keep cultural projects from going off the rails, without sacrificing creativity? It’s not impossible. In fact, there are some simple secrets to unlock the process. (Except now they won’t be secrets anymore.) Media design expert Trent Oliver joins host Jonathan Alger on Making the Museum, the podcast, to discuss the Secrets of Creative Collaboration. Trent brings her theatrical experience as an equity stage manager to her work creating visitor experiences. Turns out, theater has a lot to teach us.

Quotable Quotes:

“Brainstorming doesn’t work, but improv does.”

“Having all the technical people collaborate up front is a form of insurance policy.”

“Assign a devil’s advocate.”

“The why is the map.”

How to Listen:

Subscribe and listen anywhere you get your podcasts.
Or start here: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/

See you there!

Warmly,
Jonathan

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Guest Bio:

Trent Oliver, Principal and Managing Director, Blue Telescope: Trent is a connector who finds the best people. The first time she felt in her element was when she stage-managed for community theater in between her engineering studies. Since then, she’s always done some version of putting on a show. Stage managing led to live theater, commercials, and corporate video. Trent has built a highly respected, award-winning team at Blue Telescope, producing hundreds of boundary-pushing interactives over several decades. She wants these experiences to be impactful, emotional, instructive, and accessible, with a healthy dose of weirdness (as appropriate). She believes in changing the world by doing work that matters.

Trent is a member of Praxis Museum Projects Group, a "network of professionals, each of whom brings an expertise to the process of creating exhibitions and cultural experiences in collaboration with exhibit designers, architects, and museums".

About:
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger.

This is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture.

Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

https://www.bluetelescope.com/

https://www.praxisexhibits.com/

https://www.praxisexhibits.com/posts/89tp8gajbu2bvd4lnn9rqaf1z1eorm-a7w52-ssx9k

https://blooloop.com/museum/opinion/brainstorming-sparking-great-ideas/
https://harrietbdesendants.org/team

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Newsletter:

Like the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter!

Making the Museum is also a very short daily newsletter on exhibition planning for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Learn more, read past editions, and subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com

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