From Construction Site to Museum: Managing the Opening Process

•Judy Gradwohl, Associate Director for Public Programs, National Museum of American History•James Volkert, Principal, Exhibition Associates•Dana Allen-Greil, New Media Project Manager, National Museum of American History•Susan Leidy, Deputy Director, Currier Museum of Art•Elaine Gurian, Senior Consultant, Principal, Elaine Heumann Gurian LLC

From Construction Site to Museum: Managing the Opening Process

James VolkertPrincipal

Exhibition Associates

So, you’re now responsible to get the project completed?

Create a transition team• Draw from throughout the museum• Make the team “dissolvable”

The architects don’t do all the work• List your tasks• Learn to read plans• Learn their language

Its not business as usual• The systems you have may not be adequate• Develop a Day One list• Establish a comprehensive schedule• Link schedules and budgets by task, not departments

The systems you have may not be adequate• You are set up to run a museum, not build a project• Fix the things that don’t work

Develop a Day One list

Establish a comprehensive schedule

Link schedules and budgets by task, not departments

Be courageous in decision-making• Push decisions down• Document the decisions• Make the process transparent

• Make decisions public• Change the process if it

doesn’t work

Decision Review Action Committee

(DRAC)

Mall Action Committee

(MAC)

“I could not possibly do anything else”• I’m already working at 110%

Establish the rhythm of the work

How can you tell when things are not going well?

“You can’t measure my creative process…”

The unimagined will happen

Judy GradwohlAssociate Director for Public ProgramsNational Museum of American History

Will you make it?• Opening date• Budget• Scope of work

Set priorities• Exhibitions• Visitor and staff services and amenities• Opening events and programs

CRITICALFunded: $X,059,000*Exhibitions:

• Star-Spangled Banner• Artifact Walls and Landmark Objects• Price of Freedom• First Ladies & The American

Presidency• Music, Sports, and Entertainment• Invention At Play• America on the Move• Julia Child’s Kitchen• Within These Walls• Hands On Science Center• Lighting a Revolution• Power Machinery Hall• Lunch Boxes• Communities in a Changing Nation• Gunboat Philadelphia• Dolls’ House• SI Libraries Gallery• Science in American Life• Deinstall Treasures

Public Spaces and Amenities:• Welcome Center• LeFrak Lobby to Carmichael

Auditorium• Museum stores and food service• Furniture (minimal amount)• Wayfinding signs within central core• Transition zones

Opening Events and Outreach:• B-roll taping

LIMITEDFunded: $X48,000Shortfall: $XXX,000Public Spaces and Amenities:

• Wayfinding signs outside central core• Customer service training for front-line staff• Family Guide for print and Web• Welcome Center staffing• Museum fully furnished• Security check and queuing furniture• Outdoor signs and banners• Visitor flow planning• Carmichael Auditorium• Reception Suite carpet

Opening Events and Outreach:• Design and printing of press materials• Ad buys• Satellite and radio media tours• Public Relations assistance• Staff and volunteer preview • Marketing for special events • Tourism and hospitality industry previews • Dedication ceremony• Gala for major donors• Congressional preview event• Public opening event• Additional donor events• Event planners• Conservation and graphics support• Reopening contingency funds

FULLFunded: $0Shortfall: $XXX,000

Exhibitions:• Timeline

Public Spaces and Amenities:• Reprinting wayfinding signs• Furniture for Board Room and

Director’s suite • Bike rack

Opening Events and Outreach:• Star-Spangled Banner books• Video news release• White House luncheon• Behring Dinner• Web promotion for reopening

OPTIONAL EVENTSShortfall: $238,000

• Exterior decoration and lighting• Evening events for public opening• Marketing for reopening

Manage your money and time• Cut—don’t add• Count everybody’s pennies• If something isn’t working reconsider its value

Manage your expectations

Prepare to lower your expectations• Cut all extraneous activity• Ask if it needs to be ready on opening day• Any testing is better than none

Leave room to celebrate• Recognize staff as well as donors• Open with a splash

Dana Allen-GreilNew Media Project Manager

National Museum of American History

Tell everyone everything• Good and bad news• Meetings: short, organized, often• Different styles of learning

Be kind to your staff • Take the internal climate seriously• Listen to grumbling• Don’t allow a climate of blame to develop

Work together• Praise, respect each other• Engage cross-departmentally• Celebrate milestones

Manage expectations• Staff• Board/Administration• Public

Communicate budget, schedule

Stay inside the message box

Experiment with new media

Susan LeidyDeputy Director

Currier Museum of Art

• 33,000 square feet• $21.4 million cost, $14.5 million construction• Ann Beha Architects, Boston, MA• Harvey Construction Company, Bedford, NH

Expansion completed Nov. 2007; Reopened March 2008

43

Currier Museum of Art

44

Currier Museum of Art

What we did well1. Strategic Planning process identified what facility

improvements were needed:• Galleries / exhibition space• Visitor amenities• Education / program space

What we did well2. Cross-departmental planning for re-opening events

What we did well3. Grant-enabled re-branding

What we did well4. Mandatory orientation to the building, branding,

amenities, collections, and membership for all staff and volunteers

What we didn’t do as well1. Save staff time and money for additional furnishings,

signs, unanticipated changes, and additions post-construction

What we didn’t do as well2. Address the inevitable let-down after the excitement

of re-opening

Elaine GurianSenior Consultant, PrincipalElaine Heumann Gurian LLC

From Construction Site to Museum: Managing the Opening Process

Questions?Ideas?