Podcast · Business

Making the Museum

by Jonathan Alger · English · Business

A podcast on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams, and visitor experience professionals.

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 1 hr 2 min
Latest: 29 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

29 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 11 min

Testing the Right Thing at the Right Time, with Jessica Sickler

Why can’t we just ask our visitors what they want? Why bother evaluating our design ideas? Which type of evaluation is the biggest bang for your buck? Why is “timing and tracking” a great way to find out if your exhibition works? What is the “button-mashing code?” Jessica Sickler (Principal, J. Sickler Consulting) discusses “Testing the Right Thing at the Right Time” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: Lego, dinosaurs, and Monets. Talking Points: 1. Reasons (plural) to evaluate in museums 2. Mapping…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E70 · 15 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
Innovation Secrets of the Museum of Science, with Mike Horvath
[ASTC 2026 Special] Science changes fast. How can science museums keep up? What’s a “technology toolkit”? Can one interactive turn into another? Can you do that same trick with a whole room? What about a whole exhibition? What’s “Wizard of Oz-ing”? Do constraints make for better design? How could museums work together to solve the challenges they all face? A special episode for ASTC 2026, where Mike will be speaking about this and more. Mike Horvath (Vice President of Exhibits, Museum of Science, Boston) discusses “Innovation Secrets of the Museum of Science” with MtM host Jonathan Alger…
E69 · 26 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 20 min
The 9/11 Museum, 25 Years After 9/11, with Mark Wagner
A very special episode of Making the Museum, for the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. The unique, unforgettable story of the architect who found himself on the 9/11 debris pile right after the tragedy, working for years to save artifacts for a museum he could only imagine. What do you do when your two largest museum artifacts aren’t there anymore? What is the “Bilbao Effect Upside Down”? How is architecture a stage for a story? Mark Wagner (Design Principal, Arts & Culture Sector Leader, Stantec) discusses “The 9/11 Museum, 25 Years After 9/11” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G…
E68 · 11 Aug 2026 · 59 min
Improving the Visitor Experience with Data, with Ryan Auster
If we’re not studying our visitors, how can we fulfill our mission? What is a net promoter score? And what should a museum’s net promoter score be? How do you ask a survey question if you want a meaningful answer? What is capacity building? What is COVES, and how can people get involved with it? Ryan Auster (Manager of Learning Metrics, Museum of Science, Boston) discusses “Improving Visitor Experience with Data” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: OERs, excellent vs outstanding, and statistics 101.…
E67 · 28 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
What Museums Can Learn from Casinos, Theme Parks, Sports, and More, with Renée Hampton
What could museums learn right now — from their competitors? What’s happening out there that museums should know about? How can museums compete with a sports venue that has 18,000 seats, each with its own interactive controller? What do IP, KPI, and F&B mean? What if museums went out and learned from theme parks, advertising, corporate centers … and even casinos? Renée Hampton (Strategic Partnerships Manager, Electrosonic) discusses “What Museums Can Learn from Casinos, Theme Parks, Sports, and More” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience…
E66 · 23 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
Make Space for Change (The New Book), with Femke Bijlsma
How can exhibitions create positive change in the world? Why is play the key? How can we build trust with a community that doesn’t know us? Why should exhibition makers preserve their “beginner’s mind”? What can exhibitions do climate change, polarization and global conflict? How do we measure our impact? Femke Bijlsma (Partner, Kossmanndejong) discusses “Make Space for Change (The New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: un-discipline, Santa Claus, and eating the story. Talking Points: 1. Why Make…
E65 · 9 Jun 2026 · 53 min
Liminal Space Research, with Dan Clevenger, Monika Smith, and Helen Ho
Museum lobbies have a huge influence on visitor experience. But what makes a good lobby? What is a “liminal space” in a museum? How does research actually work? What does “peer-reviewed research” actually mean? What do researchers hope their outcomes will be? Which department of a museum is even responsible for the lobby, and all the other “spaces in between”? Dan Clevenger (Principal), Monika Smith (Principal), and Helen Ho (Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher) from DLR Group discuss “Liminal Space Research” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The…
E64 · 19 May 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
“Building a Museum: This is Not a Manual” (the New Book), with Jamē Anderson, Monteil Crawley, Sarah Ghorbanian & Chris Wood
How do you build a museum? How do you build the right project team? How do you engage with community? What does it mean to plan a museum? What does it mean to design a museum? How do you align your budget with your purpose? How do you build the story of your museum project? Jamē Anderson, Monteil Crawley, Sarah Ghorbanian, and Chris Wood from SmithGroup discuss “Building a Museum: This is Not a Manual (the New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: a one-year process that took ten years, a mystery…
E63 · 3 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 18 min
“Serious Fun” at First Americans Museum, with Shoshana Wasserman, Kimberly Rodriguez, and Bill Smith
How do you design for all ages at the same time? What is “serious fun”? Does nature ever go out of style? How do you create content for both Native and non-Native audiences? What do education staff do when a gallery has no text panels? What are “Native sensibilities”? Why is Blue Deer blue? Shoshana Wasserman (Deputy Director) and Kimberly Rodriguez (New Media Specialist) from First Americans Museum, and Bill Smith (Principal, Storyline Studio) discuss “Serious Fun at the First Americans Museum” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience…
E62 · 2 Dec 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
What Is Sustainable Exhibition Design? with Douglas Flandro
How can we make our exhibitions more sustainable — in every way? Where do we start? What can museum teams learn from sustainability advancements in architecture? What’s a “red list?” What is the difference between embodied and operational carbon? What does it mean to do “design for deconstruction?” And when can we all buy the upcoming “Sustainable Museum Exhibition Handbook?” Douglas Flandro (Exhibition Designer & Director of Sustainability, CambridgeSeven) discusses “What is Sustainable Exhibition Design?” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and…
E61 · 5 Nov 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Inclusive Design Will Change the World, with Sina Bahram & Corey Timpson
One in four people has a disability. Why aren’t we designing museums better for them? What is inclusive design? How does it relate to universal design, or the ADA? Which disciplines and departments have to get involved to make a museum truly inclusive? What happened when the military tried to design for the “average” jet pilot? If we design for better accessibility, are we designing for our own future selves? Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson (Principals, Prime Access Consulting) join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Inclusive Design Will Change the World.” Along…
E59 · 8 Oct 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making (The New Book), with Emily Saich & Joey Noelle Scott
Is there a better way to collaborate? What’s the secret to good feedback? How do you manage 40 people in a room? Are group facilitators ever truly neutral? Should you tell your teammates their responsibilities, or have them tell you? What’s a RACI chart? If collaboration is so important, why hasn’t there been a book about it — until now? Emily Saich (Vice President of Exhibitions) and Joey Noelle Scott (Director of Exhibition Projects) from the Monterey Bay Aquarium discuss their new book “A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners…
E58 · 9 Sep 2025 · 52 min
Making the Medal of Honor Museum, with Bassam Komati
Is a museum where experiences happen — or is the museum the experience? Can a museum be designed to inspire? What is the Medal of Honor? What role does a bold design idea have in making a project happen? Does the mission of a museum inspire the people who make it? Can everyone have a mission? Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB (Partner, Viñoly Architects) discusses “Making the Medal of Honor Museum” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: floating blocks, extra helicopters, and going above and beyond the call of duty.…
E57 · 18 Jun 2025 · 57 min
Mission: Collaboration, with Barbara Miller and Danae Colomer
What are the (top) secrets of better collaboration? Is collaboration like a game of ping pong? Or more like ballroom dancing? Is there a better way to disagree? Does having constraints make design ... better? How is an exhibition like a film? And what happens when your project feels — in this case, even literally — like “Mission: Impossible”? Barbara Miller (Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, Museum of the Moving Image) and Danae Colomer (Director of Exhibition Management and Design, Museum of the Moving Image) discuss “Mission: Collaboration” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner,…
E56 · 21 May 2025 · 57 min
The Art of Choosing a Museum Architect, with Susanna Sirefman
How do you choose the right architect for your museum? Is architecture about more than a building? Is architect selection about more than architecture? What is a design “brief”? Why are museum projects on “elephant time”? Are anonymous open design competitions a good thing? What comes after “good design is good business”? Susanna Sirefman (President, Dovetail Design Strategists) discusses “The Art of Choosing a Museum Architect” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: cello studies, Winston Churchill, and two…
E55 · 7 May 2025 · 1 hr 11 min
Think Like a Children's Museum, with Edwin Link
What if every museum were more like ... a children’s museum? Why is play “agnostic”? Can you design an entire museum for every generation, all at the same time? How are children’s museums like (and not like) other museums? How did they get that way? Wait, could we make an entire exhibition out of nothing but cardboard boxes? What is “co-learning”? And why don’t more museum people visit … other people’s museums? Along the way: teaching artists, art teachers, and what we really mean by “caregiver.” Talking Points: 1. Children’s museums, then and now 2. See the word “museum” differently 3. Play…
E54 · 23 Apr 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
A Museum Transformed with AI, with Kimberly Beaudin & Geoff Thatcher
What can we learn from one of the most complex AI projects in any museum today? What is the history of AI in museums? Can we add AI to our experiences without a complete renovation? How do you teach an AI about 775 different football teams? How can AI put visitors literally into a story? Is AI accurate enough for a museum? What about bias? Doesn’t AI take away jobs? And how do you specify exactly what shade of college football orange you want to an AI — if you can only use words? Kimberly Beaudin (CEO, College Football Hall of Fame) and Geoff Thatcher (Founder & Chief Creative Officer,…
E53 · 26 Mar 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
Creating Effective Museum Experiences, with Lynda Roscoe Hartigan
What if the secret to better museums was … neuroscience? How can museums inspire human creativity? How much media should be in a gallery — or should there be any? How soon should you get feedback on your exhibition ideas? Can museums help us all “escape the algorithm”? What does knitting have to do with visitor satisfaction? In this episode, we’ll learn some unexpected tricks of the trade from a renowned museum leader. Lynda Roscoe Hartigan (The Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum) discusses “Creating Effective Museum Experiences” with host…
E52 · 11 Mar 2025 · 58 min
Museum as Lab, with Ann Neumann
What if a museum were more like a laboratory? What if our exhibits were experiments? What if our galleries were more about questions, rather than answers? What if we didn’t fear failure as much? What if scientists, artists, and technologists all created exhibitions together? What happens when you edit an exhibit about editing DNA? Should every project have a post-opening contingency — in addition to the normal kind? Ann Neumann (Director of Galleries and Exhibitions, MIT Museum) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Museum as Lab.” Along the way: circadian…
E51 · 19 Feb 2025 · 51 min
Community Engagement Misconceptions, with Nu Goteh
What if we're doing community engagement … wrong? How long should the process really take for a museum or exhibition? What’s the difference between demographics and psychographics? What does it mean to “move at the pace of community”? Why do community engagement experts sometimes cringe when they hear the word “charrette”? And what exactly does “community” mean? Nu Goteh (Founder and Principal of ROOM FOR MAGIC, and Co-Founder of Deem Journal ) joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Community Engagement Misconceptions.” Along the way: Red Bull, lived…
E50 · 4 Feb 2025 · 59 min
Playful Engagement, with Ed Rodley
What if we combined immersion, emotion, storytelling — and games? We all want “engagement” … but what is engagement? How can our projects create it? What are the elements that go into it? Can game theory and play teach us how to make our experiences better? What is “narrative transportation”? Why are emotions key to memory creation? And what do Renaissance fairs have to do with museums? Ed Rodley (Co-Founder and Principal, The Experience Alchemists), joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Playful Engagement.” Along the way: holodecks, Sleep No More,…
E49 · 22 Jan 2025 · 58 min
Sculpting History, with Ivan Schwartz
Can a statue change American history? How do we decide who gets a statue? What happens when you realize how many people deserve a statue but never got one? What’s the difference between a “forensic sculpture” for an interpretive exhibition, and one you’d put in a fine art show? Why are some museums just not complete without a bronze statue of the main characters? Are there “statues of limitations”? Ivan Schwartz (Founder and Director of StudioEIS), joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Sculpting History.” Along the way: hagiography, phalanges, and ketchup…
E48 · 7 Jan 2025 · 56 min
Secrets of Museum Display Case Design, with Stéphanie Bilodeau
How do you make a museum display case disappear? This episode is a masterclass in museum display case design. To the untrained eye, museum display cases look like what you’d find in a gift shop. But under the hood, they couldn’t be more different — and they are 100% unique to the museum world. Secrets we’ll reveal: art envelopes, non-offgassing, air exchange rates, and how glass is never, ever just glass. How can a display case be sealed, yet also designed to leak? What exactly makes a museum display case conservation grade? How do those little packets of silica gel work? Stéphanie Bilodeau,…
E47 · 3 Dec 2024 · 53 min
Story-Based Design, with Alan Reed
Can a building tell a story? How do you design a glass wall to be ... mist? What if architecture, landscape, and exhibitions were all thought of as one thing? What changes when you etch barbed wire into a handrail? How can the floor plan of an entire museum relate to a nautilus shell? What does “A.D.R.O.I.T.” stand for? We’re going to find out, so notebooks at the ready. Alan Reed, FAIA, LEED AP (President and Design Principal of GWWO Architects), joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Story-Based Design.” Along the way: dendrites, neurons, Seminole…
E46 · 19 Nov 2024 · 56 min
Designing with Animals, with Jacqueline Bershad
How would you design an exhibit — if an animal’s life depended on it? What is the number one reason people come to the National Aquarium? When should you take ego out of design? What is a “machine for living”? Which is right: “know-feel-do” or “feel-know-do”? (Hint: might not be the first one.) Why would an aquarium visitor want to hear from the people who take care of the animals? What happens when you float an entire Chesapeake wetland on top of the ocean, in the middle of Baltimore Harbor? How have kitchens and exhibits had a similar evolution? Jacqueline Bershad, Vice President of…
E45 · 29 Oct 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
Making a Memorial Museum, with Alice Greenwald
How do you make an institution that's both a museum and a memorial — at the same time? How are exhibitions like theater? Is a museum a group experience, or a personal one — or is that a trick question? When is it time to trust your gut? Why is collaboration so important? When is a single milk can the most important object in a museum? How can one single, simple philosophy inform everyone’s work, from the curators to the team making mounts for the artifacts? How are the principles of making a memorial museum different from other types of museums — or are they so different after all? Alice…
E44 · 10 Sep 2024 · 40 min
A New Community for the Exhibition Field, with Cybelle Jones, Steven Rosen, and George Mayer
Is there an organization for the exhibition field? A new initiative is picking up steam. The exhibition community in the US, some say, has recently gone from having “nearly one” professional organization — to none at all. That’s because of the unexpected 2023 dissolution of NAME, the National Association for Museum Exhibition, a group within the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). But now a new effort is rising at SEGD, an international organization headquartered in the US. It takes the form of a PPG, or professional practice group, specific to exhibition practitioners. How can everyone in…
E43 · 27 Aug 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
The Client Side of Major Projects, with Amy Weisser
“The client’s role is not to solve the problem — it’s to state the problem.” What’s the client’s perspective in major cultural projects? What are “client user groups?” What’s the difference between advocating for the client, and advocating for the project? How do you “inhabit your project?” How might a single gender-inclusive restroom project change an entire institution? Should every project have a “super contingency” in the budget? Amy Weisser (Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Projects at Storm King Art Center) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss…
E42 · 6 Aug 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
Scrappy PR for Museums, with Sarah Maiellano
Can you get big press with a small budget? (Hint: Yes.) For museums, small firms, and independent consultants, this episode is packed with literally dozens of ideas from a master of scrappy PR. What is the #1 tip about PR, if you forgot all the others? How do you get a journalist’s attention? How do you get in the news without something new? Who should be your spokesperson? Is press actually about the topic — or is it about just being in the news? Once you get an article, what do you do with it? Do people still write press releases? How important is PR, anyway? (Hint: Very.) Sarah Maiellano…
E41 · 23 Jul 2024 · 50 min
Six Keys for Unlocking Your Most Playful, Creative Work, with Jonathan Goldstein and Kyle Talbott
Have we lost a sense of playfulness in our work … and could we get it back? In museums for children, why does “analog usually beat digital?” What’s a “climbing structure”? What are design metaphors, and why should planners beware of them? How can exhibition teams better empathize with one another’s fears and concerns? Why should a museum professional or designer “hyper-specialize”? Jonathan Goldstein and Kyle Talbott (Principals, Skyhouse Studio) join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Six Keys for Unlocking Your Most Playful, Creative Work.” Along the way:…

About Making the Museum

A podcast on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams, and visitor experience professionals.

Making the Museum is a English business podcast from Jonathan Alger. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Jonathan Alger
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 1 hr 2 min
Latest episode: 29 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1674901311
Rights: @2025 Jonathan Alger

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