This program was rescheduled for July 15. Register here!

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More and more museums are rethinking the museum experience and are finding ways to engage their audiences through immersive, participatory and interactive ways -- often using the art of storytelling. Humans by nature tell stories about the world around them, but how are museums using this natural tendency to shape the visitor experience? 

Join Cultural Connections as we learn how a variety of professionals and institutions capture and create stories with their audiences. We will hear from museums that have utilized this tool in diverse ways to discover how storytelling can enrich and help develop exhibitions and programs.

Panelists:

Brad Larson has been developing interactive media for family audiences in museums for more than 20 years. He was the Technology Developer at The Children’s Museum in Boston for ten years, and received his EdM in the Interactive Technologies in Education program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Brad has contributed to the field with presentations at AAM, ASTC, and ACM Interactivity. Installations include projects for Smithsonian’s National Zoo, American Museum of Natural History, Science Museum of Minnesota, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and children’s museums across the U.S., where he has focused in particular on technologies that add visitors’ stories and comments to exhibits. His special areas of focus include: community storytelling, popup exhibits, and interactive media that supports behavioral change.

Penny Jennings is the Oakland Museum of California's Associate Director of Experience Development. She has been working in the museum world since the 1980s, first as an American Studies student, then as an educator, project manager and exhibition developer for projects far and wide, mostly in science, history and children's museums, including the Exploratorium and the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Penny is also the President of the National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME) having served on its Board since 2006.

Sarah Seiter is an exhibit developer and curator in Oakland, California. Her work is grounded in the belief that science can be a fulcrum for change and a way of empowering people. She is currently the Lead Content Developer for Nobel Prize-winning physicist Saul Permutter at U.C. Berkeley, where she creates materials for teaching scientific reasoning. Prior to that, she served as the Associate Curator of Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California for nearly six years, where she created award-winning exhibitions about socially relevant science issues, such marijuana policy, urban agriculture, land use, and most recently, maps.

Daren Ulmer is the founder and driving creative force at Mousetrappe, responsible for guiding the company’s projects from earliest concept through installation. As Principal and Creative Director, Daren manages both the creative and technical aspects of Mousetrappe’s projects and works to improve how media is implemented to advance story, enhance space, and create audience connection. Daren has been a key contributor to the experiential attractions and entertainment industry for over 25 years. Prior to founding Mousetrappe, he spent nearly a decade at The Walt Disney Company in creative development, management, and production for theme parks and special events worldwide, including It’s a Small World – Holiday (Disneyland), Mulan Parade (Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios) and Fantasmic! (Disney’s Hollywood Studios).