Hoberman Sphere, Liberty Science Center

Mark Walhimer Kinetic Sculpture Leave a Comment

“One of Chuck Hoberman’s best-known museum pieces, the original Hoberman Sphere was installed in 1992 as the central exhibit in the Liberty Science Center’s atrium. The sphere was re-installed in 2007 in the newly renovated museum’s entry hall. Suspended by cables, the 700-pound aluminum sphere expands and contracts smoothly and continuously. Throughout its long history, the sphere has become the …

“Extreme Mammals” at AMNH

Mark Walhimer Exhibition Reviews, Natural History Museum Leave a Comment

Exhibition Review Come Meet Your Folks: Warm Blood Is Required By Edward Rothstein New York Times, May 14, 2009 Raymond McCrea Jones/The New York Times Link to Media “Michael Mesiter, Director of Exhibition Design at the American Museum of Natural History, discusses the Extreme Mammals” exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History.” You don’t usually associate the American Museum …

Hey, Drill This! Park Avenue Armory Goes Sci-Fi

Mark Walhimer Art Leave a Comment

Librado Romero/The New York Times An installation by the Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto comes to life in the vast drill hall of the Park Avenue Armory. It opens on Thursday and runs through June 14. More Photos > Article by: Randy Kennedy New York Times, May 13, 2009 The Park Avenue Armory was built as the epitome of Manhattan masculinity, …

Finding the right partner

Mark Walhimer Exhibit Fabrication Leave a Comment

People always use the word partner when taking about business relationships, as part of the museum planning process finding a fabricator you can work with is truly a partnership. Often ideas will come up and before you want to move forward you want the project estimated, any good fabricator can do it, but they will only estimate a project so …

1/3, 1/3, 1/3

Mark Walhimer 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 Leave a Comment

After years of experimentation I have have come to the formula 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 1/3 Of the exhibits off the shelf1/3 Of the exhibits off the shelf, and modified1/3 Of the exhibits custom to the institution The balance assures that the exhibits will work, will be cost effective and will be unique to the institution

Why Would Anyone Hire a Designer?

Mark Walhimer Exhibition Designer Leave a Comment

Almost all of my favorite projects didn’t have design help. City MuseumMutterExploratorium The places grew out of a passion to create. No one can design that, it happens. You can create a culture and an environment that fosters creativity, exploration and discovery, but you can’t design it.

$24 Per Person!, California Academy of Science

Mark Walhimer Exhibition Budgeting, Exhibition Costs, Exhibition Reviews, Museum Governance, Museum Planning, Natural History Museum, Science Center, Starting A Museum

At $24 per person, the California Academy of Science is setting a tone before you enter the door, two adults and two children, $78 dollars!  for a public institution.  This is a violation of the trust between a learning institution and the public.  That is before we even discuss if the experience is worth it and I would say it …