Museum Planning LLC
I help groups to plan, develop, design, fabricate and open interactive museums (children’s museums, science centers, natural history museums, history museums, traveling exhibitions).
My firm Museum Planning, LLC has been part of starting more than 40 museums. Because of my previous experience working at museums, I think of my firm as a “Freelance Exhibitions Department”. We join your team to, expand, energize and create a museum. This approach has worked very well. We become part of museum team, always thinking of the benefit to the project. The end of the day, I believe strongly in the mission of informal education and want every new museum to succeed. Click here to contact Mark.
Services Include, in order of process:
Consulting
(a) Board formation and development
(b) Development of Museum Mission
(c) Development of Museum Charter
(d) Development of Board of Director’s bylaws
(e) Development of Board of Directors Sub-Committees
Museum Feasibility Studies
Program Development
(a) Review of institutional documents;
(b) Creation of Exhibition Narrative
Phase II – Business Planning
(a) Create a preliminary project budget
b) Create a preliminary project schedule
(c) Museum staffing requirements (as related to museum operation)
(d) Market Research of area
(e) Facility Costing, Capital Costs (Preliminary Estimates)
(f) Costs to opening
(g) Initial Operating Costs projection
(h) Research of comparable institutions
(i) Recommendations
Museum Master Planning
Phase I – Program Development
(a) Conduct interviews with the client and designated consultants
(b) Develop an organizational plan and organizational chart for Museum, including both
public and private (back-of-house) spaces
(c) Develop an architectural program. The program to include space use, size,
adjacencies, unique characteristics and specialized technical requirements necessary for
each space.
(d) Make recommendations for other consultants, engineers and design/technical consultants.
The result of the services during Phase I will be a Program Development Package, including, five case studies of benchmark Museums, Organizational Plan, Architectural Program, Project Schedule and recommendations for any additional consultants
Phase II – Master Plan
(a) Collaboration on architectural plans;
(b) Create Exhibition Narrative;
(c) Create Visitor Venn Diagram;
(d) Sample umbrella concepts;
(e) Sample style boards;
(f) Sample graphics for interpretation for “look and feel”;
(g) Renderings
Exhibition Design
(a) Refinement of Exhibition Layout;
(b) Design Development Exhibition Floor Plans;
(c) Drawings of thematic elements;
(d) Material and color palette;
(e) Information of specialty effects;
(f) Data Sheets: exhibition information for each exhibit to include exhibit description, electrical requirements and sources for purchase;
(g) Graphics for each area;
(h) Exhibit label copy; and
(i) Exhibition budget.
Project Management
(a) Negotiate and manage the purchase of custom exhibits;
(b) Coordination with building architecture during construction;
(c) Mark Walhimer on site for installation;
(d) Coordinate graphics with project architect;
(e) Coordinate casework and specialty effects with project architect and fabricators;
(f) Work with vendors to prepare maintenance and repair manuals
(g) Coordinate casework;
(h) Coordinate exhibits with project architect;
(i) Site visits to fabricators to inspect exhibits prior to shipment;
(j) Shipping Coordination
(k) Review of exhibits upon arrival at museum ;
(l) Supervise installation crews;
(m) Art direct on site changes;
(n) Supervise lighting aiming; and
(o) Coordinate with exhibition vendors
(p) Staff Training
Often museums will start with a traveling exhibition prior to a permanent location, or create a traveling exhibition once the museum is opened.
Creation of Traveling Exhibitions
Program Development
(a) Review of documents;
(b) Creation of Exhibition Narrative
Business Planning
(a) Create a preliminary project budget
(b) Create a preliminary project schedule
(c) Museum staffing requirements (as related to museum operation)
(d) Market Research of area
(e) Facility Costing, Capital Costs (Preliminary Estimates)
(f) Costs to opening
(g) Initial Operating Costs projection
(h) Research of comparable institutions
(i) Recommendations
Marketing
(a) Press
(b) Social Media
Exhibition Design
(a) Conceptual Design
(b) Schematic Design
(c ) Design Development
(d) Construction Documents
(e) Project Management
(f) Negotiate and manage rental agreements
(g) Design of each exhibition layout
Installation
(a) Transportation
(b) Exhibition Installation
(c) Art Handling
(d) Staff Training
Museum Project Closeout
Punch List, Project Accounting, Warranty Issues and Remediation
(a) Create project punch list;
(b) Work with vendors to correct issues of punch list;
(c) Work with vendors to address warranty issues;
(d) Approve final vendor payments; and
(e) Art direct any changes to the exhibition spaces post-opening
Click here to contact Mark.