When I sit with clients for the first time to discuss their exhibits, they frequently begin the conversation by talking about different ways they want to tell their story even …
Backwards History: Leading with the Story to Bring the Holidays to Life
A local museum, Art and History Museums Maitland, recently called us with an interesting project. They had committed to making the theme of their historic property representative of Dickens’ “A …
How much for a hole?
One of the true joys of building museum exhibits is the wide range of things we get to design and build. In my 25 years of experience in this business, I have …
Hiding In Plain Sight
Traveling and exploring new places offers opportunities to take in and appreciate cultural resources. It’s funny: When you are close to something and see it every day, you lose perspective …
Reliable, Trustworthy, and Full of Stories
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] There are objects that when you look at them and touch them, you can feel their history. They have transcended whatever materials they were made of and are …
The Voice of the Arts
Who is the voice of the arts in your town? After graduating college, I went to work at a commercial classical radio station in Houston Texas. The call letters were …
Protect Your Artifacts
What is the best way to protect artifacts in a case? This is a question we get asked a lot. The answer depends on a number of factors, but let’s …
Everyone Will Be a Hero
Summertime is a perfect time to visit a children’s museum. AST Exhibits recently completed designs for new exhibits in the Explorer’s Gallery at the Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast. …
Where the Arts are Alive
Do you remember when you first experienced the arts as a living, breathing thing? I do. I was visiting Austin College in Sherman Texas as a high school student. I had been …
Takers to Givers
Takers to Givers Shifting Imagery to build community leaders Takers to Givers is the first in a series of articles about the groundbreaking work we are doing for the Children’s …
Vitrines for Museum Exhibit Cases
Properly designed and executed exhibit cases will both protect your artifacts and allow your guests to see and appreciate them. They allow the artifact to connect your guests with your …
Studio Makeover – What we changed and Why
When you are at your most creative and productive, how do you work? What sort of environment would help you stay inspired? How do you keep a work environment fresh …
The world has seams
The world has seams. There I said it. As I look around our design studio now, I am surrounded by them. Wherever two different pieces of something come together, there …
That “Other” Exhibit
Everyone who works in a museum has a favorite exhibit. You know the one. It’s that exhibit that makes you smile when you walk past it. The one you brag …
Revitalize Tired Museum Spaces in 4 Easy (and Inexpensive) Steps
In the 21st century, museum exhibit spaces that may have “just” been renovated a mere 10 years ago can suddenly feel old and tired. But, how do you combat a …
Well Traveled Exhibit
A Little Inspiration from the World Rock and Roll In the museum-exhibits business, solutions are often discovered in usual places. Rock and Roll was the inspiration for how to protect …
Ingenuity & Know-how Overcome a Hostile Environment
It is hard to imagine a worse environment for a special piece of original artwork than a restaurant, where it’s exposed to pollutants, harsh light, unstable temperatures and humidity, and …
Journey to the Center of the Office: Why is there spackle on the dog?
After staring at the same walls from the same desk for over a decade, the decision was made to rearrange the AST offices. First step was to sort through the …
What is a Museum?
It seems today that in pushing the boundaries of immersive design and interactivity American museums are evolving into theatre. Some are even tossing aside the brick and mortar altogether. Merriam-Webster …
Is having a compelling and well told story not enough anymore?
As human beings with millennia of oral tradition behind us we have a thirst for a good story. But we must distinguish between what a story is and how you …