Keep on Tricking Ya’ll

Matt

The Dominion Solar Energy Exhibit at the Childrens Museum of Richmond opened November 18, 2009 and was the first exhibit families encountered as soon as they cross the bridge to enter the main exhibit floor. Children and their caregivers were drawn to a compelling interactive sensory airways exhibit, powered by solar panels on sky cubes above. A large mural of a stylized sun on the wall behind the exhibit emphasized the suns role in making the energy to power the exhibit.

Children and adults inserted brightly colored scarves into the action-filled exhibit that were immediately drawn in and traveled quickly in random paths through the clear tube maze. As visitors watched through the tubes to follow the path of their scarves, their eyes were drawn to the sky cube above to see the scarves exiting the exhibit and floating down to the floor. When they looked up, they saw one of the three sky cubes that support the photovoltaic panels that powered the exhibit, as well as provided additional power for the museum.

Beside the airways exhibit, a flat panel television interpreted the museums solar energy array on three of the museums five sky cubes for school age children and adults. The video described the process of harvesting the suns energy through photovoltaic panels, the conversion of that energy to electricity and how that power is making air move throughout the exhibit to propel the scarves to the exit above. In addition, visitors were able to follow the Kilowatt per hour trend to see how it fluctuates due to cloud coverage and the angle of the sun. Running on a continuous loop, the video could be quickly updated as necessary and allowed video presenters and their messages to be seen by more than 230,000 visitors per year.

By powering what was one of the Childrens Museums most interactive and popular exhibits, even very young children had a special connection to solar energy that they would not otherwise experience. In addition, the video interpretation provided more detail for adults and school age children, introducing the benefits of solar energy and bringing the concept out of the abstract and making it a real part of a fun and memorable experience.

Here are a couple of pictures I took at the museum to help those with young visitors understand the museum’s expectation and how they advertise the FREE for those under 25 program.
I’ve also included a projector per image as well as a general shot of the building. It’s set above the ocean front, it’s a beautiful place to be.

Here is their ABOUT stuff:
With two locations, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the region’s foremost forum devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of our time, presenting works across all media created since 1950. Located in the heart of downtown San Diego and in the coastal community of La Jolla, MCASD provides an unprecedented variety of exhibition spaces and experiences for the community, showcasing an internationally recognized collection and a dynamic schedule of exhibitions and public programs.

MISSION
The mission of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is to serve diverse audiences through the exhibition, interpretation, collection, and preservation of art created since 1950.
MANDATE
MCASD engages regional, national, and international audiences including the binational constituency of the San Diego/Tijuana region.
VISION
MCASD is a museum providing public access to contemporary art, artists, and the creative process; a forum for the exploration and understanding of contemporary art and ideas; and a laboratory for artists to experiment with new forms of creative expression.