Can Social Media Transform the Exhibition Development Process: Cooking the Exhibition - an ongoing case study

Liberty Science Center (LSC) embarked four years ago on an ongoing effort to engage the general public in the creation of the exhibition experience at its institution. The science center was interested in leveraging the open source, personal choice, large group participation movement. One variation that LSC has now embarked on is an ongoing experiment surrounding its new exhibition: Cooking: the Exhibition. All work on the project and all coordinating communications primarily occur on the Web site and are open to the public.The result has been public participation in a larger way than with any previous exhibition for LSC or, we believe, other exhibitions. The exhibition has a larger group supplying concepts, and there is more opportunity for connections. Outcomes such as interested members becoming integral project partners and paying physical visits to the museum offices have occurred through this process. It has also placed a larger management challenge on staff; questions of confidentiality in the museum field, privacy, and rights have arisen as well. The project continues to be a research project as well as a creative work in progress.