The Museum Computer Network turned 50 this year (which is like 500 in tech years) and over 600 members convened in Pittsburgh to celebrate at their annual conference. Over and again, we were struck by how MCN is truly a community of people, voices, ideas, and action.
The MCN50 Digital Experience
In celebration of the MCN’s 50th birthday, we teamed up with the amazing (and tireless) #MCN50 committee to produce a special digital interactive experience featured at the conference. The interactive was built using the CultureConnect platform and featured two experiences. MCN Voices showcases the people that make up this community while the Timeline gives historical context to the organization’s evolution and impact over the decades.
Read more about the project, the committee’s deep dives into the Smithsonian archives, and content development on MCN’s blog.
Yup, There was Role Playing
We co-hosted a session “Turning Original Ideas into Reality” where we tackled the challenges of selling (innovative, radical or even just mainstream) ideas across your organization. There was role playing! While certainly humorous at times, the ‘performances’ brought to light contrasting points of view and communication styles. Pairs of volunteers played the roles of (stereo)typical personas from the tech-averse curator and the transformation seeking IT director to the senior executive and digital media manager with wild new ideas.
It’s Official! Joining the MCN Board
CultureConnect’s CEO, Samantha Diamond attended her first MCN Board meeting. Thrilled and humbled to join such an esteemed, hard-working and thoughtful group of museum leaders. We’ll be collaborating for the next three years to advance MCN. Samantha will serve on the Finance Committee and the Strategic Partnerships Committee. Reach out anytime if you have ideas or feedback for the board.
3 Fun Takeaways from #MCN50
- The MCN50 Birthday Party at the Warhol Museum. Clearly, fun was had. Cheers!
- Laughing throughout the IGNITE talks. The fun factor was high with Rachel Ropeick’s dancing, Seema Rao’s singing and all those Mean Tweets.
- Noticing the focus on change management as a major theme across so many sessions including our own role playing workshop.
