Where are the exhibits for adults?

Science Learning for All Ages: Locating Adult Exhibits at a Science Center

 

A question asked from time to time, particularly from our older visitors is, “Where are the exhibits for adults?”  Whenever I’ve been approached by a visitor with this question it has generally been during a time when the galleries are teeming with hundreds of school-aged children scurrying from one exhibit to the next in a frenzied effort to see and do everything there is to do in the 30 minutes of exploratory time they’ve been allotted by their teachers.  During these instances, I gaze across the frenetic landscape of children and then into the face of the adult and with an empathetic smile assure them that all of our exhibits are great for adults . . . when an adult can get to them. “Perhaps you’d like to relax outside for a while and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and take in the gorgeous San Diego weather we’re having today. Most of these children will be leaving for lunch and returning to their schools in another half-hour. Then you’ll have a chance to come back in and really enjoy our exhibits. By the way, my favorite exhibit is (insert current favorite exhibit) and I’d recommend you check it out when you get a chance.”

 

Now that exchange will generally suffice to answer the adult’s question. To the best of my knowledge those adult visitors do stay around long enough to find our exhibits engaging, even for people their age. To me it seems obvious that in these instances the real question isn’t about the age-appropriateness of our exhibits, but about the ability of an adult visitor to enjoy the exhibits without the fear of being besieged by a pack of boisterous 10-year-olds. And to all those future visitors who will, for similar reasons ask the same question, “Where are the exhibits for adults?” I can tell you now, “They’re here. You may just have to wait your turn to play with them however.”

 

While I’ve responded to the unspoken but intended question, the original question remains floating in the air like a cloud ring (or a rotating torroidal vortex), and I think it deserves examining. As someone who finds just about every interactive science exhibit intriguing and engaging, to the point that on more than one occasion I’ve crawled under and behind exhibits at other museums to find out how something works, I find it difficult to identify with the visitor looking for an “adult exhibit”. But I will venture a response to this inquiry as best I can.

 

I suppose it can be easy for some to jump to the conclusion that we do not have any exhibits for adults. When one witnesses throngs of children actively engaged in exhibits, one might assume that the children are so engaged because the exhibits are deliberately designed for that demographic and no self-respecting grown-up would bother to play with those exhibits. This line of reasoning presumes that for an exhibit to be for an adult it must preclude children from becoming engaged with it, or it must deal with phenomena that are beyond the capacities of children to understand or enjoy – and is certainly not to be played with. This line of reasoning is flawed in the underlying assumption that there is nothing of substance for an adult to learn from these exhibits. The fact is, even the simplest exhibit is replete with scientific content and opportunities for discovery, though it may be veiled behind the guise of a playful novelty that initially appeals to children. I believe that the quest for the “adult exhibit” begins with the adult. It begins first by changing their preconceptions of what an “adult exhibit” looks like, and then by focusing their attention on their own sense of curiosity.

 

First let me deal with what I believe to be a preconceived notion of an “adult exhibit.” Older museum-goers have been conditioned through their lifetime to static exhibits with lots of accompanying labels. The exhibit may have an interactive element to it – a button to push or panel to lift – that reveals even more text to revel in. The seasoned museum patron can then move on to the next exhibit while they digest the information fed to them at the last. After an hour of feasting upon the seemingly interminable prose of a faceless authority, they can leave the museum satiated and with a sense that they have furthered their own knowledge. Were these myriad facts things that they really wanted to know? Have they satisfied their own curiosity or answered their own questions? Could they have ingested the same facts by watching an educational film or reading a book on the subject? Probably. This notion of an “adult exhibit” ensures that the visitor will not be allowed to investigate his or her own questions. Everything has been predetermined and it will all be explained. The visitor need only become a willing receptacle. While this exhibit experience may sound appealing to some, this should not be the accepted notion of an “adult exhibit,” particularly at a science center. As life-long learners we should be searching for answers to our own questions about the world we live in. To satisfy our natural curiosity science provides us with a process by which we learn. Well designed science center exhibits encourage this kind of thoughtful, and sometimes playful, scientific investigation. This should be at the root of a visit to a science center.

 

An “adult exhibit” will be one that appeals to individuals possessing the ability to carefully observe a phenomenon, notice something, ask a question about it, and take action to answer their question. Almost every exhibit, if given sufficient attention, will reveal layer upon layer of interesting phenomena to investigate. Consider the “Colored Shadows” exhibit for example. Three colored lights, red, blue, and green, shine on a white wall.  When an object is placed between the lights and the wall, colored shadows appear on the wall. Children can frequently be seen dancing and posing and playing with the colored shadows they create. This is certainly something novel and interesting to them. I contend this is a great exhibit for adults also. Spend some time in front of the lights and observe how the shadows interact and create various colors. How many different colors are possible? Which lights are creating each color? What happens if a light is completely blocked? What happens if you hold a mirror against the wall? Take a sheet of paper and tear a hole in the middle of it. Hold it at various locations between the lights and the wall. What do you notice? If you spend some time with this simple exhibit you will undoubtedly make some intriguing observations and construct a decent understanding of the relationship between light and color. I believe you will find it is a great exhibit for all ages.

 

The keys to locating the “adult exhibits” at the science center are to take actions (even un-prescribed actions) with every exhibit, be observant, know how to ask productive questions and be confident enough to search for an answer to even the simplest question. You’ll find the answers to one question often lead to other, more intriguing, questions. Before you realize it, you’ll have found the “adult exhibits”.