Nina Simon is a talented and passionate activist who is trying to transform museums so that they are not only places that you visit but where you go to actively participate and connect with each other. In both her preface and TED Talk, she stresses the need to change the way people view museums. Simon wants to encourage people to stop thinking about museums as preppy institutions and instead start thinking of them as places to connect, discuss and develop a community. In her TED talk, Simon points out that we live in an incredibly creative fertile time where people go to bars to knit together or gather in a room to perform science experiments. Not very far from Boston we can clearly see similar examples, such as the Artisan’s Asylum in Sommerville, MA: a non-profit makerspace devoted to the teaching, learning and practice of fabrication. However, the road to open museums and make them more accessible will not be easy.

In her preface, Simon asks herself what would be the best way for museums to reconnect with the public and demonstrate their value and relevance in today’s world. Her answer is to do as much as possible to encourage interaction between the exhibit and the public, but also between members of the public. It might take some time for people to get used to participatory learning but if museums give them the tools to communicate and make the public feel that what they say matters, people will not be afraid of speaking up and share this learning experience with one another. Cultural institutions need to think carefully on how they present information. Just offering something more personalized, such as a blue hexagonal piece of paper instead of a normal square white one to write on comments can have a big impact on the effort people will put into it. When a person feels appreciated, they will always do more than what is expected.

As Simons reiterates, this cultural transformation is vastly needed. However, contrary to popular belief this is not only to educate more people but also to create a welcoming community. In these times where everything seems so ephemeral and fast paced, cultural institutions could become a sanctuary for reflection and connection. A safe space to share ideas and where it is okay to sit down for a little while to discuss racial inequity with a complete stranger.