Teaching Health in Museums

Listen to the heart beats of All Creatures Great and Small

As a designer, whose intent is to teach people about health, I always start with BIG dreams. How can I empower people to achieve Mind, Body, Spirit health? Another designer once told me that if you get 70% of what you initially designed to really be done, you are lucky. OK I get that. Sometimes it’s less, sometimes it’s more.

Then there are designs you’ve done where the business didn’t make it at all and you had so much hope for them. That is disappointing. But what if you’ve done a design that is 110% of what you’ve dreamed to do? The design was amazing, the budget was there, the team was fantastic! That was The Halle Heart Children’s Museum for me. A place children could learn how to take care of their heart. Client, The American Heart Association.

Children were bused in from schools around the state to experience this museum. The stories of lives saved and school grades increased were prolific. Nursing students told us it was part of their curriculum to come and experience the museum. It was fun, educational and interactive. We thought the client would do more across the country. This type of education is immensely needed.

10 years later, The American Heart Association wanted to move their office which was next door to the museum. We hoped that the exhibits would move as well or they would take parts of the 8 exhibits and travel them or do pop ups. Some way that we could continue teaching children about their bodies to create better health. In the long run the museum was shut down.

That was hard.

But creatives create and move on to other dreams.

Anyone want to do another museum?