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The Best Things in Museums Are the Windows
Harrell Fletcher & Exploratorium
July 18-21, 2014

Where does the museum end and the outside world begin?

The Best Things in Museums Are the Windows was a four-day trek from the Exploratorium’s Pier 15 home across the Bay to the summit of Mount Diablo. The project created a dynamic framework for discovery as it moved across water, city, suburb, and country, building on the multidimensional perspectives of the participants.

The public connected with a core group of walkers at more than a dozen points along the path, which were seeded with free public demonstrations, screenings, talks, and other investigations designed by Exploratorium staff and community partners. Each day featured several official stops while countless unofficial observations colored the trek with surprise and spontaneity.

The Windows reflects Fletcher’s interest in artful investigation, community collaboration, experiential learning, and decentralized authorship. By extending the museum’s curiosity-based learning into the surrounding landscape, the trek aimed to transform the everyday world around us into an open classroom while working toward a greater integration of a cultural institution within its surrounding community.

In the walk’s wake, we held a Reflections event, made a short documentary, and produced a book.

Related
Video
Reflections
Project Site
Book