I-SPY
A little museum
nearby

When given the opportunity to research a museum I was torn between what to look for. I knew that I wanted to choose somewhere that applied to music or education. Eventually, I settled on children’s museums and chose Chicago Children’s Museum since it was nearby. When I looked through the list of exhibits, Michael’s Museum immediately caught my eye. There was something so interesting about a museum within a museum that was focused on miniatures and other small objects.

Children’s Museums are institutions with long histories that have educated generations of children. Almost anywhere you go in the world you can likely find a Children’s Museum not far from your area. The Association of Children’s Museums provides evidence of how important Children’s Museums are with a public opinion poll that resulted in 95% of parents saying they strongly agreed/agreed that children’s museums are “valuable learning institutions”. 1

While most would not doubt that museums are valuable resources, surveys like this portray the universal nature of museums. Museums as institutions are uniquely equipped to serve all populations. Chicago’s population especially is dense, diverse and with that come challenges for a museum.

Chicago has many students from low-income areas and museums are a great tool for education for those in need of it most. It is important for a children’s museum like this one to cater to all and to have programs that support low-income families. One study found that 43 percent of children of low-socioeconomic status visited museums versus 65 percent of higher economic statuses. 2

Chicago Children’s Museum partnered with the Museums for All initiative with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as well as the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) to offer reduced tickets for low-income families. The museum additionally has “Free Family Days” in which families can visit the museum for free on the last Thursday of each month from 10am to 5pm. These family days are sponsored by The Pritzker Foundation.

Chicago Children’s Museum was “the first cultural institution in the state of Illinois to sign on to this innovative community engagement initiative.” 3

Another main way the museum strives to reach a diverse audience is through their “Free Family Days” which occur once a month, supported by the Pritzker Foundation. Plaques indicating corporate and foundation gifts throughout the museum make for a corporate feel sometimes.

Michael’s Museum is a wonderful gem in the Chicago Children’s Museum that fosters a love for collecting for children by being interactive, involving parents, and providing the opportunity to take on the role of curator and celebrating exploration.

In general when visiting the museum you will see the efforts to serve all communities within Chicago and beyond. Many of the texts featured in the museum, as well as Michael’s Museum, are in both English and Spanish. The museum has also worked hard to comply with ADA and make the museum wheelchair accessible. The museum additionally advertises itself as a safe space for all families of any kind.

Besides families the museum also has to cater to others to raise funds by hosting events. One such event is an annual Hide N Seek event which had its 10th anniversary this year. The event is for adults 21+ and the admission tickets cost $100. This is a smart way for a museum who caters to children (who do not have money) to still raise money. This event also connects to the mission statement of the museum which is to emphasize learning and play, even for adults. 4

The history of the Chicago Children’s Museum begins in 1982 when members of the Junior League of Chicago saw troubling cuts to education for children. Because of the need for arts education, the members partnered with Loyola University, Columbia College, and the Education Resource Center to create Express-Way Children’s Museum. The Express-Way Children’s Museum would later be renamed to the Chicago Children’s Museum in 1995, the same year the museum opened in Navy Pier. 5

The museum has been in a few different places. For five years it was in the River East Art Center on the other side of Lakeshore Drive (used to be called North Pier). Before that, starting in 1992, the museum was briefly in the main branch of the public library (now the Chicago Cultural Center). The museum opened in Navy Pier in 1995, where it continues to stand today. This year the Chicago Children’s Museum celebrates its 40th birthday. 6

In a phone interview with Peter Williams, Vice President of Exhibits and Building Operations; ADA Coordinator, I discovered the story of how the Chicago Children’s Museum obtained Michael’s collection and moved hundreds of items to the museum. 7

The museum was first contacted fifteen years ago by Michael about Michael’s collection. He had been housing a large collection of small artifacts that he wanted to donate, in part because he was moving and had retired. According to Williams, a team of about fifteen people helped develop the exhibit.

During the process, Michael was included in meetings as the “keeper of intent”, to provide input into guiding decisions behind the exhibit. 8

In my interview I found it interesting how something as seemingly simple as an entrance was carefully considered and brainstormed in meetings.

Suggestions included entrances like a revolving door or a crawlspace but eventually the team decided on the three entrances with red curtains as it is now. 9

The fact that Chicago Children’s Museum included Michael in decisions around the collection is significant and shows the careful consideration the museum put into the project.

Michael’s Museum is a fascinating exhibit that stands as a point of interest in the larger Chicago Children’s Museum. I found it interesting to see a single room stand as a “museum within a museum”.

Before you walk in, you are greeted by a sign on the entrance wall saying “Michael's Museum: A Curious Collection of Tiny Treasures” with a magnifying glass over the word “Tiny.” The wall itself is a bright green that certainly catches your attention in the hallway.

There are three doorways with red curtains tied up on the side of the doorframe. The first entrance is of normal size for all visitors. The second entrance, to the left, is a smaller entrance that most younger kids can enter through. Lastly, a third entrance is very small and has a mouse in it—no one would be able to go through this entrance.

Besides doors and signage, the entrance wall has three display windows people can see from outside the exhibit. Something about a sneak peek into the museum from the outside is really inviting. While visiting the museum I saw multiple people go up to the windows in the hallway and I think it can be said that many of those people then enter the room.

While Michael’s Museum has been standing for a little over a decade now it is clear that Michael is not done collecting. In my interview he described his “condo” collection which he calls a sort of second Michael’s Museum. 10

Many of the collections are similar to those in Michael’s Museum as the objects in the collection are miniatures or small objects. It is clear that collecting will be a lifelong effort for Michael and that the history of Michael’s Museum may very well change again.

Because Michael’s Museum is a museum within a museum it is helpful to understand how it fits within the larger mission of Chicago Children’s Museum. First, the reason the exhibit was added was because the museum operates according to the principles of the Universal Pursuits of Childhood, one of which is collecting. Yet, the museum was lacking an exhibit that addressed collecting. Williams said this gap was deliberately filled through acquiring and installing Michael’s collection.

The exhibit itself differs greatly from the other exhibits which are mostly focused on building fine motor skills and climbing, apparently! “Play it Safe” for instance, is about taking on the role of a firefighter. This exhibit is all about safety and for young children it is an important life skill to know how to deal with fires so part of the exhibit includes children putting out fires. The exhibit itself has a little fire station with a fire truck children can enter outside of it and next to that is this fire activity with digital screens at which kids point physical water guns . The exhibit itself is a partnership with the Chicago Fire Department and funded by the Allstate Foundation.

Besides building life skills like in “Play it Safe” there is seemingly a huge emphasis on climbing in the museum. Multiple exhibits feature climbing but even in the lobby spaces between exhibits there are opportunities to climb. Williams said that climbing is important to them because it gives children the opportunity to take risks. 11

Climbing is also one of the Universal Pursuits of Childhood the museum is focused on. One of the exhibits primarily focused on climbing is called “Cloud Buste which is described as 37 climbable feet of structural steel, wood, wire, rope, acrylic, fiberglass and artificial turf.” 12

Upon reaching the top of the tower there is an apartment like those you would commonly find in Chicago with artwork in it. This exhibit focuses on developing motor skills and also exposes children to what an apartment looks like.

If the thesis statement of Michael’s Museum is based on the Universal Pursuits of Childhood then it should be considered how the museum connects with this thesis. It is unclear where exactly this comes from but the museum talks about it a lot and it is a foundation of the education team.

The idea of Universal Pursuits of Childhood is essentially asking the question of what do children of all kinds “need, love and want to do.” Fostering a love for collecting in children can be a potential description of this exhibit’s thesis statement. This love for collecting is evidenced by some of the text in the museum, and since there is such little text, these snippets become very impactful.

In response to the question, “Why Collect?”, a label gives a brief answer: “Collecting is a way to learn a lot about interesting things-and even become an expert.” This text serves as a thesis statement of sorts that allows a visitor to understand why the exhibit is here. While in other museums thesis statements may be more obvious, in Michael’s Museum it is a little more subtle as less text is involved.

Michael’s Museum is similar but stands out as serving a unique function within the larger museum by inviting children to interact with objects, as curators and collectors. Williams noted the museum is not, actually, a collecting institution, although many people try to donate to the museum; they have to say no due to lack of storage and/or resources. Michael’s collection offered a ready-made assortment—and the objects were all small!

Visiting Chicago Children’s Museum is a fun experience and upon entering Navy Pier you can tell it is a highly trafficked location. From the outside the building seems large but somehow is even larger upon entering and finding the museum can initially be difficult but there is an information desk that will point you in the right direction. During my visit I found myself not only visiting the museum but also eating pizza and shopping around.

Williams himself spoke about this being a strength of their location in Navy Pier because families might go shopping in Navy Pier and then visit the museum for an hour or two. 13

When entering the museum there is an immediate aura of fun. The lobby area of the museum has mobiles hanging from the ceiling and is generally colorful.

To get to Michael’s Museum you have to walk through much of the museum as it is on the third floor. The staircases have numbers on them and all around you there are decorations in the hallways by exhibits. The general experience of walking through the museum is hearing a lot of screaming and children playing alongside their caregivers—who often look exhausted. Children’s Museums such as the Chicago Children’s Museums obviously focus on children but most will include caregivers in the conversation as well.

Williams revealed that the museum had these goals for parents visiting Michael’s Museum: “support, inspire, reflect and nostalgia,” all of which can be found in the children-caregiver conversations encouraged in this exhibit. A study from the Association for Children’s Museums on the Chicago Children’s Museum investigated whether parents given conversation instructions versus those who were not were more likely to interact with their children than those who did not. 14

The study concluded that parents that receive instruction engage in more conversation with their children. More specifically they ask “wh” questions such as when, why, who, etc. The Chicago Children’s Museum intentionally put directions like these in Michael’s Museum to support learning and conversation.

A study published in the Journal of Museum Education, discovered what caregivers thought about while exploring museum exhibits. The top three things noted were “Noticing child’s abilities, strength, interests”, “Enjoying watching child play”, and “Teaching, prompting, asking questions.” 15

Studies like this are significant for museums to look at when designing exhibits to involve caregivers. The same study found that 12.50% percent of parents said they did not know what children were thinking about.

This is a reality for the Chicago Children’s Museum: children often explore places in ways that are unpredictable. Micheal’s Museum involves caregivers in subtle yet significant ways through labels and the exhibit space itself.

Horvich mentioned that part of the process in creating the exhibit was to reinforce many of the cabinets so that if children tried to break them, it would withstand. Museums are aware that caregivers differ, from those who are very involved with a child’s visit to those that like to watch from a distance and observe their child play.

Children’s museums often take an approach of asking questions and prompting caregivers but recognize that they have different ways of getting involved and that learning will happen naturally through play. 16

This text directly calls for parents to interact with their children and tell them stories, “Do these objects bring back memories? Share them with your child.”

Besides telling stories the wall text goes further to tell parents why this is important, “Hearing about your childhood helps children know themselves better, and feel connected to their family’s history and heritage.” This reveals how the exhibit involves caregivers and how it celebrates them as assets to learning.

After entering the exhibit you quickly notice the room is quite small. The room is about the size of a standard classroom. The museum is laid out with displays floor to ceiling and things everywhere in between. There is a larger cabinet display with a variety of collections, and then there are cabinets all along the walls and up to the ceiling.

The room itself has comfortable furniture such as multiple chairs, a couch and the room has red walls. The wall on the outside of the exhibit is a bright green, that in addition to the variety of colors within the objects makes for a very colorful exhibit.

The exhibit itself is laid out in a way that any two visitors would likely not walk the exhibit the same way. All of the collections are labeled in an order but I certainly did not go number by number but rather wandered around until things caught my eye and then I would go back and look a little closer.

One of the first things one notices upon exploring the exhibit is that the ratio of object and text is extremely high. Virtually none of the objects are labeled. The only text about artifacts in the museum is found on laminated sheets on the main blue display in the entrance of the museum with pictures of objects for you to seek out, the same laminated sheet that gives you general titles of collections, and some text on the walls such as a kid friendly definition of curator.

This was the most shocking thing for me. I expected to see labels for some artifacts but there was nothing. However, I think this is interesting for two reasons, the first, with no text you are really left to wonder solely on the objects. The whole exhibit is very reminiscent of Cabinets of Curiosities where there is just stuff from floor to ceiling. Second, the use of text is interesting as it was mostly targeted at the adults as the rest of visitors are pre-literate.

Given how unique and individualistic this collection is, I was fortunate to speak with Michael Horvich of Michael’s Museum. One of the questions I asked was about the theme of the exhibit which I originally thought might be circus themed based on some objects of clowns—turns out I was wrong, the design of the room was influenced by Victorian times rather than a circus theme.

These objects are all miniatures and other small objects and like many other things in the exhibit, this calls back to an older time. Miniatures can be defined as “small objects that resemble larger ones in some form.” 17

In this exhibit this rings true—countless objects are tiny versions of real things. In the exhibit there are tiny books or a tiny game of monopoly.

Something about miniatures is joyful, and their power is evidenced by the fact that they have been around in history for a very long time. Furthermore, these objects have a haptic appeal, drawing people in to play with them. 18

This exhibit allows not only for visitors to look at miniatures but to physically manipulate them as well. with the various loose objects on the curator’s desk. Michael himself alluded to how miniatures have always been used in education as tools. 19

The Curator's desk features a tiny cabinet, magnifying glasses and loose objects with the intent that children will naturally sort the objects in their own unique way. In my own experience from walking through this exhibit this desk was of interest to many of the children alongside the coffee table full of objects.

Like mentioned previously the overall design of the exhibit is Victorian with red curtains and cabinetry similar to cabinets of curiosities calling back to the Victorian era. Horvich describes the room as “your great aunt’s room” full of objects further suggesting a call back to an older time. One might also connect Michael’s Museum to 17th century Cabinets of Curiosities because of similarities between the two. These cabinets come from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries where affluent people enjoyed creating collections to show to others and eventually this led to the creation of museums. 20

The collections were often displayed in a way where the entire room would be taken up by objects similar to Michael’s Museum where things are displayed floor to ceiling. These cabinets also would have been organized in loose categories like Michael’s Museum is. Additionally, the objects in Michael’s Museum are displayed in vintage cabinets which is also reminiscent of these old collections. These collections of the past were deeply personal and Micheal’s Museum is no different.

“Michael’s Museum” also plays heavily on nostalgia. This is obvious with the artifacts that reference pop culture of today and the past. This sub theme of nostalgia is made evident through another box of text on the wall that invites parents to reminisce about their past and tell their child a story. These prompting questions help show the focus on nostalgia. The text in Figure 7 says, “See anything that triggers a memory? Tell a friend your story.”

In my interview with Michael I asked about the absence of labels and he alluded to the emphasis on starting conversations about memories and things like that. While there may not be bundles of information about items in the room, the space does invite people to create their own stories and relive stories of their past. Different visitors will have very different experiences going through the exhibit, and will create their own stories about objects.

Most people who visit the museum will not know Michael’s stories behind his objects. In the first year or so of the museum, Michael said he would visit often–but this is a thing of the past. One of the most interesting artifacts for me was a cabinet of monkeys. I learned about in my conversation with Michael. This cabinet in fact explains a lot about what the museum accomplishes.

The collection of monkey’s comes from a dear friend of Michael’s named Marla, who has since passed. Her collection remains in the exhibit as a memory of her. The cabinet itself is from Taiwan and it is full of monkeys.

Michael obtained the collection through their friendship and Michael said that toward the end of her life she asked if there was anything from her collection that Michael wanted and that is when he requested the monkey collection. When visiting the museum this was an item that stuck out to me in part because it is one of the largest cabinets and contains many objects. This illustrates the importance of collecting as a way to preserve memory through stories.

Another story comes from a cabinet containing collections from Michael’s parents. Nostalgia looks to the people of the past which Michael’s Museum does. One very collection is of Michael’s parents and these collections give you a window into who these people are. Many of the objects in this cabinet are cultural items alongside a jaw harp likely played by one of Michael’s parents.

A visitor can look into collections like these and see a snapshot of who these people were. I think there is something really powerful about how collections preserve the memory of people and another collection in the exhibit explains why. Text from the Day of the Dead collection states: “The beauty of life, reduced to be held in your hand. The memories of life, elevated to be held in your mind.” For many visitors they may never see this text but this reveals Michael’s thoughts around items and the memories they represent.

The most interesting parts of the exhibit are interactive. These interactive objects, displays and activities also get at a sort of resonance as children get involved with curating themselves. For example, magnifying glasses by some of the displays allow visitors to view miniatures up close. These are placed low to the ground for children and it is attached to the wall so people do not take them, although this is common practice.

In my interview with Michael I learned another fun fact about the magnifying glasses in regard to a wall of quotes. There are certain rules that museums have to follow for them to be accessible, and one of those things is having a big enough font size. Michael said that the font size on this display was actually 10pt font, well below the required size. The museum is able to get around this, however, by having magnifying glasses by this display so that people can read it.

Another, low tech activity is in the center of the room. There is a coffee table with a glass surface, filled with little objects. In my own experience from visiting the museum, many people use this table and enjoy interacting with it. There are some cards attached to the table with images of objects you can search in the table using a magnifying glass similar to an ISpy game. Part of the fun in this exhibit is looking around for little gems you connect with and this coffee table celebrates this same spirit.

Another interactive consists of a set of drawers against a wall in the corner of the room that open to reveal a variety of objects. One, for example, contains a wooden cat titled “Cat on a Mat.” Other drawers contain much more mundane things, shells or dice.

The next interactive are visitor displays around the exhibit that people can put loose objects from the room on. During my visit I was confused by these displays and was unsure of what it was. They are essentially empty cabinets with shelves people can place things on. For a child who is exploring the space I think this would be a lot more intuitive, however.

By giving opportunities for children to create their own displays they take the part of a curator. The last interactive in the exhibit is my personal favorite and applies the most directly to the thesis statement of the gallery. In the back of the room is a desk with a little display on it, loose objects, rulers, and a name plate that says “Curator.” As children sit at the curator’s desk, they take on the role of curator and explore sorting objects in their own unique way. What better way to foster love for collecting than to give children the opportunity to collect.

Besides the text and the interactives in this exhibit, the truly exciting things are the objects themselves, they are sorted by loose categories, mostly by object type or function. Some of the first cabinets are of buttons or miniature houses. With a close look one may also notice that there are often duplicates of the same artifact. This is quite unusual for a museum and really stands out. While most museums only ever display one object, Michael celebrates having multiple of the same object.

The reason for the presence of duplicates has to do with Michael’s unique philosophy on collecting. Michael is not only a collector but also loves to write poetry, books and on his blog. In fact, Michael has multiple websites with writings about his museum.

One article described his philosophy on collecting and why he collects duplicates. Three is a magic number to Michael and whenever possible he will collect three of something. Even when collecting something like beads he will get three of them so he has them all in the same color. 21

In addition to Michael’s writings I was able to learn more about his collecting by a phone interview.

The most significant quote from our conversation was “the things that I collect kind of collect me” 22

This quote is reminiscent of the concept of wonder, a term within the museum world that can be defined as the power of an object to stop you in your tracks. 23

With all of this in mind it becomes evident that for a museum with no labels it is possible to still create resonance(meaning) in what is seemingly a forest of wonder.

Ever since Michael’s childhood he collected random things and he himself said they were objects that people would not expect a little boy to collect. Horvich himself described that he was interested in shiny objects that caught his eye in our interview and in a book of his he describes interest in things like jewelry and pearls. 24

Michael collecting based on what catches his eye is in line with wonder and represents how a visitor goes through the exhibit looking at each of the objects as they catch one’s eye.

The mission statement of the Chicago Children’s Museum emphasizes the connection of learning and play, seeking to prove that the two are connected. Michael’s Museum is an example of how a space can do this. Children that go through this space will have a fun time looking at the variety of shiny objects in the collection but will also be learning. Most of the learning is indirect as children sit at the curator’s desk and begin to curate whether they are aware of it or not. In other words, instead of putting a label next to the desk telling you what to do, children naturally use it.

The exhibit encourages learning and play through the use of interactives like the “ISpy” like coffee table. Additionally, the exhibit utilizes caregivers as vehicles of learning as they share stories and interact with their children. The exhibit celebrates exploration which is the spirit of this exhibit. Because the objects are everywhere it really beckons people to wander around and look at what calls to them.

Unlike other museums that can have linear paths, this small museum seems to offer no explicit path whatsoever. Additionally, the exhibit seeks to foster a love of collecting not only for children but in a way that is multi-generational. Because the exhibit was designed to be homey like your great aunt’s house such as Michael said and how the museum involves parents.

More so than any other exhibit in the museum this one involves all generations of visitors. Michael said he was very satisfied with the museum and how his collection is doing. 25

The museum transported the items successfully, made sure the cabinets were sturdy, added plexiglass to the displays, and even expanded upon the original design with new interactives.

It seems that for the most part the museum kept the original layout from Horvich’s house since they took photos of the original setup as part of that process. 26

The Chicago Children’s Museum is successful in creating an environment where learning and play connect, as exemplified by Michael’s Museum, which successfully creates a love for collecting by teaching about it and allowing visitors to experience collecting through a variety of small objects.

Overall, Michael’s Museum represents a unique example of what defines a museum. For many a museum is defined by artifacts with walls of text which Michael’s Museum differs from. Michael’s Museum is successful at achieving its and the Chicago Children's Museum's mission.

While the benefit of Michael’s Museum has been argued it is important to consider Michael’s Museum’s worth as a museum itself. Greenblatt suggests that any museum worth visiting has elements of both wonder and resonance. This question is crucial for an exhibit like Michael’s Museum and proves its worth as a museum.

There is no doubt upon visiting Michael’s Museum that there is an abundance of wonder but the question of resonance is a little more complicated. Most museums achieve some sort of resonance through the use of text but this museum achieves this a little differently. In the absence of labels in the museum resonance is achieved by wall text that prompts caregivers to interact with their children.

Overall, Michael’s Museum stands as a unique museum that pushes the envelope on what a museum does. All generations are included in this exhibit, not just children and I think that is significant for a children’s museum.

Additionally the museum is one that celebrates parents as an asset which the exhibit views as a strength within the Chicago Children’s Museum. Any visitor that visits this exhibit leaves with a new appreciation for collecting and a broadened view of what museums are.

• • •

Appendix A (Figures)

Figure 1. Photo of the Entrance to Michael’s Museum in the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo provided by Michael Horvich (2011). Michael’s Museum (michaelsmuseum.org)

Figure 2. Photo from the “Play it Safe” exhibit in the Chicago Children’s Museum where children can put out fires. Photo provided by Chicago Children’s Museum. Play It Safe — Chicago Children's Museum (chicagochildrensmuseum.org)

Figure 3. Photo of the “Cloud Buster” exhibit at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo provided by Chicago Children’s Museum. Cloud Buster — Chicago Children's Museum (chicagochildrensmuseum.org)

Figure 4. Photo of wall text in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum about why collecting is important. Photo by author (2023).

Figure 5. Photo of wall text in Michael’s Museum at Chicago Children’s Museum prompting visitors to tell stories. Photo by Author (2023).

Figure 6. Photo of the curator’s desk in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo by author (2023).

Figure 7. Photo of wall text in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum prompting visitors to tell a story to a friend. Photo by author (2023).

Figure 8. Photo of Marla's Monkey Cabinet collection in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo provided by Michael Horvich (2011).

Figure 9. Photo of “Memories of Mom and Dad” collection in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo provided by Michael Horvich (2011).

Figure 10. Photo of text in the “Day of the Dead” collection in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo by author (2023).

Figure 11. Photo of a collection of quotes in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo provided by Michael Horvich (2011).

Figure 12. Photo of the “Coffee Table Treasure Hunt” in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo by author (2023).

Figure 13. Photo of a wall of drawers that visitors can open to reveal collections in Michael’s Museum at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Photo provided by Michael Horvich (2011).

Appendix B Staff Interview (Notes)

Peter Williams, Vice President of exhibits put together teams to create exhibits and does maintenance and repairs

Q: What is your involvement with Michael’s museum A: among staff that first contacted by Michael’s about 15 years ago when he was retiring as a school teacher and created a collection in his museum of small objects his whole life and donated it when he retired and would be moving. From there he organized the accession of the whole collection cataloging and taking pictures of how stuff was set up in his house. This helped inspire how it would be set-up in the museum. Once they were all collected and stored we had to go through a planning process about where they might be able to have the exhibit and fundraise for the exhibit and that took 4 years. Goal was to recreate Michael’s museum but create interactive things. Curator desk in his museum that the museum changed the desk into something the children could use to take on the role of Curator. Display cases in addition to display spaces where people could display loose objects like buttons, stones, etc. That children can move around. Also created a seek and find activity with a book they created that identified collections and objects so children could seek them out. Couch with the coffee table was also created by the team. ISpy game in the coffee table trying to find all the objects. All his objects but some were things given to Micheal but all is his besides some of the loose objects visitors use.

Q: Dioramas high up A: Both space limitations but also catering to adults, in Micheal’s house that is how it was set up, there was a certain density to the exhibit, “floor to ceiling”, wanted to keep that look and feel. Thought about what would be viewable and did think about what would be an interest to an adult.

Q: Sub-themes of circus and nostalgia A: Wall color was meant to replicate Micheal’s museum and it does have a Victorian kind of feel which might lead you to a circus theme. Photo of clown which I think has to do with a family member

Q: What are some of the challenges of running a children’s museum A: Nonprofit, never enough money and resources. In my realm, one is our core audience which is children and their families but especially children ages 3-7 and they grow up and move on which is a challenge. Constantly need to recruit a new audience. Not like an art museum where someone might go their whole life. Another challenge is in exhibits is that children are very imaginative so we have to anticipate what they do in exhibits but they always surprise us even after testing and prototyping. Sometimes that can cause problems but also leads to new discoveries. Children will try to break things so putting in 8 screws versus 4 screws. I come from fine art as a builder and makes things and builds and designs experiences and work close with educators who have advanced degrees in child development and education. We like to give opportunities for children to take risks but safely such as our multiple climbing experiences. These are safe climbing experiences but it allows for children to test their limits and take risks.

Q: As a nonprofit do you have a budget and what is that spent on and do you rely solely on donations and/or what kind of fundraising do you do? A: There is a whole fundraising team, the museum pays for its own operating expenses. Earned income is our main income Ticket sales, facility rentals, etc. Then our other income is private donations from individuals, grants, corporations, foundations, and government grants

Q: Have long have you worked at the museum A: 27 years, only museum I have worked at before I worked for private companies that build either exhibits, theater sets, trade show displays, decorations, etc. Built Santa castles for malls, etc.

Q: What are some of your most important/favorite accomplishments in this position? A: Overseen creation of a lot of different exhibits and the idea for exhibits comes from a lot of different places and ideas can come from anybody even staff members. One exhibit idea of mine was a changing exhibit or temporary and it was a zoom room which children get to explore physical science such as gravity with hot wheel tracks. Target jumps, manipulate tracks, different kinds of tracks, etc. It is coming back April 21st. Love the staff, many have been here for a long time and the relationships are really great.

Q: What is the thesis statement of Michael’s museum and how does it fit in the museum A: We have what we call the universal pursuits of childhood, children need to pretend, climb, play with water, express themselves. One of these is collecting so we accepted a collection from Michael to help inspire collection in children. We do not consider ourselves a collecting institution. We have to decline a lot of requests for donating items because we do not have the space or resources. Collections are not our emphasis. Creating exhibits we think about a big idea or a goal for the museum. The universal allure of small things inspires curiosity, imagination, storytelling and collecting. For caregivers the goal was to support, inspire, reflect, and nostalgia. Goal for the environment was to create an intimate environment that created connection. This is an exhibit that perhaps more than others is of interest to multiple generations.

Q: Physical space strengths and weaknesses A: Tenants of Navy Pier, the family pavilion. Navy Pier draws a lot of visits even global visits so that is a great advantage, it helps attract a lot of visitors. Navy Pier allows for a whole day experience, meals, boat rides, and a visit to the museum. Navy Pier is also a tremendously safe location surrounded by water on three sides so there is only one way out and there is a strong security here. Because we are tenants we do not have to run maintenance of the grounds. Some of the challenges are that we are here so because we are tenants we have to go through approval processes. We also have to deal with their projects as well on Navy Pier. Sometimes the goals of Navy Pier are not the same as Chicago Children’s Museum. You can buy a drink at Navy Pier for example and carry in a cup and go around but then assume they can bring the drink into the museum. I am a part of the museum that interacts a lot with Navy Pier directly as I oversee construction. Our marketing team also works with Navy Pier as they have a larger budget.

Q: Thoughts about no labels for artifacts in the exhibit A: There are essentially no labels identifying objects short of the seek and find activity. Being a children’s museum a lot of the audience is pre-literate so labeling is always to a minimum. With this exhibit there are literally thousands of objects so labeling would be very difficult even labeling a few of them and labeling was not even a consideration. Micheals museum originally would tell stories because he would be there so that helped and that was a thing for a few years but eventually he moved on so that did not continue. Micheal Horvich used to run a blog (look at this) horvich.com

Q: Chicago Children’s Museum A: 1995 in Navy Pier, 5 years in the River East Art Center on the other side of Lakeshore Driver and used to be called North Pier. Before that the museum was briefly (starting in 1992) in the Chicago Cultural Center in the main branch of the public library. This is our 40th year of Chicago Children’s Museum

Q: Favorite part of the museum and then something in Micheal’s museum A: Hand in building almost all of the museum, what resonates with me. I come from a background as an artist and builder so I like the tinkering lab exhibit where you get to tinker and I liked the art studio. I really like our skyline exhibit as well where you work with wood struts and nuts and bolts. More so than the dramatic play experiences which are great but not as interesting to me personally such as the gas station experience. But these are great for building a social skill and develop fine motor skills. Something I really like is something we built that was not originally in the museum which is the three entrances. One was a human-sized door, Mid-sized door for children and then a tiny little entrance for the mouse.

Appendix C: Notes on an interview with Michael Horvich

One of the days I was there as a celebrity there was an 8 year girl leaning on the blue cabinet, she was pointing to a bunch of the things. That afternoon an 88 year old lady was doing the same thing.

The second story was also when I was a celebrity where a Father talked to a kid about the Museum of science and industry and the kid remembered it. Then the Father says remember when we went to the art institute to the (?) rooms. She created a ton of dioramas that she then donated to museums of which the art institute have many. The kid liked the modern one in Paris and the Father said and now Chicago has Michael’s Museum, to be compared to that was very cool.

Gregory and my partner were in a relationship for 41 years, the last 12 he got dementia, most likely Alzheimer's. His condition got worse, and at one point I was not able to meet his needs so I had him go to a facility that I visited 2 to 3 times a day for a year. Gregory was an architect and was a minimalist and was helpful for the museum. He helped design Michael’s Museum in the first place. Gregory helped with the unpacking too

Taught for 30 years or so and been retired since age 49 In the beginning I would go 2 or 3 times a week like celebrity and then stopped and they gave me a lifetime membership

Half a year I was at education meetings and I was the keeper of intent, it was already an established entity and the museum wanted to keep that in mind. For example, when creating the three entrances (brainstorming), you don’t criticize during brainstorming but I was. One person came up with a revolving door and I was thinking you know this isn’t a grocery store. Another person said what if you crawled in, and I said you know this isn’t Alice in Wonderland.

Q: I’m curious about your philosophy on collecting. I found that you find the number three to be magical and that you enjoy physical wear on objects. A: Hard to answer why I love to collect, the things that I collect kind of collect me. They’re artistic and well done, well constructed even if inexpensive. I find so many of them to be magical. Ever since I was a little boy I collected things and I often picked weird things like glittery, sparkly things. In history, miniatures have always been used to teach children and the idea of play which is important to their informal education. These experiences help build skills, grocery shopping. History of the world, Native Americans would make small things for kids to play with until they might use the real thing later on. Number three, used to go to New Orleans and went to a physic with tarot cards and she did an hour reading but went 3-4 and we became friends. She did a card reading and said “you know I have never seen the number three come up so often”. The number means you are ambivalent, not that you can’t make decisions but you want both options. My partner used to say “can’t you just have one?”

Q: Based on what the Chicago Children’s Museum has done with Michael’s Museum, are you satisfied with what they have done? A: Very much satisfied, they put together a team of 15 people to translate the collection from my guest room to the museum and did the marketing, reinforcing, etc. Naming the museum, PR, education department, etc. I honestly cannot say this room meets my expectation, and the reason I say that is because I never expected it to be this wonderful. Some of the things like the height cabinets were placed at, the museum did that differently. The museum did a wonderful, wonderful time.

Q: What made you want to donate to the museum? A: Donate the collection, did an appraisal first documenting the collections and such. Michael actually got deductions from the donation and that was essentially the payment from the museum.

Q: What is your most recent collection you are currently working on? A: Huge display in front of his computer of stuff I have gathered, long dining room table in the office full of collections. Turned my condo into what I call Michael’s Museum Evanston campus. Talked about greenware pottery and now that Martha Stewart talked about it is not as cool.

Q: I interviewed Peter Williams from the museum and asked about a circus theme? I noticed that alongside the BOZO artifacts, there are red walls, the entrance curtains and an item with circus dogs made me wonder if a circus theme was intentional? A: No, the concept that informed what it looks like is imagine you have a dearly beloved great aunt who was a world traveler and put it in her living room, where you look around at things. The curtains are victorians and in fact a lot of this museum has to do with victorian and this even predates museums. Circuses are important to me I love them and I was a clown at one point, did some theater presentations that I wrote and choreographed, etc. “I was a nice clown, I didn’t scare people”. The doors had a main entrance, the middle one was for kids but you’ll often find parents climbing through and the smaller entrance is a mouse attached to the floor. Some kids even try to get through the entrance. After-hours the cat and mouse are best friends and go around the museum looking for cheese. Three picture frames go to the outside and peeking through them you can see in the exhibit. The exhibit wanted to be closed and cozy but still inviting which these windows get at. The furniture was also designed to be comfy, many old people love this exhibit because they can sit.

Q: One of the concepts we talk about in this class is wonder and resonance and with an exhibit like this that balance becomes especially interesting with the lack of labels. One thing I noticed was this concept of time collection or these collections people owned that preserves their memory, could you elaborate on this? A: First talked about the labels. Wide age range and different kinds of nationalities so different religions, languages, etc. So we thought about text there are the tags that give titles to the collections. We wanted to avoid too much verbiage. Certain sayings people could attach to like it only takes two items to create a collection. Every museum has expectations like nothing can be less than 18.5 font or something like that. This exhibit got away with it using a 10 pt font because there are magnifying glasses which still accommodates. We did not want to go into much detail about the objects themselves but to let people experience them. This gap allows for dialogue to happen between families or between guest. The exhibit is mostly about wondering like where it came from, etc. Lack of documentation on many objects is also hard.

People’s collections: One cabinet was a visiting collection and every quarter we would put in a new one. We would do the installation live and the person who’s collection was being installed would be there and we would actually have mini cups of milk and mini cupcakes there. Some in the past have been miniature rabbits and still in there now there are Alex’s attic collection which is a friend of Michael’s. Marla’s cabinet was a dear friend who was manic-depressive and schizophrenic and I loved here because she was crazy but also a collector. Most of my connections with people are odd and she collected pretty things. Her grandma passed and she became a millionaire after living frugally. Now she able to buy things and she traveled but then ended up having cancer. I would visit her and towards the end she would be weak and I would stay with her to talk. She asked if there was anything in her collection I would want and I wanted the monkey collection and the cabinet that is from Taiwan and the cabinet had a picture of them. That cheered her up a lot during what was the end of her life. Michael also said that sometimes collectors have people give stuff to them and frankly they don’t want them.

Q: I found the curator’s desk, both the display cabinet of your desk and the curator’s desk to be interesting and stands out in the exhibit, I was curious of your thoughts on this A: The curator’s collection was an antique table and chair and thats where I sat a lot to fix things and stuff. I love to have all of my things out and add to them, play with them, find more places to put them, the cabinets in the museum are intentionally overstuffed. The table is for kinds for kids to sit down at. Some of the things on the desk are an homage to me. One time I saw a school come in and this little girl was determined to break into one of the cabinets. But there are some empty cabinets and loose objects in the room for kids to curate their own museum. Children might sort things by size, color, etc.

Q: Were the blocks of text prompting parents originally in your museum or are these unique to the Chicago Children’s Museum? A: Unique to the Chicago Children’s Museum, translating I call it moving it from its original place to the exhibit

Appendix C: Endnotes

1. Jessica Luke and Victoria Garvin, “Learning Value of Children's Museums Research Agenda,” The Association of Children's Museums, 2014. 2. Mary Lynn Howard, “Growing Young Minds: How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners,” Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 2013. 3. “Museums for All,” Chicago Children's Museum. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/museums-for-all?rq=%22Museums+for+all%22. 4. “About Us,” Chicago Children's Museum. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/about-us. 5. Sarah Fenton, “Children’s Museums.” Encyclopedia of Chicago. Accessed May 8, 2023. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/282.html. 6. Peter Williams interview, phone, March 31 2023. 7. Peter Williams interview, phone, March 31 2023. 8. Michael Horvich interview, phone, April 30 2023. 9. Michael Horvich interview, phone, April 30 2023. 10. Michael Horvich interview, phone, April 30 2023. 11. Peter Williams interview, phone, March 31 2023. 12. “Cloud Buster.” Chicago Children’s Museum. Accessed May 10, 2023. https://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/cloud-buster. 13. Peter Williams interview, phone, March 31 2023. 14. Jessica J. Luke, and Travis Windleharth. “The Learning Value of Children’s Museums: Building a Field-Wide Research Agenda A Landscape Review.” Institute of Museum and Library Services, 19. 15. Susan M. Letourneau, Robin Meisner, Jessica L. Neuwirth, and David M. Sobel. "What do Caregivers Notice and Value about how Children Learn through Play in a Children's Museum?" Journal of Museum Education 42, no. 1 (2017): 87-98. 16. Susan M. Letourneau, Robin Meisner, Jessica L. Neuwirth, and David M. Sobel. "What do Caregivers Notice and Value about how Children Learn through Play in a Children's Museum?" Journal of Museum Education 42, no. 1 (2017): 87-98. 17. Jack Davy and Charlotte Dixon, “What Makes a Miniature?: An Introduction.” In Worlds in Miniature: Contemplating Miniaturisation in Global Material Culture, edited by Jack Davy and Charlotte Dixon, 1–17. UCL Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvf3w24f.7. 18. Jack Davy and Charlotte Dixon, “What Makes a Miniature?” 19. Michael Horvich interview, phone, April 30 2023. 20. Lawrence Weschler, “Cerebral Growth.” Essay. In Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder, 77. New York: Vintage Books, a Division of Random House, 1996. 21. Michael Horvich, “Collecting Over Time: An Essay.” Michael's museum, November 18, 2007. http://www.michaelsmuseum.org/Museum/Stories_from_the_Museum/Entries/2007/11/18_Colle cting_Over_Time__An_Essay.html. 22. Michael Horvich interview, phone, April 30 2023. 23. Ivan Karp, Steven Lavine, and Stephen Greenblatt. “Chapter 3 .” Essay. In Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display, 42. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. 24. Michael Horvich interview, phone, April 30 2023. and HORVICH, MICHAEL A. Story of Michael’s museum. S.l.: LULU COM, 2020, 4 25. Michael Horvich interview, phone, April 30 2023. 26. Peter Williams interview, phone, March 31 2023. 27. Ivan Karp, Steven Lavine, and Stephen Greenblatt. “Chapter 3 .” Essay. In Exhibiting Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display, 42. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991, p. 54.