This week I received the program for the 2001
AAM Annual Meeting. And it reminds me -- the deadline for proposals for
the 2002 meeting (in Dallas, if I'm not mistaken) will be coming up in a few
short months.
I have an idea for a session, and I'd like to see
if I can find some speakers to join me.
The tentative title is "Fabulous Failures: What
We've Learned from Our Great Mistakes." It would feature projects --
preferably exhibits, but it might be nice to include an education program or
some other venture -- that simply didn't work. The point is NOT to
humiliate ourselves, our colleagues, or our present or former employers, but to
learn what went wrong, why, and what we learned from the experience.
Failure is painful, especially in a medium as
public -- and as expensive -- as a museum. But we all make mistakes.
And if we can learn from them, it will make our future efforts better. Or
at least we'll know better next time.
So, what do you think? If you desire
anonymity you may write to me directly, but I would encourage everyone to
respond on-list. One brave soul coming out of the closet and owning up to
his/her gaffe may inspire others to do the same. Besides, it might be
fun!
--
Gene
"It takes great courage to be ugly in a world gone
cute."