The Tech Museum of Innovation | Imagination Playground

THE TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION | SAN JOSE, CA | IMAGINATION PLAYGROUND

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Technology is more than a set of tools for pragmatic areas of endeavor such as medicine or communication or transportation; it can also be a medium for creative expression and play. The Imagination Playground gallery invites visitors to interact with art and technology installations that run the gamut from art to games.

Butterfly Projection

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We collaborated with artist Zack Simpson to produce this interactive shadow projection. Stand still for a few moments and an edge detection algorithm leads butterflies to land on your shadow. The exhibit was replicated by more than 50 venues nationwide. 

Sand Projection

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Hold hands with a a friend, cup your arm, or get creative and use your hair to catch falling sand in a variation on the edge detection software produced as part of an art and technology installation by Zack Simpson.

PROFESSIONAL ROLE

The Tech Museum of Innovation | Senior Director of Exhibits and Programs

The Tech Museum of Innovation – San Jose CA – 1999 to 2003

Senior Director of Exhibits and Programs – (11/02 to 6/03) 

Director of Exhibits – (6/99 to 11/02) 

Reported to VP of Exhibitions. Led 13 staff in designing permanent exhibitions, developing public programs, and hosting traveling exhibits. Managed $2.3M annual operating and capital budget and served as liaison to Exhibits and Programs Committee of the Board. Recruited creative professionals from around the country and built a cohesive team. Closed out 15+ contracts after the new facility opened, and, tutored by bitter experience, developed fabrication standards, multimedia standards, graphic design standards, etc. to clarify client and vendor responsibilities.

· Developed a 5-year plan leading to over $4 million in new project funding within three years. 

· Developed a partnership with Stanford University to enable visitors to interact with working scientists, wrote successful $1.6 million proposal to NIH. The partnership is still flourishing.

· Secured $982,000 from the National Science Foundation for the NetPla@net exhibition about the “anything to anything” network, developing an exhibit about the “Internet of Things” before the phrase existed.


Exhibit Developer and Project Manager (6/95-6/99)

Led the research and development of $3.5 million Communications: Global Connections gallery as part of the Tech’s 1998 expansion. Developed exhibits, prepared budget projections, managed vendors, coordinated advisor input. 

· Made successful fundraising presentations to CEOs of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and other tech companies.

Full Resume