Visit to the Swedish Exibition Agency

[Hammers]

Th Swedish Exibition Agency is an government agency which is in charge of assisting the museums around the country with exhibit techniques and content. I visited this office yesterday (my wife work there), to look at an exhibit of professional architectural models of exhibits or for museum display (iron age villages, exhibition layouts etc. in scale). My smug but silent conclusion was that while many of the models were good it is my firm opinion that the best of this forum is in par or better. So that's something to reflect upon, amateur gentlemen and friends.

Their workshop however, is something to drool over. 3D printers, cad/cam lathes, laser cutters... My god what one could achieve if one had access to all that!

[Psychopomp]

Funny you should mention that.  I'm in the middle of the old mid-life career change, so I'm pursuing a Master's Degree in history with an emphasis on public history.  My graduate assistantship is at the university museum, as collections manager (which I love).  We recently did a WWI exhibit, and I got pulled to help with exhibit construction.  I offered to build a table and write rules for a simple little trench assault wargame, and once I found the magic words, "interactive diorama," the museum director let me do it.

So, since I built that 2' x 3' trench table for 1/72, I have since been pulled from collections to repaint to party store rats for the life-size trench mock-up, as well as a resin cast of fossilized dinosaur eggs.  Then, last Friday, I've been asked to spend the rest of the semester constructing a 28mm diorama of Camp Lawton, an American Civil War prison camp that was near our area.

Who knew my wargaming terrain experience would become my most valued skill set at work?

[Hammers]

Funny you should mention that.  I'm in the middle of the old mid-life career change, so I'm pursuing a Master's Degree in history with an emphasis on public history.  My graduate assistantship is at the university museum, as collections manager (which I love).  We recently did a WWI exhibit, and I got pulled to help with exhibit construction.  I offered to build a table and write rules for a simple little trench assault wargame, and once I found the magic words, "interactive diorama," the museum director let me do it.

So, since I built that 2' x 3' trench table for 1/72, I have since been pulled from collections to repaint to party store rats for the life-size trench mock-up, as well as a resin cast of fossilized dinosaur eggs.  Then, last Friday, I've been asked to spend the rest of the semester constructing a 28mm diorama of Camp Lawton, an American Civil War prison camp that was near our area.

Who knew my wargaming terrain experience would become my most valued skill set at work?

You lucky, lucky bastard.

I giggled a bit reading this: "I found the magic words, "interactive diorama," the museum director let me do it." Wargaming may never become anything but nerdy but try the term "gamification" next time and you'll be the museologist best pal. It is a concept very much in vogue.

[FifteensAway]

I have no problem saying the best of our models put professional model builders - not the ones here, of course - to shame.  There is a difference between a budget with a deadline and a work of passion.  And, of course, it is all a matter of illusion - leave out most but include enough to be convincing.  Our hobbies best are skilled and passionate craftsmen.

[Psychopomp]

...try the term "gamification" ... It is a concept very much in vogue.

Ugh.  Don't get me started.  The digital humanities professor hereabouts is big on gamification, but it's all 'game theory' and 'statistical representation' nonsense.  Meanwhile, one of the bog-standard history professors has been using the Pirates of the Burning Sea MMO in class projects and counter-and-map boardgames in group work.

But what kills me is when I start describing the research my wargaming group puts into our projects and I get interrupted with, "Wait...is this a video game?"