2019
Labs, Salons, and Experiments for Creative Museum Change. Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, New Orleans.
Connecting the Dots: A Game Show for Museum Professionals. Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, New Orleans.
2018
Making Exhibitions That Matter.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Phoenix.
Reinventing the Wheel: A Game Show for Museum Professionals.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Phoenix.
2017
In Defense of Visitor Participation and Co-Creation.
Presented at Reimagining the Museum Conference, Medellin.
Six Principles for Creating Museum Exhibitions.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, St. Louis.
Struggling Toward Visitor Centeredness.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, St. Louis.
2016
Our Exhibition Development Processes Must Change!
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., and Mexico City.
We Are in This Together: On Memory, Experimentation, and Creative Participation.
Presented at the 20th Annual Ernesto Restrepo Tirado History Seminar, “Memory + History or Memory vs. History: The Political and Poetic Dimensions of 21st Century Museums,” Bogota.
2014
Tough Times, New Ideas: Experiments in Organizational Change.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Seattle.
Hack the Museum.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Seattle.
Learning with Our Visitors.
Seminar on Museum Studies in Latin America, Mexico City.
The Essence of Museums.
Presented at California Association of Museums Annual Conference, Napa.
2015
Museum Incubators: Growing Social Justice in Museum Spaces.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Atlanta.
International Course of Visitor Studies.
Faculty, ENCRym, Mexico City.
Too Open? Perks and Pitfalls of the Participatory Experience.
Presented at Jewish Museums + Collaborative Culture, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco.
2013
On the Edge: A Museum Talk Show About Risk and Reward.
Presented at American Alliance of Museum Annual Meeting, Baltimore.
The Future of In-House Design in an Outsourcing World.
Presented at American Alliance of Museum Annual Meeting, Baltimore.
Discursive Space: Breaking Barriers to Effective Spatial Communication in Museums.
Keynote Address, Art Gallery of Ontario and Ryerson University.
No Idea is Too Ridiculous An Experiment in Creative Practice.
Presented at Grantmakers in the Arts Conference, Philadelphia.
2012
The Museum as Prototype.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, St. Paul.
Dangerous/Ridiculous: Risky Ideas Catalyze Change.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, St. Paul.
2011
Generational Change Underway: Impacts on Both Audience and Museum Leadership.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Houston.
Questioning Assumptions: Alternative Futures for Museums.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Houston.
2009
Design for Participation.
Presented at American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting, Philadelphia.
Kathleen McLean Talks about Science Center Exhibitions.
Presented at Klever Museum Design Workshop, Stockholm.
2008
A Conversation with Kathleen McLean.
Presented at the Smithsonian Institution.
The Museum Exhibition Development Process
Presented at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Reviving the Exhibition Critique Session at AAM.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Philadelphia.
You Can't Do That in Museums!
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Philadelphia.
Meeting at the Crossroads: The Intersection of People and Science Exhibits.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Philadelphia.
Reviving the Exhibition Critique Session at AAM.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Philadelphia.
You Can't Do That in Museums!
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Philadelphia.
2007
Exhibitions that Changed My Life, II.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Chicago.
Visitor Visions, Shared Realities.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Los Angeles.
Silverbacks and Youngbloods Debate the Future of Exhibitions.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Philadelphia.
An Informal Conversation about Informal Science Learning.
Presented at Visitors Studies Conference, Ottawa.
2006
Metaphorically Speaking: A Conversation about Metaphor, Imagination and Museums.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Philadelphia.
Many Voices: Strategies for Multivocal Exhibitions.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Richmond.
Passing the Torch.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Louisville.
The Future of Museums.
Presented at the Oakland Museum of California Docent Council.
2005
The Status of Research on Learning Science within Informal Educational Settings: What Practitioners Want to Know.
Presented at The National Academies, Washington, D. C.
The Museum Exhibition Design Process.
Presented at the Second Annual Symposium and Charette, New Directions in Exhibition Design at Cranbrook Academy, Michigan.
An Armchair Tour of Interesting Exhibitions.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Indianapolis.
Gutless No More: What Exhibits Should Science Centers Be Doing?
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Richmond.
Cutting the Brake Lines: Discussion and Methods of Overcoming Self-Censorship.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Richmond.
Conversations with the Science Center Field, Part Deux: Exploring Partnerships.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Richmond.
2004
Gardens of Earthly Science: Botanic Gardens as Earth Labs.
Presented at Pacific Regional American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta, Los Angeles.
The Science of Marketing and the Marketing of Science.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, San Jose, California.
Navigating Real and Conceptual Spaces.
Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, San Jose, California.
Beyond Best Practices.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, San Jose, California.
Innovations Insights with Bill Moggridge.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, San Jose, California.
Art Museums: An Adventure for Children.
Presented at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
2003
In the Cave, Around the Campfire, and At The Well.
Presented at International Council of Museums, CECA. Oaxaca, Mexico.
Confronting Demographic Denial: Retaining Relevancy in the New Millennium.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Portland.
The Finding Significance Project: Testing Methods for Encouraging Personal Meaning-Making.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Portland.
The Role of Contextual Design in Informal Learning Environments.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, St. Paul.
Discovering Soundscapes.
Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, St. Paul.
Developing a Vision for the Visitor Experience.
Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, St. Paul.
Integrating Marketing and Product Development.
Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, St. Paul.
2002
The Role of Contextual Design in Informal Learning Environments.
Full day workshop presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Charlotte.
Studying Visitor Meaning-Making at Exhibits.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Charlotte.
Working with Artists in Science Museums.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Charlotte.
Winning NSF Support.
ASTC Professional Development Workshop, Washington, D.C.
2001
The Implications of Visitor Meaning-Making for Practice in Exhibition Development.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, St. Louis.
Inside Out: The Makings of Outdoor Learning Environments.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, St. Louis.
Making Sense of Meaning Making
Presented at The American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, St. Louis.
Finding Inspiration in the Arts.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers, Phoenix.
The Very Best Project Ideas.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers, Phoenix.
Museum Trends I: Education and Entertainment = ?
Presented at Museum Educators of Southern California, Los Angeles.
2000
Wondering About Wonder.
Presented at Conference on Return to Wonder: Rethinking Museum Display in an Age of Didacticism. University of California, Santa Barbara.
Does Exhibition Design Really Matter to Visitors?
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers, Cleveland.
1999
The Museum as Public Place.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Cleveland.
Help! My Paradigm Shifted and I Fell Into the Crevasse.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Tampa.
Come One, Come All: The Quest for the Compelling Experience.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Tampa.
1992 – 1999
Critiquing Museum Exhibitions.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meetings.
1998
Measuring Impacts: Stakeholders Crossfire.
Testimony at the Field Hearings of the National Science Board, Enriching Lives through Informal Education, Los Angeles.
1996
The Dilemma of Constructivism: Do We Focus on the Learner at the Expense of What We Want to Teach?"
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Pittsburgh.
Formative Evaluation as an Iterative Process.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Annual Conference, Pittsburgh.
1995
Lost Between Picasso and the Classroom.
Keynote Address, Visitor Studies Association Conference, St. Paul.
Laughing Matters.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Conference, San Diego.
Bombs Away: The Cost of Controversy in Museum Exhibits.
Presented at Association of Science-Technology Centers Conference, San Diego.
1994
Exhibit Flops and Failures.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Seattle.
1993
Using Interactivity to Improve Exhibit Interpretation.
Presented at Hawaii Museums Association Conference, Honolulu.
1992
Small Natural History Museum Takes on Goliath, Or, So You Want to do Controversial Exhibits?
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Baltimore.
1991
Improving the Visitor Experience.
Keynote Address at the Museums Alaska Annual Meeting, Haines.
INSIGHTS: A Retreat for Senior Museum Exhibition Professionals.
Co-coordinator, National Association for Museum Exhibitions (NAME), Boulder.
1990
Exhibit Planner: New Kid on the Block.
Presented at American Association of Museum Annual Meeting, Chicago.
Critiquing Museum Exhibitions: Who Determines What's Good?
Presented at American Association of Museum Annual Meeting, Chicago.
1989
Exhibition Development Institute.
Faculty for a five-day intensive program sponsored by the Regional Council of Historical Agencies, Troy, New York.
Exhibition Design.
National Exhibits Workshop, National Association of Museum Exhibition (NAME), Concord, New Hampshire.
1988
Museum Exhibitions: Managing for a Successful Exhibitions Program.
Faculty for Museum Director's Institute. Regional Council of Historical Agencies, Oneonta, New York.
Dr. Dimension and the Rulers of the Universe: The Anatomy of an Interactive Exhibition.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh.
Exhibition Design.
Faculty for a three-day seminar sponsored by JFK University and the Western Museums Conference, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
1987
Interactive? So What?
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, San Francisco.
The Children's Museum: A Laboratory for the Profession.
Presented at American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, San Francisco.
Collecting and the Children's Museum.
Presented at American Association of Youth Museums Conference, San Francisco.