Latin@s around the world: spicing up SciComm’s practice
In this session, speakers will share their experiences related to STEM engagement. Drawn from professional experience, these projects invite museums and institutions to think and work differently.
This panel will present 5 distinct institutions and projects: Sietecolores, from Mexico, will share their experience around the development of an interactive zone in Saudi Arabia; Parque Explora will share the redesign of the Miraflores Visitor Center in Panama; the American Museum of Natural History will talk about their experience building relationships with non-traditional museum partners in LATAM through their traveling exhibitions; TRACES will talk about the difficulties and joys of preparing a multinational book (and struggling with cultural differences); and Brazilian Institute of Public Communication of Science and Technology will share the results of their research on science centre’s visitors from different countries and cultural approaches.
This session is part of the Inclusion and Equity conference track.
Outcomes: what will participants get from this session? Skills, knowledge, experience etc.
How to create spaces and exhibitions that prioritise a respectful approach and audience-identified cultural needs.
The cultural opportunities and challenges presenters encountered in their projects and strategies for incorporating similar techniques at their institutions or projects.
How these diverse approaches might be applied at different institutions in ways that share power with audiences and lead to more equitable relationships.
Session speakers
Senior Exhibition Coordinator
Sietecolores' contribution will be the cross-cultural development of their experience developing an interactive zone inside Ithra (the Saudi Aramco cultural initiative located in Dharan, Saudi Arabia. As with any project – but especially with this one, between West and East – we were faced with the great challenge and responsibility of designing with a suitable, respectful, and ethical approach, mapping experiences that would not fall into stereotypes or clichés, and creating quality exhibits that would live up to the standards and culture of the community.
Senior Manager, Sales & Strategic Development
Our contribution will be sharing how AMNH has built solid and diverse partnerships in Latin American countries and how these relationships have allowed the museum to develop a deeper understanding of the unique realities and particular needs faced by partners in this region as they seek to effectively reach their local audiences.
Director of contents and science engagement
In 2022 we reimagined the Miraflores Visitor Center in Panama. We wanted people to understand that the Canal is more than a blue line that connects both oceans, and we crafted stories that go deeper into the cultural and ecological connections. We proposed exhibitions such as Rhythms (What does the operation and culture sound like?), Places (Panama is a strategic place for migration and species) and Secrets (Did you know that some astronauts were trained with an Embera in the jungle?).
Resarcher and science communicator
National Institute of Public Communication of Science and Technology
Massarani will talk about the research perspective on visitors to science museums. Specifically, she will focus on how the Brazilian Institute of Public Communication of Science and Technology has been networking with different organisations from different countries to understand the experience of visitors in science museums.
Aguirre Rios will share an experience of publishing two books with collaborators from very different cultural backgrounds, the struggles, the difficulties, but also the hilarious surprises that arise from cultural differences and inaccuracies in the language (that is often the same!).
