THE MOVE
THINK INSIDE THE BOX
Little museums , big impact .
BY ERIKA JOHNSON ’ 11
AMANDA SCHOCHET ’ 11 , MS ’ 14 , has big dreams for very small museums . Imagine you ’ re at the airport and your flight has been delayed for hours . Between staring at your phone or the news ticker on television , you see a crowd gathering around a tall box . There , you discover that mollusks have lived on our planet for some 650 million years , and perhaps you start up a conversation with a stranger about how octopuses can remember human faces .
“ When the whole museum is just two feet wide , the only option is to crowd together ,” says Schochet , co-founder of MICRO , the nonprofit organization that ’ s shrinking the museum experience and bringing it to the masses . “ Learning becomes social . Someone will start laughing , and another person will come over to find out what is so funny . Children will begin to ask each other questions . That ’ s my favorite part — activating these civic spaces where most people usually don ’ t interact .” Based in New York City , the MICRO team launched its first museum in November 2017 . “ The Smallest Mollusk Museum ” is contained within an asymmetrical box about the size of a vending machine . Inside are 15 natural history exhibits , including eight sculptures , five videos , three optical illusions and one animated hologram . Each “ chapter ” is creatively designed to lure in even the most hurried passerby with eye-catching multimedia , 3-D printed models and infographics .
“ At UC San Diego , I studied insects ,” says Schochet , a biology major from Sixth College . “ I had a hard time convincing people that invertebrates are worth paying attention to . Now all of a sudden I see these very cosmopolitan people caring
“ When the whole museum is just two feet wide , the only option is to crowd together . Learning becomes social .”
— AMANDA SCHOCHET ’ 11 , MS ’ 14
about slimy , tentacled , spineless creatures , which is really exciting .”
MICRO museums are made to bring a quality educational experience to highly trafficked areas where people are prone to waiting — from train stations to hospitals and libraries . Venues can purchase museum installations that range from one month to a year , and with the support of philanthropic organizations , MICRO is able to partner with community institutions that may not have such a budget . Additionally , while traditional museums are often clustered in wealthier neighborhoods — Manhattan has more than 85 , compared to eight in the Bronx — MICRO museums democratize the museum experience , so that the awe and wonder is available without admission . “ Our museums are free to the public because we believe that access to high-quality science is empowering ,” says Schochet . “ With a new museum series joining the fleet every year , this is science for everyone ; museums that can go everywhere .”
MICRO wants to bring its museums to the West Coast ! Experience them in action at tritonmag . com / micro
42 TRITON | FALL 2018