Managing Partner Museum Planning, LLC
Museums are changing from static, monolithic, and encyclopedic institutions to institutions that are visitor-centric, with shared authority that allows museum and visitors to become co-creators in content creation. Museum content is also changing, from static content to dynamic, evolving content that is multi-cultural and transparent regarding the evolution of facts and histories, allowing multi-person interpretations of events.
Passionate about museums and creating inclusive educational experiences
What I Do
- Museum Planning
- Exhibition Design
- Project Management
- User-centered Design
- Teach
- Service Design
- Exhibit Development
- Write
BIO
Mark Walhimer is the managing partner of Museum Planning, LLC and a part-time industrial design professor.
His company specializes in the planning, design, and management of interactive educational experiences. Walhimer started his firm in 1999 to assist start-up and expanding museums with museum master planning, exhibition design, and museum project management. His firm has completed more than 40 projects worldwide for an international clientele that includes science centers, art museums, history museums, libraries, and corporations.
Projects include Museo Interactivo de Economía (MIDE) in Mexico City, “Alcatraz: Life on the Rock,” traveling exhibition and Trans Studio Science Center in Bandung, Indonesia. Prior to starting his company, Walhimer held positions at Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, California, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and Liberty Science Center. Walhimer is the author of Museums 101, a how-to guide for creating and organizing all varieties of museums. Mark is also the author of Designing Musem Experiences, a “how-to” book on creating interactive educational experiences.
Walhimer has a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a master’s degree in industrial design and exhibition design from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.