Today our class visited the new building for the International Spy Museum, which hasn’t officially opened yet. The museum is set to open in early May, and they are working hard to wrap up the construction for their exhibitions. It was neat to take a behind-the-scenes look at another museum as it opens up. I had that experience at my own museum, so it was nice to be able to compare notes and see how a larger institution is working to open their doors.

The International Spy Museum was the perfect conclusion to our seminar because they are implementing all the material that we have been covering over our two weeks here in D.C. They told us about how they developed story content, how to tell a good story, and what goes in to making the story come to life.

Then we got to take a sneak peek at the galleries while they are still under construction. The museum is diversifying and expanding the stories they tell, to fit a broader narrative. They are also implementing RFID technology for a really awesome visitor interactive experience. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos, but I can’t wait to visit this museum again once its doors are open!