Museum Consultant

Alice Parman fell in love with museums in 1972 and has worked in and around them ever since. She brings both experience and creativity to your interpretive planning project. A skilled facilitator, Alice elicits good ideas from all participants, then adds her own perspective. She works collaboratively with your team to develop an interpretive approach that’s a perfect match for your institution and your community.

Teaming with Alan Ransenberg of The Alchemy of Design, Alice is working with the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, California on their innovative project, Tending the Wild Garden.

Western Museums Association Panelist

Alice served on the Program Committee that planned this year's annual conference of the Western Museums Association. WMA gathered in Palm Springs, California, October 21-24. Alice was a panelist for two sessions: Post-Mortem: Let’s Make Our Next Exhibition Project More Successful, and Fundraising 101.

Organizational Coach

Alice honed her managerial and problem-solving skills as department head at a large museum and director of two smaller nonprofits. As a coach she’s always in your corner, helping you cope, plan, and succeed. Careful analysis and collaborative exploration inform her specific, practical recommendations. Through training, encouragement, and guidance, Alice helps build individual capabilities and organizational strengths.

Focus On:

Exhibit Makeovers: A Do-It-Yourself Workbook for Small Museums
By Alice Parman and Jeffrey Jane Flowers (AltaMira Press, 2008).

Read the review in Museum, July/August 2008

Don't let the hand-drawn illustrations fool you. Exhibit Makeovers is an indispensable book for anyone working in exhibitions or curation. EM focuses on three main elements of any successful exhibition program, the 3 M's: Mission, Message and Money. The fact that these principles are addressed on page 2 clearly demonstrates that Parman and Flowers have the right framework in mind from the start. Equally important, from my viewpoint as a curator with over ten years of experience, Exhibit Makeovers is a great tool for those who have been in the field for a while. The worksheets and exercises are valuable reminders of the questions we all need to be asking, but frequently rush through. Those starting out will pick up some great habits for exceptional exhibitions.

Adam Mikos, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections
Washington County Museum, Portland, Oregon

Weber Co. DUP plan.pdf

Karen Stark created this 5-step plan to introduce board members, staff, docents, and volunteers to the Exhibit Makeovers process. Karen is Curator at the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum in Ogden, Utah. (Shared by permission of Karen Stark.) Click here for more information about the Weber County DUP.

Download printable Exhibit Makeovers worksheets (pdf)

Learn more
and order your copy of Exhibit Makeovers

Preview upcoming EXHIBIT MAKEOVERS workshops


Alice recommends:

The Participatory Museum, by Nina Simon (Museum 2.0, 2010). Nina encourages us to ask how visitors can improve the exhibits. Her groundbreaking approach is as practical and level-headed as it is creative and provocative. It's a joy to read such a well-written, carefully-edited book. Click here to learn more.

Stephanie Weaver's excellent book, Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, parks, Zoos, Gardens, & Libraries, offers structured steps for making your museum more welcoming and rewarding for all, in a DIY format. Click here to learn more, and while you're at it, take a look at Stephanie's richly informative website.


Serving Native Communities

Alice Parman is honored to be a core team member of Tribal Museum Planners & Consultants, newly launched by principal Lisa J. Watt (Seneca).

Link to Tribal Museum Planners & Consultants web site.


© Alice Parman, Ph.D., 2004-2009. All rights reserved.