Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield, IL
ILE worked with Dan Martin of Market Feasibility Advisors to research the current and potential audiences to the zoo. We also examined the impacts of locations, diverse programming, and community connections of several similar organizations. This led to the development of the current strategic plan.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science
Raleigh, NC
ILE worked with museum staff to assess the current array of exhibits and visitor experiences. We then developed an economic projection for the impact of the spectacular “Dueling Dinosaurs” fossil specimen on the museum’s programs and visitorship.
Escalante Museum & Science Center
Escalante, UT
ILE, contracted to Garfield County, conducted a comprehensive feasibility study for the development of a new interactive museum and science center. This is in a place that has a solid tourism market and is adjacent to the geologically and paleontologically remarkable Kaparowits Plateau.
Ann Arbor Hands On Museum
Ann Arbor, MI
ILE has conducted several projects here as this very successful children’s museum has developed significant community relationships and sought to expand it influence more broadly in southeastern Michigan. It now is outgrowing its building and looking to expand, either onsite or nearby.
ILR Special Issue 2020 #2
The pieces that follow were written in May 2020 while most museums were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As we were putting them together, the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis sparked unprecedented civil unrest in the United States, with echoes around the world.
We recognize that this, our second special issue of the ILR, may not be as timely or relevant as it might have seemed two weeks ago. We offer it in the hopes that it will still be of use, and with gratitude to the authors.
ILR Special Issue 2020
We offer this special issue of the ILR in the hopes that the pieces in it – all written in the midst of the first weeks of the Covid-19 crisis, will help us come together as a field, keep learning from one another, and build collaborations, especially across field specializations and professional networks.
About us
Informal learning environments -- including but not limited to museums, zoos, nature centers, cultural centers, and numerous out-of-school paces -- give people of all ages the opportunity to be engaged and inspired as they learn about a topic particularly through their varied interactions with objects and people. Informal Learning Experiences, Inc. supports museums, government and cultural organizations, associations and societies, universities, foundations, and commercial exhibitions in the development of programs and exhibits as well as effective management strategies that create opportunities for people to connect to their own lives in meaningful ways.
What we do
In addition to its broad and effective consulting services, ILE provides a comprehensive list of available traveling exhibitions in its Traveling Exhibitions Database (TED). We share ideas about the informal learning world through articles in the bi-monthly Informal Learning Review (ILR). Each year, we host the Traveling Exhibitions Forum, where we bring together traveling exhibition producers and leaders from potential venues at professional conferences like ASTC and AMM. ILE is a regular participant in and contributor to regional, national, and international meetings and conferences.
Informal Learning Review »Our team
Robert "Mac" West
Mac West has been involved with informal education in a variety of museums and other attractions for more than thirty years. In addition to his extensive teaching experience in the Biology Department of Adelphi University (NY), and the Department of Geo...
Colby Dorssey
Colby Dorssey joined ILE in December 2017. She graduated from Baylor University in 2016 with her M.A. in Museum Studies. She completed internships in the Library, Archive, and Museum Services department of the Royal College of Physicians in London, England and at the Mayborn Museum Complex in Waco, Texas. Prior to moving to Denver, Colby worked for the visitor services department of the Mayborn Museum Complex.
Emilie Porter
Emilie joined ILE in September 2012. She has 7+ years experience in bookkeeping, payroll, and human resources. Emilie has worked in these fields for many different industries, both large and small businesses. Some examples are the International...
Services
Informal learning environments -- including but not limited to museums, zoos, nature centers, cultural centers, and numerous out-of-school paces -- give people of all ages the opportunity to be engaged and inspired as they learn about a topic particularly through their varied interactions with objects and people. Informal Learning Experiences, Inc. supports museums, government and cultural organizations, associations and societies, universities, foundations, and commercial exhibitions in the development of programs and exhibits as well as effective management strategies that create opportunities for people to connect to their own lives in meaningful ways.
