The Jim Blackaby Ingenuity Award will be introduced in New Orleans at the 2004 MUSE awards ceremony. Jim Blackaby, a board member of the media and technology committee,
passed away last summer. Jim influenced many in the museum world with his innovative work in information services and Internet strategies. Conceived in his memory, this award
recognizes a project that exemplifies the power of creative imagination in the use of media and technology — a project that has a powerful effect on its audience, and one
that stands above the others in inventiveness and quality. The winner will be selected from submissions to the MUSE awards of all categories and does not necessarily have to be
a winner within the category to which it was submitted.
Video
The judges said:
A skillful repurposing of architecture, a large freight elevator, historical equipment, and a variety of multi-media audio and visual elements to tell the story of
the importance of the flour mills in Minneapolis.
A tip from the producers:
We were very fortunate to have experienced staff working on the project, and many of us have been creating multimedia object theaters — our term for immersive
media-driven exhibits — at MHS for over a decade. But this was our first ride! The complexity of this show challenged our team, but may have overwhelmed a less
seasoned group. Our prototyping warehouse was very valuable to developing this show; we built mock-ups of all the immersive environments. We tested elevator cab
seating for 40 visitors and demonstrated working factory equipment at each of the eight floors on the ride. Everything was prototyped — in cardboard and foam
core in full scale, if needed — helping us refine our show's story and test the technology. At the same time, the new Mill City Museum and its elevator shafts were
built within the flourmill's ruin.
MHS staff on the team included Multimedia Producers, Lighting Designer, Exhibit Designers, Technicians, Researchers and Senior Historian, Head of Exhibits, and
Production Manager. Consultants assisted with architecture, show control, moving machinery, surround sound and music, high-definition video, and the elevator. We are
thankful to the women and men — former workers at Minneapolis flourmills — who agreed to be interviewed for our show.
Immersive projects always take a tremendous amount of teamwork — the Flour Tower is the finest example I have witnessed.
