1956: Alma Wittlin's Visionary Mobile Museum and Its Impact on Educational Outreach

This feature explores Alma Wittlin's pioneering concept of a mobile museum in 1956, called 'Science Comes To You, Inc.' in New Mexico. It highlights her vision of bringing cultural institutions directly to communities through traveling exhibitions designed for various public spaces.

In 1956, Alma Wittlin, a pioneer in educational outreach, developed a radical vision for museums: to come to the people. She founded 'Science Comes To You, Inc.' in New Mexico, a science museum designed as a traveling exhibition. This initiative aimed to disseminate knowledge during a decade marked by faith in progress and the Cold War scientific race, particularly in a state central to US nuclear research. The museum's program was specifically conceived as traveling exhibitions for community centers, schools, hospitals, town halls, and adult education facilities. These exhibitions utilized the latest technology of the time, incorporating not only display panels and books but also audio stations, engaging senses beyond sight, which museums had largely overlooked. Wittlin, who had studied art history in Vienna and faced academic obstacles due to her gender and Jewish heritage, later emigrated to Great Britain. Her work in Cambridge at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology further explored innovative exhibition design. Wittlin stands out in museum history for her ability to synthesize diverse research fields and perspectives, connecting museology with contemporary pedagogy, viewing the museum as a vital site for knowledge dissemination requiring self-criticism to fulfill its societal function.