Tech Commons
In New York City’s oldest museum, a high-tech clubhouse is making history matter to teens.
The New York Historical Society wanted to create a space where local teens could gather and connect while discovering the relevance of history. Our team designed the Tech Commons @ New-York Historical, a collaborative multimedia maker space just for teens that gives them unprecedented access to the museum’s collections through state-of-the-art creative technology.
From 3D printer to 360-degree camera, the Media Lab is full of tools that inspire new ways of looking at and engaging with historical artifacts. Students are encouraged to research, prototype, document, and submit original projects—from podcasts to websites to animated films—that illuminate New York or American history using the museum’s materials.
Teens can share out finished work with their peers using an oversized Media Wall. Located in an open space that can be reconfigured for different uses, the Media Wall also enables lesson-based learning from scholars, educators, and curators, turning the Tech Commons into as much a space for dialogue as for making.
In engaging teens of all backgrounds in the study of our collective past, the Tech Commons is empowering our collective future.