Michael Peter Edson

Experience

• 

  Smithsonian Institution

  Jan 1997 - Jan 2003

  Head, Information Technology, Web and New Media, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
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  Smithsonian American Art Museum

  Aug 2004 - Jan 2008

  Chief, Information Technology and New Media

  Helped to create numerous award-winning projects and the Smithsonian's first blog, first podcast, and the first alternate reality game to take place in a museum.

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  Smithsonian Institution

  Feb 2008 - Dec 2015

  Director, Web and New Media Strategy

  Led the creation of the Smithsonian's award-winning web and new media strategy through an innovative participatory wiki-based process. Curator of Ignite Smithsonian and Smithsonian 2.0 conferences. Global leader, writer, and advocate for the open web.

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  Open Knowledge (formerly Open Knowledge Foundation)

  Jun 2013 - Jan 2017

  Open Culture Advisory Board
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  Council on Library and Information Resources

  Jun 2014 - now

  Presidential Distinguished Fellow emeritus
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  Museum for the United Nations - UN Live

  Dec 2015 - Dec 2019

  Co-founder / Associate Director / Head of Digital

  Developed the founding vision, mission, and strategy for the newly emerging Museum for the United Nations — UN Live from inception through first public engagement. Fundraising; partnerships; content strategy. Creative development "from the bottom-up" through Mellon-funded workshops on 5 continents.

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  MacArthur Foundation

  Oct 2016 - Dec 2018

  Juror, 100 & Change

  Juror for MacArthur Foundation's $100m "100 & Change" initiative

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  Getty Leadership Institute

  May 2017 - now

  Fellow
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  Salzburg Global Seminar

  Feb 2018 - now

  Salzburg Global Fellow
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  Freelance

  Jan 2020 - May 2023

  Consultant, specializing in startup cultural and civil-society initiatives and digital strategy

  Supporting visioning, strategy, and development for new museum and cultural startups in North America, Europe and the Nordics, and Asia — with particular emphasis on community engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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  Museum of Solutions

  Jun 2020 - May 2024

  The Museum of Solutions (MuSo) is a new, state-of-the-art museum in Mumbai, India dedicated to inspiring and empowering young people to solve the world’s most pressing problems, today. MuSo opened its purpose-built 10-story facility in the heart of Mumbai’s Upper Parel district in November 2023 following a 6-year development and co-creation process. In its first year of operation, MuSo was named to TIME Magazine’s 100 Greatest Places list and won the Hands On! Children In Museums Award bestowed by the European Museum Academy and the International Association of Children in Museums. The museum’s 100,000 square-foot building, built to LEED standards (certification pending), features a flexible 200-seat theater and commons; three 10,000 square-foot labs dedicated to play, empathy-building, and solution making; a 4,000 square foot temporary exhibition gallery and café; and the Library of Solutions (LiSo), a unique 1,500 volume library co-curated by young people. The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals are central to the museum’s work and mission. MuSo addresses topics such as climate change, poverty, and inequality from the perspective of youthful problem-solvers. The museum uses play, experiential learning, and design thinking to connect young people (and their families and communities) to the challenges of the SDGs and to inculcate a bold and curious, solutions-oriented mindset.MuSo is organized as a not-for-profit entity under the aegis of the JSW Foundation and operates with a mixture of entry fees, earned income, grants, and charitable donations. The museum has a robust free entry program for at-need schools, NGOs and community groups. Show less

  • Director and Chief Museum Officer

    May 2023 - May 2024

  • Advisor and Strategist

    Jun 2020 - May 2023
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  Europeana

  Mar 2021 - now

  Chair, Board Of Advisors