Traveling Museum Exhibition on Money to Raise Financial Literacy IQ with Psychology and High-Tech Interactives
March 24, 2011 –There’s no shortage of personal finance information. More than 700 books on the subject were published in 2010 targeted to men, women, teens and children. Add specialty magazines, newspapers columns, radio and television shows, seminars, and programs by government, not for profits, banks and credit card companies, and we should all be able to channel our inner Suze Orman and David Bach. Yet, in a recent study led by Dr. Annamaria Lusardi, a preeminent authority on financial literacy at George Washington University, almost half the households in the survey reported that they could not come up with $2000 in 30 days to deal with a financial emergency. “The fact that even solidly middle class people, nearly a quarter of the households surveyed with incomes of 100-150,000, could not come up with that amount is quite profound,” says Gail Vida Hamburg, CEO and Founder of Rainworks Omnimedia LLC.
“My company is introducing to the financial literacy canon, an innovative medium of educating Americans about personal finance and financial literacy—an interactive, immersive, multimedia traveling museum exhibition,” said Hamburg. “Science, industry and natural history museums are where Americans go to for informal learning and to understand new and unfamiliar phenomena,” she said. A concept and content developer who has interpreted neuroscience, cardiology, aging, and vitality for museum exhibitions, Hamburg plans to present personal finance through multiple viewing lenses in Economia: Money Matters, set to begin touring the museum circuit in Fall 2011. “Visitors will learn about personal finance by journeying through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with financial self-actualization as the goal,” she said. “We will also weave deep metaphors that drive all human behavior into the design of the exhibition, including balance, control, and transformation,” she said.
In addition to collaborating with thought leaders in the field of financial literacy, Rainworks has chosen Snibbe Interactive of San Francisco as its design partner for interactive displays in the exhibit. “Snibbe’s interactive multimedia installations are key features in Economia that will deconstruct the complexities of personal finance,” said Hamburg. Scott Snibbe, a computer scientist, media artist, filmmaker and social interactivity researcher has created iconic, mesmerizing displays for Los Angeles International Airport, the Olympics in Shanghai, and for museums around the world. “For Economia, we are thrilled to infuse the sometimes scary topic of finance with highly engaging social interactivity that promotes healthy life-long habits for leveraging the power of compounding, spending, college planning, retirement, and even explain how our stock market works,” Snibbe said.
Economia: Money Matters, an 8000 sq ft immersive, interactive, multimedia exhibition that is projected to cost $4 million plans to begin touring the North American museum circuit in Fall 2011 after a California debut. “Our goal is for Economia to do for financial literacy what the King Tut exhibit has done for Egyptology,”said Hamburg. Financial literacy educators, government agencies, and corporate sponsors interested in alliances, partnerships, and sponsorships with Rainworks for Economia: Money Matters, please contact Liza Garfield at development@rainworksomnimedia.com
For other information, contact Kyra Hendricks at pressoffice@rainworksomnimedia.com Rainworks Omnimedia LLC produces immersive, engaging multimedia experiences on complex issues that affect and shape our lives, for science, industry, and natural history museums. www.rainworksomnimedia.com
Snibbe Interactive creates magical spaces where marketing, museums, and entertainment become interactive personalized social experiences. www.snibbeinteractive.com
