Some information about Meredith Turk, our 2nd Place winner and her idea, the Impossible Museum.
1. How long have you been working on the Impossible Museum? What are your inspirations?
I’ve mulling over this idea now for about a year. Several themes in my life were merging and this idea real struck a chord with how I wanted to contribute a greater conversation happening in St. Louis.
The Impossible Museum combines a few key but simple concepts and inspirations:
1. Once you see it, you can begin it. This is something that I practice daily. I find the ability to tackle problems, issues, tasks when I have them written down in front of me, or when I have a close friend to listen to me and work me through my thoughts. This is an important part of what I want the Impossible Museum to be, a physical place that archives ideas and allows us to interact with their possibilities.
2. Everyone is creative. I’ve been involved in a lot of conversations around St. Louis where we keeping asking, “How do we keep and attract creative types to St. Louis?” I think it is important to support “creative types,” and I also think there is something we lose when we only label people who seem artsy or unique a “creative type.” There is a whole other part of the community that contributes each day in meaningful and un-traditionally creative ways. I really want to tap into the creativity of each individual who is committed to St. Louis. I hope that the Impossible Museum can facilitate a creative process for everyone who wants to enter.
3. ‘Impossible’ is relative. The reason I came to St. Louis was through a fellowship called Coro where I was trained in the methodology of General Semantics. General Semantics focuses on the power and possibility of language, and how our perspectives give us access to different ways of thought. This sounds pretty abstract, but the concept is simple: what seems impossible to one person, could seem possible to another. And when you have people gathering and sharing in this way, perspectives can shift.
And in the end, what I really love to do is bring people together who normally do not meet –I feel that is one of my greatest strengths. This concept made me really excited about the potential to bring a city together in a way like never before.
2. What stage is your idea in now?
The company stage is still very conceptual. The Startup CUE was the first time I even pitched this idea. Again, now that I’ve talked about it, I can start creating even more. I made some great connections even in the last few days, and am so honored and energized to be on the receiving end of some people’s most creative ideas.
3. Where do you see things going in the next year?
The Impossible Museum is such an abstract idea that I need to just start talking about it and getting a feel for its relevance here, because without relevance, this idea is nothing. I will work on a business plan and work to establish some solid mentors. Already I am overwhelmed with people who are willing to pour their personal time into my development. In a year, I hope to feel that there is a real future for this project.
Any thing you’d like to say to your fans out there?
They can email me at impossiblemuseum\ at \gmail.com. I would like to brainstorm with and interview people. And I love pie, ice cream and falafel so I’m happy to eat those things too while brainstorming!
