Cool Cleveland People

Linda Abraham-Silver

As the new president and executive director of the Great Lakes Science Center, Linda Abraham-Silver is planning the opening of Body Worlds II, an exhibition of real human bodies preserved by a unique method called plastination, opening Sat 4/9. Online tickets go on sale here starting 4/1. The show has been controversial, though ultimately successful, when it was exhibited in Los Angeles. Abraham-Silver shares with Cool Cleveland contributor David Tarditi how she landed in Cleveland from California, the Science Center's strategies and new programs, and why she is rooted to our region.

Cool Cleveland: Rumors are circulating about the greatest coup to hit The Great Lakes Science Center, but why should Cleveland be excited about it?

Linda Abraham Silver: You are talking about Body Worlds II, the newest exhibition we are bringing. We're excited about it for a number of reasons: the exhibition itself is world famous; over 16 million people throughout Europe and Asia have seen it and it has just arrived in North America. We should be thrilled because it's coming to Cleveland as one of the top three cities selected. Los Angeles has seen the show, Chicago has only recently opened the show, and we're going to be running concurrently with Chicago. As far as I'm concerned, Cleveland is the top tier city.

In L.A., the original Body Worlds closed with a 24/7 explosion: traffic jams, five hour long lines; how are we going to create that type of excitement and atmosphere 24/7 in Cleveland?
I think the exhibition does that for itself; it is an absolutely phenomenal exhibition unlike any that has been seen before. I think the content lends to that, and we will be creating, we hope, a buzz about this exhibition not just city-wide, but region wide. We're really thrilled about the partnership we have with an advertising firm that has come up with some fabulous creatives that will inspire people to want to see this show. Interesting print, billboard and radio advertising will be going out.

How are you going to open the exhibit on April 9th?
The show opens to the public on April 9th and we're actually going to be kicking it off the night before. We're having a cocktail opening reception for the exhibition, and Gunther von Hagens, who is the creator of Plastination, will be here on April 8th for that party. We hope it brings many people from the Cleveland region in for a sneak peek of the exhibition, and they can enjoy some heavy hors d'ouevres and great cocktails with us.

The public is invited to the April 8th opening?
It's a paid-for event, but anybody who purchases a ticket is happily welcomed.

How will you give the cadavers a proper Cleveland farewell on September 18th?
You know, that's a really good question and I have not thought about it. I think what we'll do is take a look at how the show does and what areas seem to be peaking interest the most. We'll come up with something.

This exhibition is pushing the envelope much farther than the Science Center has ever done before. Our audience and members are looking at us to be focused on fabulous exhibitions we can bring into the Science Center. Also, what we can do with programming following this exhibition to bring the Science Center into the community? This exhibition is giving us a phenomenal opportunity to work with other cultural institutions throughout the city in a way we never have before. Our responsibility is to find ways to sustain those partnerships, whether it is with the Natural History Museum, the Art Museum, The Institute for Art, the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospital or Metro Health. We need to think about ways of sustaining so we can have stronger programs going forward.

What about your background; it says you have what it takes to be the turnaround artist of the Great Lakes Science Center?
You know, I think that is a difficult question to answer.

Tell us about your background and how it all came to be.
It boils down to my enthusiasm; I love what I do. I have always worked in an industry I love, which is informal science education. I come to the Science Center with the administrative background they certainly look for, and somebody who can manage something like this. I also have the academic background in science education; it helps because it’s what I'm most passionate about, and should be the core of the institution. It's just all about public understanding and science.

Which leads me to my next question. I read that you could get people excited about dirt...
I read that quote, too and that's mean.

When I read it, I took it as a compliment to you. So, I'm quoting it back in a positive aspect. I read, “You can get people excited about dirt.” Where does this passion and energy for science come from?
I was never passionate about science as a child, and it was never my best subject; it was not something I pursued. In fact, I avoided science classes as far as I could through high school. In college I stayed on the north side of campus - at UCLA the north side of campus has all liberal arts stuff. I never went to south campus if I could avoid it. I had always spent time in museums and my very first career was taking the science of archaeology into schools as a way of hooking kids early on to have an interest in science. It was that experience - seeing how it translated in the classroom of Los Angeles Unified - with 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes, to engage kids and teach them something valuable just stuck with me. I have been committed to it. It's interesting.

Yes, I was a vice-president for education and guest relations. I was there for 13 years. The Natural History Museum is actually comprised of three separate museums: The natural History Museum of L.A. County, Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, and the William S. Hart Ranch Museum. In terms of collection size, it is second to the Smithsonian in the United States.

What were some of the things you did that helped you become known within the not-for-profit world to bring yourself to this level? You’re at an incredible level at an early age.
Thank you. I think enthusiasm is always something people notice, and having an interest in working with colleagues around the country. I also took the opportunity whenever I could to participate in research programs whether they were research programs we collaborated on, or projects I assisted with a team. I was aggressive when opportunities were out there, to insure I was visible.

How do you explain to the nay sayers about your move from L.A. to Cleveland?
The only people who question my move from L.A. to Cleveland are people from Cleveland. No one in L.A. said to me, "Why would you move to Cleveland?" They all agreed that it was a fabulous opportunity.

Why is Cleveland cool from a Los Angeles ex-pat perspective? What do we have that L.A. never will?
A sense of community. A scale of life that allows you to enjoy life at a much higher level, with phenomenal cultural resources, as many big cities have. The cultural resources here are so much more accessible to people, and I do know that living in Cleveland will enable my children to grow up to be better people.

Recall back to the first few times you toured The Great Lakes Science Center and the thought of running the show was becoming a reality. What made you think this place had just begun instead of having peaked out?
It was by comparison. Science centers that I think have peaked out are ones that have issues, issues of building or location, expensive issues. And the issues I saw coming into The Great Lakes Science Center are incredibly fixable. They were all issues of programs. And that's exciting because you can fix programs quickly and easily and without raising a lot of money.

What do you want to accomplish short term and long term?
I want to build attendance to a level that is sustainable and make sure that we are fiscally well managed. Long term, I want to revolutionize science education in this region. We have the opportunity to be absolute leaders in terms of helping classroom teachers but also and maybe even more importantly, helping parents support their children in science.

The Great Lakes Science Center seems to be a great experience for kids with parents in tow. What is the audience of the Great Lakes Science Center today and what would you like it to be?
It is definitely families with elementary to middle school aged children. I would like it to be everyone certainly. With Body Worlds we will end up having our families, but we will also have a large number of the 19-30 year olds who are not here regularly. We will have many empty-nesters as well just because of the content the show provides. Long term, families will always be our core audience. I'd like to see those families and the experiences extended. I'd like to see families coming earlier in their children's tenure, and we need to be supportive with more robust programs in our Polymer Fun House for younger kids. We also need to extend it on the other side as well. I'd like to see many more multi-generational groups here: grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins because people need social environments, and we're perfectly situated to provide it.

You touched on this earlier so this may be somewhat redundant. Do you have something truly compelling to offer to the young professional and adults?
As we move forward with our special exhibition schedule we will. We are in the middle of a strategic planning process that should be completed by July 2005. I fully expect we will have action items within the plan to appeal to young adults and adults alike. Hopefully, I'm not too far out of that age range to understand what is appealing to people my age and ten years younger to lure them here. Some of it might rely on the Omnimax Theater and film, and probably more of it will depend on programs and the way we connect to communities.

Week after week, we read about record attendance on mindless films coming out of Hollywood. The Omnimax films are educational, inspirational, and the best kept secret. What can you do to rotate the films while keeping the seats warm?
Yes, that's tough. One of our biggest challenges with the Omnimax film industry right now is there aren't as many films being made. We would love if an Everest came out every year. A compelling story coupled with a well-made film. One of the big challenges is funding for those films and the film format has grown weaker. You are seeing less National Science Foundation money going into those projects. We need to think very much about our strategy, and we haven't made a decision yet. One strategy we could be looking at is: do we want to bring feature film into the Omnimax? Certainly science centers elsewhere have done it. They have shown Harry Potter, Polar Express, and all kinds of films. It definitely keeps seats warm but then you question how does it connect to the mission. I'm not ready to answer the question yet, but I hope I can within the next year.

Is there a plan to put the Great Lakes Science Center on the local Cool Clevelanders map as a destination location?
Of course! Why wouldn't it be? Absolutely.

Have you talked about reviving the evening adult attractions at GLSC, and did we ever have any?
Yes, absolutely. With Body Worlds, we are going to have extended hours from the very beginning and then running through the show. We are going to have evening hours seven days a week with even later hours Wednesday through Saturday. If that proves to be successful, we'll see what we can do pulling it forward beyond this exhibit.

Are you jealous people know Cleveland for the Rock Hall but not its next-door neighbor?
Yes, definitely. The Rock Hall is one of a kind. There are many science centers in North America, and I'm just happy we have the attached, covered parking garage where many of those people can park.

Many times Clevelanders' justification for not exploring new ideas and attractions is because they don't know where to park, or worse have to pay for it. Please tell about the parking options, how much they will have to budget, and if you offer financing options for the parking.
You can easily reach us via the rapid Waterfront line; we have a stop right in front of the Rock Hall and Science Center. People have no problem taking them to the Browns games so they shouldn't have any problem taking them down to the Science Center or Rock Hall. Second, we have our attached garage which is on the west side so you actually drive west past the Science Center, take a right and you can park in covered, attached parking. With validation it's $5.75 to park, although the typical is $8. With Body Worlds, we are exploring the ideas during peak times of having valet parking in front so people who don't want to deal with parking garages might have another option. In any other city in the world, $5.75 is inexpensive for parking.

If GLSC won the mega lottery, how would they invest the winnings and what would our impression of the Science Center be after the investment?
I don't know I can answer that yet. There are a number of ways we could go. I would say first and foremost, we would invest in infrastructure. Even though we are a new building, we are lacking a technology infrastructure. There are very cool things we could be doing with technology; I would love to be able to add a much better presence on the web. More importantly, I would like to be looking at ways technology can help us understand our visitors better and help visitors have a better understanding of what they do at the Science Center. In my dreams, everyone who walked into the Science Center would have a little hand held. It would calculate for us where they spend their time. It would help us determine what exhibits are more popular. Ideally it would give information back to visitors as they're leaving. Information like: your kids spent 80% of their time dealing with science phenomenon. Here are 10 things you should be doing at home for each of your kids, at different ages, to insure you are encouraging their interest in science. We would be connecting with them at home, over the web, onsite when they are here with the ability to really make tangible connections to their personal lives.

Years ago, North Coast Harbor was created with a lot of money and even more promises. And this might be an unfair question because of your limited time in Cleveland. To date, it has not delivered on most of its promises. When is it going to change?
Having only been in town six months, I'm not sure I know the answer to the question and I'm not sure what the other promises were. We would love to work with the Rock Hall on destination food service; I think it would improve the visitor experience so much more. I think it would draw people down here. We're thrilled and we're keeping our fingers crossed that the Steamship William G. Mather Maritime Museum will move to the inner harbor area and allow us to provide school groups and families the value to do a couple of things on the same day. I'm not sure what the other promises were for North Coast Harbor, but I've seen the Lakeshore plan which is a 50-year plan. I personally would also like to see more pedestrian traffic on a regular basis.

Yes, absolutely. We received a wonderful, generous grant from The Cleveland Foundation to construct a wind turbine at the Great Lakes Science Center. We are certainly going to be using it as an exhibition and a way to demonstrate wind power. It's going to be much more than a demonstration. The wind turbine is actually going to be plugged into the power grid, and the science center will benefit from the energy we produce. We will get credit for it. As a science center, we want to explain the science behind it all. Long term, we hope to influence public policy about alternative energy, clean energy and renewable sources of energy. We will also look at the long term and think about whether that story involves wind turbines or issues of solar or fuel cells, biomass, or other ways of producing clean energy.

If a Clevelander or tourist had a plan to sight see the arts and museums of Cleveland, you could easily see three distinct areas that stand out: University Circle, Playhouse Square and North Coast Harbor. Do you collaborate and involve similar NFP's or do you aggressively compete with one another for the public's attention and dollars? What's the best way to make these three areas thrive?
Definitely through working together. And actually, Body Worlds is giving us the chance to do it. With this exhibition we're working with cultural institutions from all three of those locations you just talked about. The Cleveland Museum of Art is going to be doing figure drawing classes in the evening down here. They're also helping us with lectures or forums that bring experts in to talk about the human body as art and how it has changed through the ages. The Dittrick Museum of Medical History is lending us phenomenal pieces, 14th, 15th and 16th century hand illustrated anatomical atlases to help us with the show. The Museum of Natural History is helping us with the educational lectures and forums. They have the largest contemporary collection of human skeletons, so it makes a nice connection. Ideastream, in the Playhouse Square area, is working with our staff on the distance learning and content for radio and television. We are working with all these institutions and it is fantastic; it's being done on a scale I don't think the Science Center has ever really done before. We are excited about it and it's something new for us.

You've been in Cleveland for six months; what have you and your family experienced throughout the city and where do you like to hang out?
We live on the East side and I have very young children, so we tend to stay close to home. I have already taken my kids to all the institutions in University Circle. We've been to the Botanical Gardens and The Museum of Natural History, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and The Western Reserve Historical Society. And certainly they spend a lot of time here at the Science Center.

Any cool people you have met?
Everybody is just so nice, welcoming and gracious. My husband and I both agree it is a fabulous place to be. The one thing that we find we have to get used to: it's not the weather, it's the smoking. Having come from California, I don't remember being alive at a time where there was a smoking section in a restaurant. It is really odd being around so much second-hand smoke. In L.A. you can't even smoke outside on the beaches, so you are never around it, but when you are around it, it's right in your face. That's the one thing that has been the hardest to get used to.

I read, and this was before you moved here, that your husband was quoted as saying something like, "If you’re not offered the position can we still move here?" And he said that after he was here for not even 2 days?! What inspired him to say that?
Yes, I remember it vividly. We were standing up at the mall [Mall C] looking down on The Science Center. I think he was inspired first by Browns Stadium. To be perfectly honest, coming from Los Angeles, yes you've got The Lakers, but otherwise there's this very fickle relationship with sports teams. I think that Browns Stadium and Jacobs Field and all of that was kind of cool to a guy in his early 30s. But more than that, it was driving through the neighborhoods and it was about what our California real estate dollar could do for us in Cleveland. Looking out on the Lake was absolutely beautiful; it was probably May. It was lovely, and we had a sense that we would have a really happy life here.

Had either of you been here before?
I'd never been to Ohio; I'm not poorly traveled - I've been all around the world - but I'd never been to Ohio until I had my interview.

Think back to when you first heard about the position at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland. Do you remember what you thought about the position and the area?
The Great Lakes Science Center is large and it definitely has a reputation for being one of the top science centers, so I'd heard about it. There had been an ASTC Conference here, so it was on the radar screen for me. I was born and raised in California, and I really never thought I'd ever leave it, but sometimes opportunities just come up. Normally, when headhunters called me I'd just say thanks, no thanks; here are a couple of names of people. For some reason I didn't do it with this one; it wasn't very deliberate initially, and for some reason I didn't say no to this one.

Any final comments or anything you'd like to tell the readers of Cool Cleveland?
They have to come to the Body Worlds II show; it will change their lives. And for anybody really interested in the sneak peek, come to the opening night reception on April 8th.

Interview and photos by David Tarditi dtard@yahoo.com (:divend:)