Timexpo Museum to Close: Social Media Fail

The local news has disclosed that the Timexpo Museum in Waterbury is planning to close.

Low attendance at the museum, located at the Brass Mills Commons shopping center, was the reason for the closure, according to Timex.

I'd like to offer a more fundamental reason: Failure to engage via social media. 

Visiting the Timexpo Museum website, one finds the obligatory social media buttons at the bottom: Facebook, Twitter,  Email, Google-plus, and might think "Oh, yeah, they are doing social media...." But really, some webmaster or marketing consultant put those there (lipstick on a pig, so to speak) because clicking through any of those creates a Facebook post about the site or a Tweet link - but there's little evidence that Timexpo has embraced social media.

Their Yelp Page (4 reviews, 3 stars average) remains unclaimed. So too their Trip Advisor Page (32 reviews, 4.5 stars average).

There is a Facebook Page (not linked from their website Facebook button) - it was set up in Sept 2014 (too little, too late), they've posted less than a dozen times since then, with no serious social engagement (2 reviews, 131 likes, 196 check-ins). There is no Twitter account. Nothing on Instagram. There is an events page, but no blog or news page, no press page, no mailing list. There has been no real attempt to engage fans, visitors, the media, etc.  

It's probably too late for the Timexpo Museum - decisions have been made; plans are in the works. It's too bad, because it's got great location and visibility (who among us has not seen and are familiar with the Easter Island statue along I-84 in Waterbury) and really, time is a pretty ripe concept for social media riffing and event planning (time travel, steam-punk, the new Apple Watch, all come to mind)

But it might not be too late for your small / local business, arts group, tourism destination, community group, or cause. Get on the Social Media bandwagon, now!

Makers Monday - Buying Local Art

One of my local holiday traditions has been to shop local artists and craftspersons. I've been a bit more active this year, with visits to several Hartford spaces (Artspace and The Dirt Salon) during Open Studio, the Holiday Artisan Marketplace (via the Connecticut State of Makers) at Waterbury City Hall, and a more regular visit to Wesleyan Potters. 

At Artspace, I picked up a couple of holiday gifts (which I will not share here), along with a delightful bowl made by Colleen Colabella from Towers of Hope & Pottery Creations, from East Granby. Most of her work involves small towers - but I sussed out this bowl - loved the raised pattern on the outside - organic, kind of china-like, and signaling a lightness or translucence.

Not on the web that I can find, but she's worth finding at local shows and fairs.

At the State of Makers Holiday Artisan Marketplace, I found some yummy jams, concocted by Omnomnom Jams and Jellies - I've been enjoying their Monkey Mayhem (banana, pineapple, cocoanut, I think) on my morning  and also picked up a jar of Pretty Peach. They are just getting started (and could use nice labels on their jars!) but a fun and affordable treat!

Also at the Waterbury event, I found some nice earrings, created by Kate Stephen Jewelry - I'm always looking for something fun and funky and these resonated - being an electrical engineer, it's fun to find something copper.

And, I bought a lovely and funky decorated shirt for a fashionable friend. 

Finally, at Wesleyan Potters, I found a few lovely pieces. I'm a big fan of the birds of late, especially once I realized they are the modern dinosaurs, and the Great Blue Heron is perhaps one of the best reminders of that. Walking my dog at a local farm, a heron swooped overhead (a mere 10'-20' high) and I felt that primitive, mammalian fear that was perhaps implanted in my DNA eons ago when my tiny ancestors were prey for flying pterodactyls. So this photo, by Tom Flynn, of a heron in flight, was perfect.

 

My friend Amy is a stained glass artist (you can view her work and shop at Singing Whale Stained Glass)  - so I am always looking at stained glass. I found this fused glass fish (not sure of artist) - I liked the rainbow / chakra colors, I'm a Pisces, and one of the images or concepts of the divine that have come to me through Enlightenment Intensive work over the years was  of a fish. So yeah, great for my yoga space.

Finally, this vase (artist unknown) spoke to me - it's solid and somewhat primative with it's figuring that feels reminiscent of hieroglyphs or cunieform. No idea why I like what I like, but I liked this enough to purchase it. 

Dog Dreams

I've been dreaming a lot recently. Unusual; I usually sleep like a rock, and if I dream, I'm not conscious of them. But lately, my subconscious seems to be trying to push to the surface.

Night before last, I was on a hospital gurney, heading into some sort of procedure (like an MRI or angiogram or something). Notable was the fact that my dog, Elo, was curled up under my arm on the gurney, and was going into the procedure room. Also that night, I dreamed I was riding my bike, and Elo was sitting on the bike rack at the back of the bike (completely unreal) - and I recall riding up and over a small hump / curb, getting some air, and checking to see if Elo was still seated securely. I woke up distinctly unsettled.

Last night, I dreamed I was at my old house in Waterbury, but Elo was with me. At one point, my neighbor Joyce (from my Hartford home) was trying to take Elo for a walk (I stopped her, afraid Elo would get loose) and as I was taking Elo into the house, she came up with a small thumb tack or dart - was somebody shooting at my dog? I noticed the woman (whose name was Mrs. Martinez, completely fictional) across the street quickly closing her blind. Turns out she had been shooting darts at Elo, because of his barking. She came over and gave me a little baggie with the darts in them (to show me they were harmless, I guess) and I got angry at her; called 9-1-1 to get the police to come out, but the phone was never answered.

Later, same dream, same locale, Elo's back leg fell off. Right below the bony "heel" on his leg; he was limping but not in a lot of pain. I called up a 24 Hour emergency vet - and while I was talking to the vet, I noticed he had lost the other back leg, but that he seemed to be growing new paws.

Finally, same dream, a guy shows up from a mortgage company - thought he was looking for me, but he was looking for the folks next door (when I lived in Waterbury, an old guy named Carl and his nephew). He and some colleagues were hanging around outside, and other colleagues showed up and they had a pie fight with large flat trays of what looked like meringue or shaving cream.

I've been feeling kind of crappy of late; perhaps the dreams are part of my body's healing or fighting off some infection. But....weird.