Interview with Chris Alexander of Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC

Summary: 
Chris and I discuss exhibit design and construction at Marbles!

Big Take Aways:
-The difference between goldsmithing and silversmithing.
- The power of “we didn’t know what we didn’t know.”
- Exhibits as “working prototypes.”

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About Chris: 
Chris Alexander is the Vice President of Exhibits at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC. 
His passion for designing and fabricating playful and engaging learning environments is driven by his curious nature, desire to problem solve, and the unique challenge of designing for a young and diverse audience. 
After receiving a BID in Industrial Design from the NC State College of Design in 1993, Chris helped found the Antfarm Studios- a still operational creative collective for artists and designers in Raleigh's Boylan Heights. It was during this time that under the mentorship of acclaimed Goldsmith Mary Ann Scherr, that Chris continued his education in design by exploring metalwork through jewelry as inspiriting and interactive wearable objects. 
The ability to play with scale, material, color, and whimsy eventually led him to his current work with Marbles creating exhibits that spark imagination, discovery and learning through play. Chris continues to engage and collaborate with the creative community in Raleigh, he has taught Design Camp sessions at the College of Design at North Carolina State University, and Metalsmithing at Meredith College as well as Penland School of Crafts. He has spoken on “Fear and Failure in Design” at Hopscotch Design fest. Chris designed and built his home employing adaptive reuse techniques to blend modern design with existing traditional structures. 
Most importantly, Chris is doting father to his daughter, Tess and husband to wife Emily. 
He believes in the power of play to transform children’s lives, and the power of design to create extraordinary experiences for children, families and communities. 

Connect with Chris: Website | LinkedIn 

Mentioned in the show:
- Mary Ann Scherr
- NCSU College of Design
- Antfarm Studios
- Giving at Marbles

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Show Notes:
Welcome to Dirt NC where we talk all about the places and spaces of North Carolina and the people who make them awesome, I am your host Jed Byrne.

Throughout my career in engineering, construction, finance, and development, I have covered just about all sides of the land use ecosystem. This show creates an opportunity for me to share what I have learned with you as well as introduce you to some of my friends, both new and old who are doing transformative work.

With each episode of Dirt NC my goal is to make sure you walk away learning something new about land use. I promise to keep it simple and straight to the point.

As always, I am grateful that you have chosen to share this time with me! If you have comments/questions/suggestions about Dirt NC or anything land use related you can find me on twitter at @OakCityCRE and if you want a simple and to the point update on Raleigh commercial development you can subscribe to The Top Five, my free weekly newsletter a