Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Boston, MA
Opened October 2003

Taking a leadership role in economic education in the New England region, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston worked with JKA to develop The New England Economic Adventure, a highly participatory experience targeting middle school and high school students. The overarching goal of this unique hybrid program/exhibition is to bring to life the idea that standards of living have improved steadily over time as a result of the growth, and continual reinvention, of the New England economy.

The heart of the experience is a lively economic decision-making game set in three periods: the dawn of textile manufacturing in the 1810s; the bicycle craze of the 1890s; and the introduction of the minicomputer in the 1960s. A staff educator leads audiences through a presentation that combines interactive investment games – visitors use PDA technology located at their seats – with acted case studies on video, iconic artifacts, context-setting media quizzes, physical props and special visual effects. Audience members make individual choices and see their investments play out over time, with personal results displayed on PDAs and the big winner’s earnings shown on screen.

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Adjacent to the Adventure theater, the Material Life gallery displays household objects owned by typical New England families in each of the eras interpreted in the game, linked to imagery and text that speaks to the transition from rural to urban to suburban living. A plasma screen in this gallery allows for additional customized programming by educators.