In this exhibition review, Barbara Cohen-Stratner, the Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg Curator of Exhibitions for The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, examines the "Abolition200" project, programs and exhibits that commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Parliamentary act that ended British participation in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Cohen-Stratner focuses on three major exhibitions--one that commissioned a new art work, one that relabeled elements of its permanent display, and one that combined these methods--to discuss how museums can develop exhibitions and reinterpret
In this exhibition review, Eric Siegel, Director and Chief Content Officer at the New York Hall of Science, critiques the "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns, and Mermaids" exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. Siegel provides a walkthrough of the exhibit and remarks about the audience and pedagogy.
In this article, Alan Jacobson, President of ex;it and BAJdesign, shares the lessons he learned in Rwanda, while building a memorial to the 1994 Genocide, in which 1,000,000 people died in 100 days. Jacobson recounts his personal journey in Rwanda as well as how this experience reshaped his core design principles.
This article highlights four controversial exhibits from various institutions who, in the end, used controversy to their advantage. The authors include Kimberly Louagie, Curator of Exhibits at the Outagamie County Historical Society in Appleton, Wisconsin, Saudia Muwwakkil, Public Information Officer at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Diane Perlov, Senior Vice President for Exhibits at the California Science Center, and John Russick, Curator at the Chicago Historical Society.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Kimberly LouagieSaudia MuwwakkilDiane PerlovJohn Russick
In this article, Julia Rose, Director of the West Baton Rouge Museum, analyzes increased efforts by museums to include references of slave life histories into their interpretations. Rose discusses the strategies used by museums and challenges they face when presenting the tough stories of slave life.
In this article, Caitlin McQuade, an interpretive project developer, describes how four small history museums in St. Louis operate on tighter budgets while still fulfilling their missions. Through creative partnerships and comprehensive historical research, the leaders of these institutions have found ways to overcome the challenges of limited resources.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Caitlin McQuadeNational Association of Museum Exhibition
In this article, Kathleen McLean, Principal of Independent Exhibitions and consulting Creative Director for the Oakland Museum of California, and Adam Nilsen, History Researcher at the Oakland Museum of California, describe the experimental design process associated with their new gallery "Forces of Change." This 750 square foot installation is part of the larger "Coming to California" history exhibit. The "Forces of Change" exhibit is being developed as part of a collaboration between 24 people from across California. This co-design and co-development project can be instructive for other
The article is a summary of the comments and discussions a session at the 2006 AAM conference that addressed what museums in the fields of art, history, and science might learn from each other and how museums might benefit from "cross-pollination." Panel participants were Eric Siegel, Executive Vice President for Programs and Planning at the New York Hall of Science, Benjamin Filene, Director of the Public History Program at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Deborah Schwartz, President of the Brooklyn Historical Society, and Jennifer MacGregor, Curator of Visual Arts at Wave Hill.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Eric SiegelBenjamin FileneDeborah SchwartzJennifer MacGregor
In this article, Linda Norris, Managing Partner of Riverhill, recalls her experience as a teaching Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine. Norris focused on professional development in museums through workshops and direct consultations with museums throughout Ukraine. This article summarizes Norris's findings about the state of museums in Ukraine and her personal revelations about museums and museum work.
In this article, Andrea Douglas, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the University of Virginia Art Museum (UVMA), discusses UVMA's "Forming American Identities: Our Southern Legacy" project. This umbrella project incorporated "The Landscape of Slavery: The Plantation in American Art" exhibition, the "William Christenberry: Site/Possession" exhibition, "The Dresser Trunk Project" exhibition along with several public outreach programs. Douglas addresses how staff and visitors were prepared to interpret this difficult content as well as how the community responded to their efforts.
This article features three critiques of the exhibition "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" on view at the Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore, MD) from October 3, 2009-September 5, 2010. Nigel Briggs, exhibition designer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Kerr Houston, Professor of Art History at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and Peg Koetsch, curator of Exhibtions at VisArts and Founder/Director of Learning Insights, each provide an assessment of the exhibition.
In this article, Katharine T. Corbett, formerly of the Missouri Historical Society, examines how visitor meaning making can be stimulated by exhibitry that explicitly addresses the social construction of history, using personal and familial history-making as a point of connection. The Missouri Historical Society's exhibition on the 1904 World's Fair presents an excellent example of how to successfully engage visitors in exploration of the past as it relates to their present.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Katharine T. CorbettNational Association of Museum Exhibition