In this article, Marjorie Schwarzer, Professor of Museum Studies at John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley, California, describes eleven of the most influential exhibitions from the 20th century, according to NAME members surveyed for her book "Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 Years of Museums in America."
In this article, Amanda Griffith, Executive Director of Arthurdale Heritage, Inc., describes the work of the AHI New Deal Homestead Museum. Griffith describes how this small institution overcomes challenges related to operational expenses and lack of staff.
In this article, Robin Groesbeck, Traveling & Temporary Exhibitions Director at The Field Museum, Chicago, details the complex process of examining and packing the objects for "Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong," the largest exhibit ever to leave the Forbidden City. The project was in collaboration with The Palace Museum, Beijing.
In this article, Rick Wurzer, lead interpreter, presents the challenges of creating exhibits at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, a small institution with limited staff. Wurzer shares eight valuable lessons he learned during the center's exhibit renovation project.
In this article, Steven Lubar, professor of American civilization and director of the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University, describes the final project--producing an exhibition--he gives the students in his Methods in Public Humanities course. Lubar explores the process, successes, and learning opportunities associated with student-curated exhibition, "Remember the Old Times: Cape Verdean Community in Fox Point."
This article provides commentary about the early closing of "Imaginary Coordinates," an exhibition at the Spertus Institute in Chicago, inspired by the antique maps of the Holy Land. The exhibition reportedly closed early because some groups found it "anti-Israel." Featured voices include exhibition curator Rhoda Rosen, Marc Fischer, of the Chicago-based design firm Temporary Services, and artist Michael Rakowitz. The materials gathered for this article present a microcosm of the museum community's struggle with "the unexhibitable" among other challenging museum issues.
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National Association of Museum Exhibition
In this article, Douglas Simpson, Associate at Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., describes the unique design process the Newton History Museum employed to create a new exhibition on immigration. The Museum recruited seven local high school students from immigrant families to curate an exhibition about themselves. The exhibition became known as "Hyphenated-Origins: Going Beyond the Labels." Simpson explores this unique exhibit design process and its successes.
In this article, Janice Klein, Director of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, describes how she and her staff reevaluated the museum collection and audience needs during a reinstallation process in 1999. The methods they used helped the team complete the renovation and opening on time as well as made it possible to pursue an active exhibits program for minimum cost.
In this article, Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, shares her experience launching the Center for the Future of the Oceans policy and advocacy center, in hopes that the story may serve as a useful roadmap for other institutions considering expanding their role in conservation efforts. Packard describes how the center came to fruition, the goals of the institution, public response, recommendations for future work, and implications for the broader museum community.
This report presents findings from a formative evaluation of the Becoming American theme and the Choosing Revolution story. Becoming Americans tells how diverse peoples, holding different and sometimes conflicting personal ambitions, evolved into a society that valued both liberty and equality. Becoming Americans is the umbrella theme for several stories, one of which is Choosing Revolution. The Choosing Revolution story is about the changing community and the decisions people living in the colony made to shape their future. Choosing Revolution was presented at eight key sites and many
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Randi KornThe Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Goodman Research Group, Inc. (GRG) conducted summative evaluation of the educational resources kit for Forgotten Genius, a program from the PBS television series Lives in Science. Forgotten Genius explored the life of the scientist Percy Julian, an African American chemist who persevered in the face of racism to become one of the great scientists and inventors of the 20th century. GRG's evaluation focused on how public librarians used and assessed the educational resources kit, as well as their suggestions for revising the kit and conducting future science-related library outreach. The
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Marianne McPhersonJennie MurackIrene F GoodmanWGBH
Science Under Sail: Russia's Great Voyages to America 1728-1867 opened in May 2000 at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art (AMHA) for a five-month run. Developed by Curator Barbara Sweetland Smith and designed by Presentation Design Group, Science Under Sail was a 5,340-square-foot exhibition consisting of 44 elements, including text and graphic panels, cases with artifacts and specimens, audio stations, ship models, dioramas, and interactive elements. Overhead banners separated the exhibition into five sections: Why did they sail? Where did they go? How did they get there? What did they
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Beverly SerrellAnchorage Museum of History and Art