In this article, Barbara Punt, Principal of Punt Consulting, outlines ways to write effective Request For Proposals. Punt emphasizes the importance of clearly conveying your request and considering the respondents' point of view.
This article features critiques of the "The Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals" exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History. Barbara Brennan, Senior Exhibition Designer at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Rebecca Singer, Youth Audiences Manager at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, and Andrew Pekarik, policy analyst in the Office of Policy and Analysis at the Smithsonian Institution, share their analysis of the exhibition and assess its strengths and weaknesses.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Barbara BrennanRebecca SingerAndrew Pekarik
This article outlines a case study using social media as a front-end evaluation tool to revise or redevelop content and themes from an exhibition at the Australian Museum, Sydney, on the topic of evil. The study also explored the time investment and the outcomes achieved through the use of social media compared with undertaking a front-end study in a more traditional way.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Bliss JensenLynda Kelly
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
In this article, Eugene Dillenburg, an Exhibit Developer at The Science Museum of Minnesota, examines the relationship between the exhibit profession and professional training. Dillenberg surveyed exhibit workers--department chairs, commercial contractors, museum studies professors, and program graduates--to better understand the influence of museum studies on exhibit practice.
This article features Kathleen McLean's Manifesto, which the Principal of Independent Exhibitions presents at conferences or web presentations. As part of the Exbitionist's issue on "Exhibition Frictions," this article also features the negative comments that Kathy has received either person or in writing for each of her suggestions for (r)evolution in the creation of museum exhibitions.
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, Nancy Schnitzerling, Human Resources Director at the Liberty Science Center, recommends steps human resource managers need to take in order to assist employees that travel for exhibit work throughout the world. Schnitzerling provides tips related to passports and visas, insurance, vaccines, disaster preparedness, and other issues related to foreign travel.
In this article, Diane Willow, Assistant Professor of New and Combined Media in the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota, discusses how technology can be used to better engage children and families in the content of exhibitions. Willow highlights several exhibitions as they relate to how children interact with technologies in general and digital technologies in particular.
In this article, Gretchen Jennings, editor, and Maureen McConnell, Museum Exhibitions Consultant, summarize and comment on how professionals in the field responded to the question, "What, if anything is 'unexhibitable'?" They organize the topics into categories and explore the roles of time, place, culture, community, funding, and other issues play in shaping answers to this question.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Gretchen JenningsMaureen McConnellNational Association for Museum Exhibition
In this article, Kathleen McLean, Principal of Independent Exhibitions, responds to her 1994 article in the "Exhibitionist" to explore how far the field has come in terms of exhibit evaluation and what work remains. McLean discusses how criticism based on personal experiences is just the first step in creating a more reflective group of practitioners and better exhibits.
In this article, Beverly Serrell, Principal of Serrell & Associates, discusses the Excellent Judges Framework and how it is different from other methods of reviewing exhibitions. Specifically, Serrell compares the Framework to summative evaluations, exhibition critiques, reviews, The AAM Standards for Museum Exhibitions and Indicators of Excellence, and critical appraisal.