In this article, Wendy Pollock, independent consultant and former manager of the exhibition program at ASTC, reflects on her experience with the science center movement and discusses the unanticipated effects traveling exhibitions can have on host museums and staff. Pollock explains how museums have commoditized exhibitions over time and offers advice on how to improve exhibits and provide visitors with novel experiences.
In this article, Audrey O'Connell, Head of International Business Development at The Natural History Museum, London, describes the CASTEX Project, a collaboration of five European natural history museums who developed a set of guidelines to help museums produce and distribute natural history exhibits. O'Connell addresses the challenges and successes associated with this project.
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, photographer Amy Dreher critiques the "Click! A Crowd-Curated Exhibition" at the Brooklyn Museum from a partipant's perspective. The exhibit is based on James Surowiecki's critically acclaimed book, "The Wisdom of Crowds" and features photographs depicting the "changing faces of Brooklyn" submitted by and evaluated by the public.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Amy DreherNational Association of Museum Exhibition
In this article, Serena Furman, Principal of A Space Design, provides a guide for improving RFP bidding. Furman outlines the steps needed to prepare the RFP and RFP Response. Included are quotes from the field illustrating concerns from both the Museum Staff and Contractor's side of the RFP process.
In this article, Paul Orselli, President and Chief Instigator of POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop), examines the value and process of prototyping for exhibit development. Orselli provides advice on how to make the most of the prototyping process.
In this article, Alan Teller Partner at Teller Madsen, highlights the major points of a forum on exhibition evaluation at the AAM Conference in Chicago. The forum focused on three distinct approaches: the Execellent Judges Framework, Independent Critic's approach, and Summative Evaluation approach. Challenges and opportunities of each approached are discussed and are regarded as tools for museum evaluators.
In this article, Paul Orselli, Chief Instigator of Paul Orselli Workshop, provides specific suggestions and examples of ways to become "greener" exhibit developers or fabricators. Orselli sorts his recommendations about sustainable materials and techniques into the 5 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink, and Resources.
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, Daniel Spock, Director of the Minnesota History Center Museum, explores the effects of public participation in museums. Spock acknowledges the challenges associated with increased public participation, but argues that museums should consider themselves as trusted "mediators" in this complex new age of media and information.
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