How To Set Up A Museum Exhibit

January 02 2022

By Geneviève Angio-Morneau

Exhibition making is a creative procedure and equally such, there are thankfully no absolute rules as to what can brand a project soar or slump. Nevertheless, over the 10 years plus that I have been working in the field, there are some personal observations that I have made that I e'er like to keep in heed. The process of creating an exhibition is well-nigh often than not collaborative and involves many stakeholders with diverse agendas. Keeping a strong vision from A to Z is a challenge on every project and so here'southward a curt checklist that can help any squad navigate some common pitfalls when it comes to creating exciting and engaging exhibitions.

1. Your exhibition is unique. Don't copy others.

Although it'south bully to begin a artistic process with mood boards, a review of best practices, inspiring images and a list of "cool" upward and coming technologies, its good to proceed in mind that in that location is no better process than starting time a project with a clean slate. What is the unique story that THIS exhibition will tell? What kind of interactive experiences could allow the visitors to appoint with the stories to be told? With today's piece of cake access to gazillions of inspiration images, it can be tempting – and timesaving – to cutting and paste. It'south much harder to come up with the right content and the all-time stories than the right engineering science or the right means of display.

2. You tin can't please everybody. It's a fact.

It'south tempting to want to create an exhibition that is everything for everybody. We've come up to realize that the about interesting projects are those that do more of 1 thing and less of some other. An exhibition is a artistic human activity, and focus and constraints gives it strength. Memorable exhibitions are those where the list of what is not shown is equally important as what is shown. A good creative cursory should include what the project volition non be. Targeting specific audiences can also assist give an editorial border to an exhibition, and will not necessarily mean that other audiences volition not enjoy it.

3. You're creating an feel. Not a content grid.

Many exhibition projects begin with a potent curatorial input that translates into messages and exhibition zones via a content filigree. All as well often however, no room is left in the creative process to brainstorm on the exhibition'due south content and experience with the design team – and many valuable ideas can come out of this forum as well. In certain cases, approaching content and messaging from a pattern perspective can also bring solutions to the table that are more playful or that use various senses or involve different learning approaches. All too often this process is not valued or budgeted and interesting opportunities are not given the light of day.

4. This is 2022. Concrete and digital environments are a fact.

In more and more of our projects, nosotros meet a larger pct of the production budget allocated to media. Traditional and interactive media can provide invaluable depth to exhibition subjects as well every bit opportunities for transmedia storytelling, thus expanding the exhibition into the spheres of the web or social media, augmenting audition outreach and creating potential new partnerships for a museum. A expert creative brief should include strategic budget allocations from the get get.

5. Yes, there is such a affair as mode too much content

We frequently embark on projects where the educational objectives are numerous. Many stories to tell, much information to deliver, just a limited amount of square feet. The more we try to fit all the content in, the less space we leave visitors to make upwards their own minds, to experiment with their ain ideas, to dream, to escape, to formulate their ain impressions and ideas. Nosotros alive in a time where many online resources be, relieving museums from the burden of being encyclopaedic. More than and more than visitors come up to museums equipped with smart phones that let them to Google any fact at any time. Does the exhibition really demand to explicate everything? What experiences can simply be lived inside the museum space and should therefore exist valued over others? What will create a memorable experience that will be resonate weeks later a visit in a visitor's mind? Leaving some artistic space in exhibitions is never a bad thought.

Read these 5 tips over and over over again. During the design of your exhibition, take some distance and come dorsum to them. An exhibition should be a learning infinite, and as such, information technology should inspire through its content and as well the feel it offers.

Nigh the author – Geneviève Angio-Morneau

Geneviève Angio-Morneau is Artistic Director and Caput of Content at GSM Projection

Source: https://www.museumnext.com/article/designing-exhibition-5-tips-mantra/

Share this post