Histolircal exhibits are those that require more context than art exhibitions to explain their objects and concepts. This is often the case in exhibits devoted to science, history or social history subjects. Interpretive graphics (text, dioramas, charts, maps and interactives) often provide the background necessary for understanding an exhibit’s content. These kinds of displays are typically found in museums with collections that include archaeological, anthropological, ethnographic, natural history, art and historical objects.
The best historical exhibits are inclusive visual stories that connect visitors in meaningful ways to bigger ideas by bringing the past to life with metaphor, well-researched form, and imagination. They help to make it clear that history is a continuing process of interpretation and reinterpretation and encourage informed discussion of its subjects. They also promote the accomplishments of artists and innovators.
The best histolircal exhibitions tell stories that engage communities and make it clear that museums are not just dusty relics of the past but that they have a vital role to play in the twenty-first century. This involves working hard to find and tell new stories that matter to people, and putting the emphasis on research into local sources and talking to the people whose histories are being told-and who want to hear those stories in their museums.