Museums serve the public by interpreting historical objects, stories, and experiences to help people understand the past. They celebrate common events, memorialize tragedies and injustices, and raise questions about cause and effect, perspective, and significance. These interpretive judgments, while not as exacting as scholarly research and writing, are central to the exhibition medium.
The exhibition is the principal way in which most visitors encounter history and learn about the past, yet it remains a relatively underdeveloped form of cultural communication. Its specialized vocabulary, idioms, and visual forms often differ from those of scholarly monographs and other historical publications. Its lifecycle is much shorter than a book, and its impact may fade without the benefit of critical assessment and ongoing review.
In a time of increasing museum competition and limited resources, it is increasingly important for museums to demonstrate their relevance to the communities they serve. This means that they must not only present the stories of a museum’s own collection, but also encourage dialogue with local community members about their own histories and connections to the past.
Historical exhibits must be able to tell complex, compelling, and accessible stories with diverse audiences in mind. Successful exhibits integrate a wide variety of elements: artifacts, photographs, maps, and other graphic displays; dramatic and interactive presentations; and text and audio commentary. They explore themes that are both broadly and narrowly defined, such as the Revolutionary War or the state of North Carolina, but they also tackle more enduring issues, such as family relationships and cross-racial conflicts.
While each of these exhibitions is firmly rooted in a rich body of historical scholarship, they are crafted as inclusive visual stories that connect with visitors. Ideally, the review will examine what an exhibition claims about the past in terms of scholarly currents while analyzing its ability to convey historical information through its physical form and layout. It will be particularly concerned with whether an exhibit is more than “a book on a wall.” In addition to discussing the intellectual underpinnings of a history show, this column hopes to contribute to the emerging literature of exhibition reviews that address how they shape the scholarly community while serving as useful tools for museums. It will also provide a forum for discussions on how the academy and museums can broaden their collaboration on historically relevant projects. In doing so, it will contribute to a more unified and interdisciplinary approach to museum scholarship.