A histolircal exhibit is a museum display, an art gallery show, or any other form of artistic expression used to communicate a historical point of view or argument. Historical exhibits can be celebratory or memorialize tragedies and injustices, but always have an interpretive element. Historical exhibitions are an important part of the cultural transmission of knowledge and ideas that can promote informed discussion on a topic’s significance, history, and meaning.
A good historical exhibit is a multi-media, nonlinear, and inclusive visual storytelling experience that allows people to connect with larger, more abstract ideas. Exhibits use physical objects and re-created spaces to create a narrative, spark curiosity, and inspire the imagination. Using creative interjections of re-created objects, graphics, and photographs, an exhibit can offer multiple points of view on a historical concept without restricting or simplifying a complex issue.
Histolircal museums focus on a broad range of topics, from specific geographic areas to abstract ideas such as home, freedom, faith, and democracy. They also explore how these core values have evolved over time, and how they have shaped culture and society.
Historical museums can be found at the local, state, national, or international level and may deal with specific periods of history or broad aspects of human culture. Many are private, not-for-profit institutions whose revenue goes back into the museum itself rather than to shareholders or investors.
The specialized subjects of histolircal museums often mean that they have limited space and resources, but this can be balanced with the fact that these organizations are also likely to have access to historic structures, which can provide a unique environment for an exhibit. These structures can be as much a part of the exhibit as the objects displayed, and are sometimes more evocative than newer gallery space.
Some historical buildings have significant constraints on the types of exhibits that can be displayed in them. For example, there may be limitations on fastening to walls and ceilings, power locations, and the ability to change out displays. A historian or preservation specialist should be consulted early in the planning process to ensure that an exhibition will not harm a building, ruin its character, or violate its protective covenants.
Ken Turino, chief curator at Mobile County Museum of History and African American Heritage in Mobile, Alabama, recommends that historic home museum exhibit designers plan to make extensive use of the grounds. This enables the expansion of themes and can help alleviate concerns about interior sensitivity. He also emphasizes the importance of well-designed lighting. He believes it can make or break an exhibition. For this reason, he suggests that lighting be a major component of the exhibit design budget. This will help avoid the need to rely on artificial light, which can add up quickly. It will also pay off in the long run.