Museum exhibitions are a unique medium for the interplay of historical objects and ideas. A successful exhibit relies on a multi-disciplinary approach, which encompasses many aspects of history including archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, art, culture, science and technology. Exhibits are typically curated by museum professionals and, unlike monographs, their life span is relatively short. Hence, museum exhibitions need to be more than just an accurate and well-presented record of research or historical information; they must entertain, engage, excite and educate.
For example, a museum may use an exhibition to celebrate the work of a famous artist, to celebrate a region’s cultural heritage or to explore an abstract idea such as liberty, freedom, faith, democracy or social justice. Such exhibitions may feature collections of historical objects, artifacts or works of art as well as text and a variety of interpretive graphics such as dioramas, charts, maps or interactives. They often feature a wide range of media from paintings, sculpture and video to books, prints and rare photographs.
As the world becomes more multicultural, museums need to tell a wider range of histories in order to reflect these new perspectives. To do so they must expand their collections to include the voices of more peoples and communities. This often requires a more inclusive collecting strategy and an increased emphasis on interpreting those collections in terms of their relevance to contemporary issues.
Exhibits are one of the most important educational tools for history and social studies students. They allow teachers to bring history alive in the classroom by demonstrating how historic events and individuals have impacted our lives today. Moreover, they are a means for students to learn about the past in ways that are meaningful to them and their own personal experiences.
In addition to showcasing historical objects, exhibitions often provide opportunities for teachers and students to examine the process of making historical conclusions and interpretations. The goal is to teach that history is a continuously changing process of interpretation and reinterpretation and to demonstrate how historical research and scholarship are a key component of this interpretive activity.
The purpose of this column is to showcase innovative historical exhibitions that are rooted in the latest academic scholarship and stretch the established parameters of exhibition design, presentation and interpretation. In addition, this column will also look at a range of other topics that are important to museum practice and that may contribute to the overall improvement of collaboration between the academy and museums: from exhibitions that highlight community driven collecting initiatives to those that use new techniques to reach non-traditional audiences.