creating exhibits for small history museums on a limited
TRANSCRIPT
The University of San FranciscoUSF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library |Geschke Center
Master's Projects and Capstones Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects
Winter 12-16-2016
Creating Exhibits for Small History Museums on aLimited BudgetAnnveig [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone
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Recommended CitationBugge, Annveig, "Creating Exhibits for Small History Museums on a Limited Budget" (2016). Master's Projects and Capstones. 453.https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/453
CreatingExhibitsforSmallHistoryMuseumsonaLimitedBudget
Keywords:ExhibitionDevelopment,HistoryMuseum,SmallMuseum,SmallBudget,MuseumStudies
by
AnnveigBugge
CapstoneprojectsubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsfortheDegreeofMasterofArtsinMuseumStudies
DepartmentofArt+ArchitectureUniversityofSanFrancisco
________________________________________________________________________________FacultyAdvisor:StephanieA.Brown
_________________________________________________________________________________AcademicDirector:PaulaBirnbaum
December15,2016
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Acknowledgments
Iwouldreallyliketothankmyfriends,family,andprofessorsforthesupport,andfor
gettingmethroughthiscapstoneproject.
YouhavemademyexperienceinSanFranciscotrulymemorable.
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Abstract
Inthiscapstoneproject,Istudytheprocessofdevelopinganexhibitionforsmallhistory
museums.Workingwith theTreasure IslandMuseum, a small historymuseum in San
Francisco, I explore the different options for developing exhibitions for small history
museums,withsmallbudgets, incontrast to themorewell fundedpractice that larger
museumshavetheopportunitytoproduce.Formuseums,exhibitsarethemediausedto
communicate with visitors, and it is important to install new ones regularly. Being
limited by budget and staff constraints this can be a challenge, but I argue that the
benefitsfromtheexhibitsaregreaterthanthedisadvantagesfromdevotingresourcesto
theproject.Thepaperexaminesbestpractices forexhibitiondevelopmentandproject
management and offers a solution to bringing costs down so that smaller, financially
challengedmuseumscancreatewell-constructedexhibitionsonaregularbasis.
Keywordsforthispaperare:ExhibitionDevelopment,Curation,HistoryMuseum,Small
Museum,SmallBudget,MuseumStudies
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TableofContents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 2
ABSTRACT 3
TABLEOFCONTENTS 4
INTRODUCTION 5
CHAPTER1:LITERATUREREVIEW 8
CHAPTER2:PROPOSALOFAMUSEUMSOLUTION 29
CHAPTER3:PROJECTPLAN 35
CHAPTER4:ACTIONPLAN 40
CONCLUSION 46
APPENDIXA:ANNOTATEDBIBLIOGRAPHY 49
APPENDIXB:PROJECTSTAKEHOLDERS 55
APPENDIXC:SWOTANALYSIS 56
APPENDIXD:GANTTCHART 57
REFERENCES 60
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Introduction
AccordingtotheAmericanAllianceofMuseums(AAM),about57percentoftheir
membersaremuseumswith0-3Staffmembers.Another21percenthave4-10
employees(AAM,11/25/2016).Accordingtothisstandard,thismeansthatthemajority
ofthemuseumsinAmericaaresmall.Havinglimitedstaffmembersandresources
becomesachallengewhenattemptingtoachievethebestpracticesincreatingan
exhibition.Thisstruggleleadstostaffhavingtoprioritizehowtoallocatetheir
resources.
Exhibitiondevelopmentcanbeoneoftheprojectsthatfallunderthelow-priority
category.Exhibitprojectscanbeextremelycostlyandtime-consuming,anditis
understandablehowsomemuseumschoosenottoprioritizethem.Inthispaper,Iwill
examinethebestpracticesforexhibitiondesignanddevelopment,anddiscussthe
differentcomponentsinordertogetabetterunderstandingofwhatgoesintothese
projects.Iwillanalyzethedifferentcomponents,anddeterminewhatexactlyitisthat
makesprojectslikethisexpensive,andpossiblewaystoreducethecosts.Basedonthis
information,Icanadaptthebestpracticesframeworktofitsmallermuseumsandshow
thatexhibitionscanbecreatedonanybudget.
Further,Iproposeaprojectthatwillaidinfacilitatingchangingexhibition
programsforsmallmuseums,whichareadaptabletothemuseum’ssize,meaningthe
numberofemployees,budget,andspace.Thisprojectaddressesthemuseum’s
responsibilitytobeopentothepublicandallowthemaccesstothecollection.Aspublic
areas,themuseumsshouldbeavailabletoeveryone,andtheyshouldstrivetobe
relevant.Newexhibitswillregularlycontributetobringingvisitorsbacktothemuseums
andcontinuinggrowthoftheinstitution.
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Theprojectwillhavethreeoverallgoalstofulfill:
1. Tocreateanexhibitionforasmallmuseumonalimitedbudget.
2. TotellthestoryofthemusicandperformingartsattheTreasureIsland
Museum.
3. Tocreateaguideonthedevelopmentofexhibitionsformuseumsonsmall
budgets,thatcanbeusedfordirectionwhendevelopingthenextexhibition
project.
Thefirstpartofthepaperwilladdressthemuseum’sbestpractices.Focusingon
literaturefromprojectswherelargebudgetswereavailableprovidesaninsighttowhat
thebestcasescenarioforexhibitionswouldbe.Withthisinmind,Icanbreakdownthe
componentsanddeterminewhatisnecessaryforanexhibitiontosucceed.Crucial
componentsliketimemanagement,agoodidea,andgoodcontent,areessential
elementsforanyexhibitionwork,anditdoesnotdependonthesizeofthebudget.Iwill
alsodiscusswhyitisimportantformuseumstohaveexhibitionsandtheresponsibility
ithastosharethecollectionwiththecommunityandfulfillingitsmission.
Thesecondpartofthepaperisaproposalforamuseum-basedprojectaddressing
thisissue.IamproposinganexhibitionfortheTreasureIslandMuseumthatwillusethe
principalsfromtheliteraturereviewtoplanasuitableprojectforthemuseum`ssizeand
budget.TreasureIslandMuseumisasmallhistorymuseumlocatedonTreasureIsland
intheSanFranciscoBay.TheIslandwascreatedtoholdtheWorld’sFairin1939,and
themuseumopenedinsideoftheoriginalmainbuildingontheislandin2007,devoted
totellingthestoryoftheisland.Themuseum’smissionis“toengagevisitorsandisland
residentswithTreasureIsland'srichculturallegacy,thenaturalwealthofYerbaBuena
Island,andtheislands'futuresustainabledevelopment,toexploreinnovativesolutions
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tothechallengesoflivinginharmonywithourenvironment”(TreasureIslandMuseum,
2016).
ThissectionaddressesthehistoryandpurposeoftheTreasureIslandMuseum,
andwhythisprojectisimportantfortheinstitution.Itisfollowedbyanactionplan,
describingeverystepoftheexhibitionprocess,fromstarttoend,andthemilestones
alongtheway.
Attheendofthepaper,youwillfindtheappendices,includingadditional
informationabouttheprojectstakeholders,anexampleofaSWOTanalysis,andthe
projectschedule.
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Chapter1:LiteratureReview
CreatingExhibitsforSmallHistoryMuseumsonaLimitedBudget
Introduction
Historymuseumsprovideaplaceforentertainmentaswellasforpeopletoengage
withthepastandfurthertheireducation.Theexhibitsarethetoolsthemuseumusesto
accomplishthosegoals.Headlinesaredrawingthepeopleinside,andthecontentis
makingthemstayandinteract(Bedford2014).Frompersonalexperience,Iknowthat
museumsarefunplacesforlearning,andIlovespendingtimethere.However,no
matterhowmuchIloveanexhibit,Iwilleventuallygrowtiredoflookingatthesame
objectsrepeatedly.Iliketoexperiencedifferentexhibitionsandwhattheyhavetooffer.
Ifthemuseumisnotchangingtheirexhibitionsfrequentlyenough,Iwillstopcoming
back,andtheyhavelostaninterestedguest.Themuseumisrelyingonthepublic’s
interesttosucceed,andinordertobringthembackforfuturevisits,themuseumsneed
togivethemareasontowanttoreturn.Makingmuseumguestscomebackisamajor
stepforfurtherdevelopmentoftheinstitution,andregularlychangingexhibitsisone
wayofaccomplishingthis.Theproblemwiththisisthatexhibitionscanbecostlyto
develop,andnotallmuseumshavetheluxuryofbeingabletoaffordexpensive
exhibitiondesignerstocreateimpressivenewexhibitsonaregularbasis.
Inthispaper,Iwillfirstexaminetheliteraturewrittenonbestpracticesfor
exhibitions.Followingthat,Iwillbreakdownthedifferentcomponentsinorderto
betterunderstandwhatmakesagreatexhibition.Iwanttodeterminethekeypointsof
whatmakesanexhibitionsuccessful.Usingthisinformation,Icanadaptthescaleofthe
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projecttofitasmallerinstitution,andprovethatitispossibletohaveachanging
exhibitionprogramonalimitedbudget.
Startingoff,Iwantedtolookatafewmuseums’missions.Themissionservesas
guidelineforwhatthemuseumisandshouldbedoing.Reviewingthiswillgivemea
betterunderstandingofthemuseum’sresponsibilityofengagingthepublic,andhow
exhibitionsareagreatwayofaccomplishingthis.
Mission1:“TheTreasureIslandMuseumengagesvisitorsandislandresidentswithTreasureIsland'srichculturallegacy,thenaturalwealthofYerbaBuenaIsland,andtheislands'forthcomingsustainabledevelopment,toexploreinnovativesolutionstothechallengesoflivinginharmonywithourenvironment”.
(TreasureIslandMuseum,2016)Mission2:“ThemissionoftheChevyChaseHistoricalSocietyistocollect,record,interpretandsharematerialsrelatingtothehistoryofChevyChase,Maryland,oneofAmerica’sfirststreetcarsuburbs.Theorganizationprovidesresourcesforhistoricalresearchandsponsorsavarietyofprogramsandactivitiestofosterknowledgeandappreciationofthecommunity’shistory”.
(ChevyChaseHistoricalSociety,2016)Mission3:“ThemissionoftheBayAreaElectricRailroadAssociationistopreservetheregionalheritageofelectricrailwaytransportationasalivingresourceforthebenefitofpresentandfuturegenerations.” (BayAreaElectricRailroadAssociation,2016)Mission4:“TheMissouriHistoricalSocietyservesastheconfluenceofhistoricalperspectivesandcontemporaryissuestoinspireandengageouraudiences”. (MissouriHistoricalSociety,2016)
ThereasonwhyIchosethesethreemuseumsisbecausetheyarehistorical
museumssimilartotheTreasureIslandMuseum.Theyvaryinsizeandbudgets,which
makesitinterestingtolookatwhattheyaretryingtoachieve.Lookingatallfour
missions,wecanseethateachoftheinstitutionshavesimilargoalsrelatedto
preservingculturalheritageforthefuture,andmethodsof“sharing”and“engaging”
theircollectionswiththepublic.Basedontheirmissions,thepublicprogramsshouldbe
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ahighpriorityandsomethingtheyshouldspendresourcesonimproving.Fulfillinga
missionismorethanjustengagingwiththepublic.However,becausethemuseumshave
differentsizesandbudgets,theyalsohavedifferentgroundsforachievingsimilargoals.
Creatinganexhibitioncanbethesolutiontosatisfyingthesemissions,butthisproject
willbeeasiertorealizeifyouhavemoreresourcesyoucandevotetotheproject.
Ifyouwishtoutilizeexhibitionsasawayofsuccessfullyfulfillingyourmission
andbuildastrongerrelationshipwiththecommunityitisimportanttogivethisproject
priority.Thisisequallyimportantforallfourmuseums,andindependentonthe
institutionssizeandbudget.
CreatinganExhibition
Therearemanysourcesavailablethatdiscussexhibitiondevelopmentinthe
museums.Bogle(2013)andMatassa(2014)wrotetwoverydifferentbooksonthe
subject;however,togethertheycomplimenteachotherwell.Althoughbothauthorsare
writingaboutthesamethings,Matassa’sbookpresentsasaneasytouseguide,while
Bogle’sbookisamoretechnicalmanual,providingtwodifferentwaystoapproachan
exhibitionproject.
Chicone&Kissel(2014),Walhimer(2015)andBedford(2014)havealsowritten
aboutcreatingexhibitions.Subsequently,Iwilllookintosomeoftheirwork,anddiscuss
theprocessesinordertounderstandwherethemajorcostsare,andhowtoadjustthem
forsmallerprojects.
Itisessentialtounderstandtheframeworkoftheprojectwhenyouarecreatingan
exhibit.Firstly,understandingthiscanpreventyoufrommakingunnecessarymistakes
thatwouldotherwisecosttimeandmoneythatyoudon’thave.Secondly,byknowing
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wheretobeginandhowtoconducttheproject,youcanmoreefficientlyusethe
resourcesavailable,manageyourprojectbetter,andcreateabetterproductintheend.
“TheBigIdea:”WhatistheExhibitionAbout?
Beforestartingtheexhibitionplanningitisimportanttohaveanideaofwhatthe
themeoftheexhibitionwillbe(Walhimer,2015)(Matassa,2014).Thisideawillbethe
redthreadthroughtheexhibit,soitisimportanttohaveawell-formedthoughtthatwill
tieeverythingtogether.Thebigideawillalsohelpsortoutthecontentfortheexhibit.If
thereareobjectsyouwanttousebutareunsureof,askyourselfiftheyareinlinewith
theidea.Iftheyare,youcanusethem.
Onceyouhaveyouridea,youneedtostartplanningthepracticalaspects.Thislist
oftipsandmistakestakenfromMatassa’sbookonorganizingexhibitionsneatly
summarizestheinformationfoundintheliteratureusedforthisproject.
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Top10tipsforasuccessfulexhibition Top10mistakes
1.Goodplanningandorganization 1.Unclearpurpose
2.Adequatebudget 2.Nosinglepersonincharge/noclearlinesofresponsibility
3.Documentation 3.Nobudget/overbudget
4.Teamwork 4.Poorcommunication
5.Goodcommunicationandnegotiation 5.Leavingeverythingtolastminute
6.Keepingtotheschedule 6.Ignoringthesmalldetails
7.Clearareasofresponsibility 7.Verbalagreements/keepingeverythinginyourhead
8.Emergencyresponse 8.Nocontingencyplan
9.Goodmaintenance 9.Displaybecomestired/shabby/uncaredfor
10.Legacy 10.Losinginterestoncetheexhibitionopens,‘nowontothenextone’.
Figure1.“Thesuccessfulexhibition”(Matassa,2014p.xxiii)
Boglepressestheimportanceofplanningoutthedifferentphasesandstickingto
theschedule.Everyaspectoftheprojecthastobeplannedout,anditisimportantto
knowwhoisinchargeofgettingthetasksdone(Bogle,2013).IagreewithBogleonthe
importanceofschedulesanddeadlines.Thisplanningallowsyoutoknowifyourproject
isontrack,aheadofschedule,orfallingbehind.Italsomakesiteasiertoknowwhen
somethingisnotgoingthewayitshould,orifyourprojectneedstobeadjusted.
MatassaandBogledonotdirectlydisagreeonanything,buttheyarepresenting
thematerialsintwoverydifferentways,whichmakesithelpfultoreadbothbooks.
Matassa’sbookisgivingyoutheoutlineoftheexhibitiondevelopmentprocess,anda
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veryeasymanualtoread,butitisnotprovidingtoomuchindepthinformation.Thisis,
however,somethingyouwillfindinBogle’sbook,butinamoretheoreticallayout.
TheTeam
Beforedecidingonateamfortheexhibitionproject,therearemultiplepointsto
consider.Howlargeisyourbudget?Howmanypeoplecanyouaffordtohaveonyour
team?Whattypeofqualitiesandskillsdoyouneedforyourteam?Willyouhaveoutside
consultants?Doyouhavetheresourcesin-house,ordoyouneedtooutsourcesomeof
thetasks?Bestpracticesuggeststhatyourteamwouldconsistofaprojectmanager,
exhibitiondeveloper,contentspecialist,exhibitiondesigner,registrars,educators,
evaluator,exhibitionfabricator,ITstaff,mediadesigners,visitorservicesmanagers,and
marketingspecialists(Chicone&Kissel,2014).However,havingsuchahugeteamis
expensive,andnotallmuseumscanaffordit.Playingoffoneanother’sknowledge,
experience,andbackgroundcanbeveryhelpful,andsaveyoualotofmoney.What’s
mostimportantisthatyouhaveaprojectmanagerorsomeonetodirecttheproject,so
thatthereisaclearleadership(Chicone&Kissel,2014;Matassa,2014;Melton,2008).
Asfortherestoftheteam,itisnotnecessarytofillalltheroleslistedaboveindividually.
Dependingontheproject’ssizeandavailablestaff,insteadofonepersononly
responsibleforthecontentoftheexhibition,theycouldhavemultiplerolessuchas
contentspecialist,registrarandexhibitionfabricator.Bymakingpeoplewearmultiple
hats,youcansafelycutmoreoftheexpensivecontractpositions.
Theproblemwithcuttingcornersisthattheproductwillnothavethesamehigh
qualityasifyouhiredprofessionalstodothesamejob.Substitutingpeoplewithyearsof
experiencewithstaffmembersthathavelittletonoexperiencewilldefinitelyimpactthe
results,butitdoesnotmeanthattheexhibitionwon’tbegoodenough.Therearealso
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moreimportantreasonsforcreatingnewexhibitsthanwantingtheresultstobe
exceptional.Themuseum’sresponsibilitytoitsmissionisthebiggestandmost
importantargumentfordevelopingnewexhibitions.Themissionisthepurposeofthe
museum,andmanymuseumshavestatementsrelatedtoeducation,sharingofobjects
and/orengagingwiththecommunity.Ifyousucceedincreateanexhibitthatis
supportingthemissionandengagingvisitorsthiswillbegoodenough.
ProjectManagement
AsMatassapointedout(seefigure1,“thesuccessfulexhibition”),goodplanning
andorganizationareimportantforasuccessfulproject(Matassa,2014).Asolidplanfor
managingtheprojectwillmakeyourendresultstronger,andthereforeIwishtolookat
literaturediscussingthemanagementofprojects.
Boglewritesabouttheimportanceofgoodtimemanagement,andshe
accomplishesthisbydividingtheprojectintodifferentphases(Bogle,2013).Doingthis,
shecreatesaclearlistoftasksthatneedscompletion,andinwhatsequence,thosetasks
getcompletedthroughouttheproject.Everyphaseandeverytaskcoincidewitha
deadline,andbyusingthissystem,youcaneasilykeeptrackofhowyourprojectis
doingintermsoftimeandmilestones.
Tocomparethemuseumpracticeformanaginganexhibitionplanningprocess,I
wantedtolookatprojectplanninginamoregeneralcontext.Melton(2008)wrote
abouthowawell-managedprojectcandeliveragoodproduct,butherapproachto
accomplishingtheprojectisdifferentfromthephasesaddressedbyBogle.Meltonis
usingaprojectdeliveryplan,whichtellsyouwhatyourprojectisaimingtodo,whatif
(potentialscenariosthatcouldimpacttheproject),whoisinvolvedintheproject,and
howwillyouachieveyourgoals(Melton,2008).SheisalsousingaProjectDeliveryPlan
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(PDP)toidentifypotentialproblemsthatcanoccurduringtheproject.ThePDPsystem
isanevaluationwhereyounotice(1)symptoms,thatwillleadyouto(2)rootcauses,
andthen(3)solutions(Melton,2008).Ultimatelyitdoesnotnecessarilymatterwhat
systemyouuseformanagingyourproject,aslongasyouknowhowtoimplementit.The
conceptisthatyouknowyourprojectandyourtimelinewellenoughtoidentifywhen
somethingiswrongsothatyoucandealwiththeproblemsoonerratherthanlater.This
conceptisequallyimportantifyouareworkingforasmallmuseumoralargefor-profit.
ThePDPsystemisallowingtheusertoidentifypotentialproblems,butthe
challengeisthatnotallproblemscanbepredicted.Itisgreattohaveasystemfor
handlingproblemsthatcouldoccur,butunforeseenproblemsthatdooccurneedtobe
handledaswell.Successfullypreventingeveryproblemfromhappeningittheoptimal
wayofconductingaproject,butitisalsounrealistic.Noteveryproblemcanbe
predicted,anditisimportantthattheteamispreparedtodealwiththemasthey
happen,aswellasworkingtopreventthem.
OnethingInoticedfromreadingMelton’sbookandcomparingittoproject
managementofmuseumexhibitions,isthedistinctivefocusonamission,limited
resources,andbudgetinafor-profitproject.Thesearecrucialconsiderationsforthe
museumtorecognize,anditwouldbeahugeissueiftheprojectdimensionswereto
change.Melton’sbookshowedlessconcernoverpotentialchangesastheirfor-profit
businessmodelwouldbeabletocoverextraexpensesandjustifytheirreasonsforgoing
overbudget.MeltonalsopresentsthebenefitsofusingaSWOTanalysistoanalyzethe
projectandinstitutionbeforestartingaproject(Melton2008).ASWOTanalysisisatool
tohelpidentifytheinstitution’sstrengths,weaknesses,opportunities,andthreats.
Identifyingthestrengthsofyourprojectcanhelpachievebetterutilizationofthe
resourcesathand.Atthesametime,youbecomeawareoftheinstitution’sweaknesses,
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andwaysyoucanusethattoyouradvantage(Melton2008).Theanalysiscanbefilled
outinaclearlyorganizedform,andmakepotentialproblemsmoretransparent.Itcan
alsobeusedtofigureouthowtoturnaweaknessintoanassetbymakingtheusertruly
analyzetheweaknessesandthreats,insteadofjustfocusingonthestrengths.Foran
exampleoftheSWOTanalysisform,seeAppendixC.
Martín-CáceresandCuenca-López(2016)alsodiscusstheuseofSWOTanalysis,
andtheyuseittostrategizethecommunicationofculturalheritageinthemuseums.
Theychoseahistoricalmuseumasanexampleanddivideddifferentaspectsofthe
museum(heritage,staff,utilities,community,relationshipswiththecommunity,funds,
educationalprograms,etc.)intocategoriesthatcouldbeindividuallyanalyzedina
SWOTmatrix.TheresultstheygotfromtheseSWOTanalyseswerefurtherusedto
conductanassessmentoftheentireinstitution,andwecanseetheresultinfigure2
(Martín-CáceresandCuenca-López,2016)
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Weaknesses Threats• Insufficientbudgetforeducational
activities• Littlestaffinvolvement• Insufficientmanagementtraining• Facilitiesnotuptoscratch• Antiquatedanddecontextualized
teachingresourcesandmaterials• Academicpurpose• Exceptionalpatrimonygiven
precedenceoversocialandidentityheritage
• Personalizationofinterestineducationalprograms
• AdministrativechangesinMuseumhierarchy
• Budgetcutsincurrentscenario• Non-inclusionofschoolcurriculamay
endupreducingthemtomereanecdote
Strengths Opportunities• Generalconsiderationofneedto
addressformalandnon-formaleducation
• Staffinterestandinvolvement,becausetheeducationalframeworkisonthefrontlineofmuseumneeds
• Fosteringvisitorparticipationinworkshops
• Imaginationincollaborationtocomeupwithinterestingandmotivatingactivitieswithscantbudget
• Populationandvisitorsneedandcallforeducationalandculturalactivities
• Importantheritagekept,althoughnotexhibited,whichcouldbecomeauserattraction
• Localitywithquantitativelyandqualitativelyrelevantheritage
Figure2.“Table10.OutcomeshighlightedbySWOTsystem”(Martín-CáceresandCuenca-López,2016p.312)
BasedontheanalysisinFigure2,wecanseethatthemuseum’sweaknessismostly
relatedtoinsufficientfunds,andmanyoftheitemslistedunderthiscategorycanbe
addressedifthemuseumhadmorefinancialsupport.Theydohoweverhavemany
strengthslistedthatcouldpotentiallyhelpgrowaninstitutionthatisbetterequippedto
addresstheweaknesses.TheSWOTanalysisisalsolistingopportunitiesforthemuseum
aswellaspotentialthreatsthatmightimpactthemuseum’sstatus.
Conductingthisanalysisismakingvisibletothemuseumtheissuestheyneedto
address,andtheopportunitiestheymightnotbeexploitingsufficiently.Itisalsoeasier
toprioritizewheretospendmoneywhenyoucanseewherethebiggestproblemis,and
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youcancreateastrategyforimprovement.ForthemuseumthatMartín-Cáceresand
Cuenca-Lópezarestudying,theeducationalprogrammightbeathingthemuseum
wouldliketoimprove.
ExhibitionLabelsandLabelContent
Writingtheperfectexhibitionlabelcanbedifficult,butwhenyoudoitright,itwill
benefitboththevisitorsandtheoverallexhibition.Thedifferentlabels(seefigure3)
havenotablerolestoplayintheexhibit,buttheyalsoworktogethertogivetheexhibita
cleanlookandwell-organizedinformation.Asweseeinfigure3,TitleLabelsare
recommendedtohavealengthof1-7words.Itspurposeistograbthevisitor’sattention
andprovideinformationaboutwhattheexhibitionisaboutinashortandengagingway.
Toprovideamoreinformativetextabouttheexhibits“bigidea”youneedIntroductory
Labels.Thesecanbelongerandmoredescriptive,butshouldnotexceed300words.
BeverlySerrellwroteabookonexhibitlabelsin2015,inwhichshebreaksdown
thedifferenttypesoflabels,whatfunctiontheyserve,andhowpeopleinteractswith
them(Serrell,2015).Herresearchprovidedverydetailedresultsthattransformedlabel
writingfromaninterpretivepracticetoascience.Serrellfoundthatpeople’sattention
spanislimited,andinordertoallowthevisitortogetthemostoutofthelabels,there
arespecificlengthsandlabeltypesthatarepreferredoverothers.
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Maintypesofinterpretivelabels
Purpose Numberofwords
Exhibitiontitles ToattractattentionToinformthethemeToidentify
1-7
Introductorylabels TointroducethebigideaToorientatevisitorstothespace
20-300
GroupLabels TointerpretaspecificgroupofobjectsTointroducesubtheme
20-150
Captionlabels Tointerpretindividualobjects,models,phenomena
20-150
Figure3,Labels(Serrell,2015,p.33)
JudyRand`sarticle,“Lessismore.Moreisless.”,supportsSerrell’sresearch,and
pointsoutthatthevisitorwillnotnecessarilyspendmoretimeinfrontofalabelifthere
ismoretexttoread.Itismorelikelythattheywillskipaheadwithoutreadingit.To
proveherpoint,sheusestheUSSConstitutionMuseumnearBostonwheretheytracked
andtimedvisitorbehaviorthroughtwoexhibits.Inthefirstexhibit,wheretheyhadlong
textpanels(morethan4,500words)thefamiliesspentanaverageof7minutesper
exhibit.Whereas,inthesecondexhibition,therewasonlyatotalof1,500wordson
activitycardsandlabelscombined,andthefamiliesspentnearly22minutes(Rand,
2016).
Theinformationprovidedbythisexperimentsuggeststhatlongandhighly
descriptivelabelscanoverwhelmthevisitorandmakethemskipthetextaltogether.
Whenthelabelsareshorter,theywilltakethetimetoreadtheinformation,spendmore
timeintheexhibition,andgenerallyhaveabetterexperience.
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KatherineLissSaffle(2013)agreeswithSerrellonthelengthofexhibitionlabels.
Nevertheless,sheismakingapointoutofusingtechnologyasasupportingtoolwith
whichthevisitorscanvoluntarilyaccessmoreinformationthanwhatexhibitionlabels
provide(LissSaffle,2013).Themuseumshouldworktoprovideasatisfactory
experiencetoeveryvisitor,andthepreferredlengthsoflabelsarehighlysubjective.For
accommodatingthevisitorsthatwantlengthylabelswithadditionalinformation
technologycanbeagreattool.Thedownsidetothisisthattechnologyisanexpensive
option,andnotallmuseumscanaffordtoprovidethisextraservice.
Allthreeauthorshavespentconsiderabletimeanalyzingtheideallabelandtrying
tocomeupwithapermanentguidemakeiteasiertowritegoodlabelsinthemuseum.
However,thisprovestobemorechallenging,wheneveryexhibitionisdifferent,every
objectrequiresadifferentamountofcontext,andeveryvisitorprefersdifferent
amountsofinformation.Intheenditischallengingtowritetheperfectlabels,butthe
researchprovidedwillhelptobreakdownthecomponentsandgettheprocessstarted.
Thiswillmakethewriterbetterequippedtomakedecisionsonthelength,contentand
mediathatshouldbeincorporatedintheexhibition.
Promoting
Promotingyourexhibitionisnecessaryinordertotellthepublicwhatyouare
doing.TherearetwomethodstoadvertiseyourmuseumthatIwouldliketoexamine.
Oneoptionistolaunchamarketingcampaign(Walhimer,2015);anotherwouldbeto
promoteyourmuseumonsocialmedia(Allen-Greil,2013).In“Museums101”Walhimer
presentsaguidetocreatingasuccessfulmarketingcampaignformuseums.Helists
importantpointsliketargetingaprimaryaudience,adescriptionofwhyvisitorsshould
cometothemuseum,a“look”thatissupportingthedescription,andaplatformto
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launchthecampaign,suchassocialmedia,print,radio,andTV.Inadditiontothis,he
alsowritesabouttheusefulnessofattainingsamples,audiencetesting,revisionand
feedback(2015).Theseareallcriticalcomponentsofasuccessfulcampaign,butgoing
throughalloftheseplatformswillcostyoualotoftimeandmoney.
Promotingyourmuseumiscrucialforitssuccess.It’satoolforthemuseumto
remindthepotentialvisitorsthatisthere,whytheyshouldvisit,andwhatisnewatthe
institution.Ifnooneknowswhatyourmuseumisdoing,youcanquestionthereasonfor
doinganythingatall.Whatisthepointofhavingexhibitionsandbeingamuseumif
nobodyisawareofit?
Onealternativeistolaunchacampaignwithwhichyoumakeyourmuseumvisible
overmultiplesocialmediaplatformsandgaintheattentionthere.Thismethodallows
onetoreachouttopotentialvisitorsandpromoteexhibitswithoutspendinglotsof
money.Havingsocialmediaaccountsforyourmuseumdoesnotcostanything,andit’sa
waytoreachouttoamorediverseaudience.Inadditiontothis,youcreateadialogue
wherepeoplecancommunicatewiththemuseum.Allen-Greilwroteaboutthisinher
article“LearningandSharingExpertisewithSocialMedia”(2013).Shepresentsthe
threeC’s:Consume,Communicate,andCollaborate;bythis,shestatesthattheusercan
accessinformationaboutthemuseumwhenevertheywantto,communicatebyasking
questionstoboththestaffandothervisitorsthroughposts,andcollaborateby
connectingwiththeusersandstafftoformmutuallybeneficialrelationships.
SocialMediaisallowinguserstoengagewiththemuseumandstrengthenthe
connectionbetweenthem,whichcreatesahugebenefitforthemuseum.EarlierItalked
abouttheimportanceofthepublic’sinterestinordertohaveasuccessfulexhibit.Social
mediaiscontributingtoarelationshipwhererelevantpartiescantakenoticeinwhat
yourinstitutionisdoing.Thisisfundamentalforalltypesofmuseums,butforasmall
Bugge 22
museumwithlimitedfunds,thiscuriositycanmakeasignificantdifference.Ifthe
communityisshowinganinterest,youhaveabetterargumentforspendingresources,
liketimeandmoney,onprojectsthatwillbenefitthepublic,likeexhibitions.These
antecedentscanalsobeapotentialsourceofincomeforthemuseum.
CritiqueoftheFinishedExhibition
Markopoulos(2012)iscommittedtotheevolutionofexhibitiondesignandwrites
abouttheadvantagesofreviewingpreviousexhibitionstodevelopnewmethodsand
practices.Itiscrucialtoreviewyourproductbothduringtheprocessanduponits
completion.Byanalyzingyourwork,orhavingotherpeopledoit,youcanunderstand
andlearnfromyourmistakesandsuccesses.Lookingatotherpeople’sexhibitionscan
beequallybeneficial.Markopoulos,supportedbyMatassa(2014),Walhimer(2015),and
Bogle(2013)allagreethatexhibitionsshouldbeevaluatedtoimprovefutureexhibits.
Byexaminingthecompletedproductandtheprocessofcreatingthework,museumscan
identifywhatstrategiesweresuccessfultotheirexhibits’development.Reviewsof
exhibitionsshowwheredidyoumakemistakes,andwhatcanbedonebetternexttime.
Alloftheseareimportantthingstotakewithyouintoyournextexhibitionproject,and
cangreatlyimprovetheexhibitionprocessandoverallmethods.Forsmallmuseumsthe
critiqueoftheexhibitionprocessiscrucial.Whenthemuseumdoesnothavethe
resourcestohireoutsideexperts,itessentialthattheylearnfromtheirownwork.This
isthebestwayforthestaffmemberstoinsurethattheproductwillimprove,andthat
theyareexpandingtheirknowledgeaboutexhibitionprojects.
Bugge 23
Cases
Tosupporttheargumentthatitispossibletocreateengagingproductswithout
thetraditionalresources,Iwouldliketolookatafewcasestudies:
SkolnickCase
Thiswasathree-daymasterclasstaughtbyLeeH.Skolnickin2006onexhibition
design.Skolnickdividedtheclassintoteamsandgavethemalocation,atheme,anda
selectionoftoolsthattheyallhadattheirdisposal.Thepointoftheassignmentwasto
createsomethingthatwasdifferentfromtheconventionalinterpretationofcontentand
explorethepotentialofdoingsomethinginnovative(Skolnick,2014).Attheendofthe
class,theywereleftwithanimpressivepresentationoftheworks,showingthatyou
don’tneedtobeanexhibitiondesignertocurateasuccessfulexhibition.
Thismasterclassisasmall-scaleproject,butitdoesdemonstrateamajorkey
point.Byallowingpeopletoworktogetherandthinkcreativelytheyareabletoproduce
outstandingandinnovatedresults.Thestudentshadalimitedtimeframeandfew
resources,buttheywerestillcapableofcreatingengagingproductsattheend.This
supportstheargumentthatsmall-scaleexhibitionprojectscanbesuccessful.Theteam
lookedatthetoolstheyhadavailable,brainstormedandworkedofeachother’sideas
andexperiences,andcameupwithstrongideasforexhibits.Ifyouknowinthe
beginningoftheprojectthatyouonlyhaveafewresourcestoworkwithandashort
timeframe,youdon’thavetimetoworryaboutallthethingsyouwishedyouhad
available.Thefinishedproductistheonlythingthatmatters.
HistoricSt.Mary`sCityCase
Onthesamesubject,butonalargerscale,HistoricSt.Mary’sCity,astate-owned
andoperatedoutdoorlivinghistorymuseum(HSMC),managedtobuildatimberframe
pavilionbyusingtheiralreadyexistingstaffandlocalresources(Faden,2012).Dueto
Bugge 24
theirbudgetcut,theycouldnotaffordtohireanexhibitiondesignerfortheirnew
project.WhattheHSMCdidhavewasabroadandvariedstaffpooltheycouldutilize.
Themuseumcouldalsoutilizethenearbysurroundings;localresourceslikeAmish
millsintheneighborhoodwouldprovidecheapertimberfortheproject,andthe
museumsrelationshipwiththecommunitygavethemtheopportunitytoraisefundsfor
theirproject.Combiningtheseresourcestheywereabletolowertheprojectexpenses
andpulledoffasuccessfulproject.
Ichosethiscasestudybecauseofhowitdemonstrateswhatkindofbenefitsthe
museum’srelationshipwiththecommunitycanprovide.Communityrelationsoffer
crucialresourcestohavingprosperousmuseum.Withoutthepublic’sinterestinthe
museum,theywouldneverbeabletogettimberbelowmarketvalueorraisemoneyfor
thenewpavilion,provingthatthisconnectionwiththeneighborhoodcanbecentralfor
amuseum’ssuccess.Withouttheseconnectionstheentirebudgetcouldpotentiallyhave
beenshifted,andmadeitimpossibleforthemuseumtofinishtheexhibit.
SouthernOregonHistoricalSocietyCase
ThethirdcaseIwishtolookatishowtheSouthernOregonHistoricalSociety
(SOHS)rebuiltitselfafterlosingallitsgovernmentfunding.Inordertoavoidbankruptcy
themuseumhadtoreinventitselftomakeupforthelossoffinancing.In2009,they
wereoperatingwitha$35,000deficit,touristseasonwasending,andthemuseumdid
nothaveanyincome.Theboardsuspendedpublicoperationsforsixmonthsandfireda
majorityofthestaff,butstill,themuseumwaslosingmoney.SOHShadtoreestablish
itself,andtheyaccomplishedthisbyusingthe“threeR’sinmuseummanagement,
relevance,relationships,resources”(Weiss,2012).Whilethemuseumviewedthe
financialsituationasitsbiggestproblem,likeWeisspointedout,thereweremore
Bugge 25
intrinsicissuesathandthatwouldhavetobeaddressedbeforethemuseumcouldstart
growingagain.
“Lackoffundingwasthesymptomoftheunderlyingproblem,whichwasalackof
widespread community engagement and support. In order to win back the
community,itwasessentialtoinvolvethecommunityintheprocessofrebuilding
thehistoricalsocietyandovercomethetendencytotakethesocietyforgranted.”
(Weiss,2012)
TheSOHSreachedouttotheircommunityandrecruitedvolunteers.Theyalsoreached
outtootherhistoricalsocietiesintheareaandbuiltrelationshipswiththem.Bydoing
so,theygainedresourcesthatwouldhelptheirmuseumregaintheirfinancialandsocial
stability.Theyalsofoundwaysofusingtheirfacilitiesasaresource,suchasrentingit
outforevents.Thisallowedthemtogainanotherincome,andatthesametime
strengthenedtheirrelationshipwiththecommunity(Weiss,2012).
ThecasewithSOHSproveshowimportantitistohaveapartnershipwiththe
community.Relevance,relationships,andresourcesarenotonlycrucialforamuseum
thatweretoloseallfunding,butcanalsostrengthenamuseum’sexistingpositioninthe
firstplace.ThethreeR’sareasnecessaryforexhibitiondevelopmentastheyarefor
managingthemuseum.
Lookingatthesethreecasesyoucanseethatthenearbysurroundings,community
andindividualinterests,arepotentialresourcesforyourmuseum,anditistherefore
importanttonurturethisrelationship.Whilesmallmuseumscanfacemanychallenges,
especiallywhenitcomestomoneyandfunding,goodrelationshipsandpartnerships
withinthecommunitycanhelptheinstitutionexpandandgenerateresources.Also,the
communityisoftenthemostimportantaudienceformuseums,andthegeneraltarget
Bugge 26
forexhibitionvisitors.Thesetypesofrelationshipswillgenerateinterestforyour
museumandwillresultinahealthyandsuccessfulmuseum.ThereasonwhyIchose
thesemuseumsforthiscasestudyisthattheydemonstratehowthemuseums
successfullycantakeadvantageoftheconnectionswiththecommunity.TreasureIsland
Museumshouldexploretheopportunityofstrengtheningsimilarconnectionsandhow
thiscancontributetobuildingastrongermuseum.Lookingattheexamples,wecansee
thattherearemultiplepotentialbenefitsbyhavingstrongrelationswiththecommunity.
TheSOHSmightnothavefoundthemselvesinsuchabadsituationiftheyhadmade
moreofanefforttoberelevanttothecommunitybeforetheyhadtoreinvent
themselvestoavoidbankruptcy.HSMCdidexploititsconnectionsandwereableto
realizeaprojecttheyoriginallydidnothavetheresourcestodo.TreasureIsland
Museumcanlearnfromthisandshouldworktoimprovetheirrelationshipwiththe
community.
RecommendationsforFurtherResearch
Thebiggestgapintheliteratureappearstobethelackofpublishedarticles
writtenabouthistorymuseumsandcreatingstrongexhibitsonsmallbudgets.Ihave
beenlookingforrelevantarticles,butithasproventobedifficult.Agapinliterature
doesnotmeanyoucannotapproachthischallenge,butthatyouneedtoapproachitwith
creativityanddrawfromyourownexperienceandresourcestogetitdone.Byhaving
workshopswithyourcolleaguesyoucancreateapoolofknowledgethatwillhelpsolve
theproblem,andyoucandevelopyourownstandards,makingiteasiertodothesame
typeofprojectinthefuture(Lacher-Feldman,2014).Nonetheless,thelackofarticles
availableonthefieldsuggeststhatthereisademandforfurtherresearchonthistopic.
Bugge 27
Byexpandingtheresearchtoscienceandnaturalhistorymuseums,Iwasabletofinda
fewmoresources,buttheliteraturepoolisstillverylimited.
Conclusion
Eventhoughtheliteratureonexhibitiondevelopmentdoesexplicitlynotsayhow
muchitcoststocreateanexhibitinlinewithbestpractices,itisclearthattheentire
processcanendupbeingverycostlyformuseums.However,therearewaystocutcosts
ifyouarewillingtothinkcreativelyandyourteamispreparedtohelpoutwhereveritis
needed.Forexample,youcanusealreadyexistingstaffinsteadofhiringoutside
professionalsortalkwiththecommunityandseeifyoucanbenefitfromconnections
thatcanprovidediscountedmaterialsforyourprojects.Onecanusetheliteraturethat
isoutthere,suchasthebooksandarticlesfromthisliteraturereview,todevelopa
customizedframeworktoyourbudget,size,andneed.Thisshowsitispossibletocreate
asuccessfulexhibitionprogramforsmallermuseums.Youmightnotendupwitha
revolutionary,groundbreaking,exhibition,butbyfollowingthestandardsandusingthe
resourcesyouhaveavailable,theresultsmightbemorethansatisfactory.
Inconclusion,youcansavealotofmoneyonyourexhibitionprojectbytaking
advantageofthestaffandotherconnectionsyouhaveavailable.Theliteraturethatis
availableonprojectmanagementisdetailedenoughtoturnanypersonintoanadequate
projectmanager.Yournearbycommunityisalsoausefulresourcethatcanhelpyou
succeed.Volunteersandinternsareexcellentforgettingtasksdonewithouthavinga
highcost.
Promotingyourmuseumandwhatyouaredoingdoesnotneedtobeanexpensive
aspectoftheproject.Byusingsocialmedia,youarepresentingyourmuseuminamore
visibleway,andpromotingitwithoutpayingformorethangeneralstaffexpenses.
Bugge 28
Thebottomlineisthataslongasyouarecreativeandwillingtousewhateverresources
youhaveathand,itispossibletocreateanexhibitionprogramforsmallmuseumsand
buildahealthierinstitution.
Bugge 29
Chapter2:ProposalofaMuseumSolution
IdentificationoftheProblem
Exhibitionsarethemostcommonwayformuseumstointeractandcommunicate
withtheirvisitorsandthesurroundingcommunity.Theproblemisthatmanymuseums
operatewithasmallbudget,andexhibitiondevelopmentcanbeveryexpensive.
Operatingamuseumiscostly,anditisveryeasytoprioritizetasksotherthan
exhibitions.Spendingmoneyonthemuseummanagement,andotherback-of-house
expensecanbesmart,butitdoesmeantheexhibitionspacewillstaythesameuntilit
receivesprioritydowntheline.Asdiscussedintheliteraturereview,thisisnotinline
withmanymuseummissions.Museumshavearesponsibilitytoprovideengaging
contentforvisitors,andtokeeptheexhibitsinterestingtheyshouldregularlybe
changed.Newexhibitscancontributetobringingvisitorsbackregularly,whichagain
willhelpthemuseumbuildastrongerrelationshipwiththeircommunity,and
strengthenthemuseum’sreputationandcommunitystatus.
Accordingtomyresearch,exhibitiondevelopmentcaninmanycasesbevery
costly.However,bybeingsmartwiththemoney,itispossibletocutcostsandmakenew
exhibitscheaper.Operatingonasmallbudgetisthereforenotanexcusetoneglectthe
exhibitionprograms.Ifthedetermination,timeandcommitmentarepresent,itis
possibletodevelopaprogramforregularlychangingexhibitions.
AbriefbackgroundofTreasureIslandMuseum
TheTreasureIslandMuseum(TIM)wasestablishedatTreasureIslandmorethan
40yearsago.TheIslandwasbuilttobethelocationfortheGoldenGateInternational
Expositionin1939,whichwaslaterextendedto1940.Afterthefairclosed,theisland
Bugge 30
wasintendedtobethenewinternationalairport,butduetotheoutbreakoftheSecond
WorldWar,theislandwasinsteadlefttotheU.S.Navyandturnedintoanavalbasein
1941.TheNavyusedtheislandasabaseuntil1997.In2007,followingadecadeof
negotiations,theU.S.NavysoldTreasureIslandbacktotheCityofSanFrancisco,and
theMuseumopenedinsideoftheoriginalBuilding1,oneofthefewremainingbuildings
fromtheWord’sFair.DuringtheNavy’stimeattheIsland,therewasaNavyMuseumin
Building1.TreasureIslandtookoverpartsofthiscollection,andconsidertheNavy
MuseumapartofTIM’shistory.Todaythemuseumisasmallhistorymuseumdedicated
toconveyingthehistoryoftheisland,andthebuildinginwhichthemuseumishoused.
Theyareusingasmallroomintheentrancehallastheirexhibitiongallery,andtheirone
paidemployeemainlymanagesthecollection.Theyalsohaveaboardconsistingof11
members(TreasureIslandMuseum,2016).
MissionStatement
“TheTreasureIslandMuseumengagesvisitorsandislandresidentswithTreasure
Island'srichculturallegacy,thenaturalwealthofYerbaBuenaIsland,andtheislands'
forthcomingsustainabledevelopment,toexploreinnovativesolutionstothechallenges
oflivinginharmonywithourenvironment”(TreasureIslandMuseum,2016).
ReasonforProposingaNewExhibit
Thecurrentexhibition,“WishYouWereHere!PostcardsfromGGIE”,atTreasure
IslandMuseumopenedonMay17th,2014.Theexhibitcontainspostcardsand
memorabiliafromtheGoldenGateInternationalExposition.Sincetheexhibition
opened,themuseumhasnotdevotedanyresourcestomaintainingorupdatingthe
exhibitspace.Theexhibitionhasbeenopenforalongtime,andwhiletheboardwishes
Bugge 31
tochangeitout,theyfeeltheprocesswouldbecostlyanddemandpreciousresources,
likestaffandtime.
Atthesametime,theboardisgettingreadyforafundraisingprojectthatwilltake
upalotofthemuseum’sresourcesforthefollowingyears.TreasureIslandisbeing
redeveloped,andthemuseumispreparingforthenewenvironmentandanewphase
thatwillallowtheinstitutiontogrowintoabiggermuseum.Asaconsequenceofthis
focus,theboardisnotpreparedtospendmanyresourcesonexhibitiondevelopment.
Still,theydowishtosignalthecontinuingmanagementofthecurrentmuseum,andthey
seethebenefitsofhavingnewexhibitionsintheirgallery.
Thisprojectwillfurtherthevaluesandgoalsofthemuseumfield.WhileIwas
researchingthetopicforthepreviousliteraturereview,Iwasstrugglingtofindrelevant
sourcesdescribingexhibitionprojectsinsmallmuseums.Thisresearchleadsmeto
believethatnotmanysmallmuseumsaredocumenting,oratleastpublishingpapers,on
exhibitionprojectswithlimitedfundsandresources.Thismakesitdifficultforother
similarinstitutionstolearnfromeachother’sexperiences.Thisprojectwillattemptto
fillsomeofthatgapintheliterature,bycombiningbestpracticesandexperiences,
document,andevaluatethecurrentexhibitionproject,todevelopaguidethatcanbe
usedspecificallyinsmallhistorymuseums.Byprovidingthisguide,weareprovingthat
itispossibletocreateexhibitsonsmallbudgets,andcaninspiresimilarinstitutionsto
updatetheirexhibitpractice,insteadofneglectingit.Thiswillalsocontributetomaking
theprojecteasiertocontinueforfuturepracticesothatitcaneasilybeadaptedtothe
museum’sgrowth.
Bugge 32
ProjectProposal
Iproposeafour-monthlongprojecttorenewthecurrentexhibitionspaceatthe
TreasureIslandMuseum.Thenewexhibitionwillbeaboutthemusicandperforming
artsattheGoldenGateInternationalExposition,anditwillallowthevisitorstointeract
withanewpieceofhistoryfromthe1939-1940World’sFair.Theprojectwillbecarried
outonalowbudgetandwillbemanagedbythemuseum’sintern,underthesupervision
oftheOfficeManager.Drawingfrombestpractices,theywilladaptthetraditionof
exhibitiondevelopmenttoTreasureIsland’ssizeandbudget,andcreateanewexhibit
fortheirgallery.
GoalsandObjectives
Goal1:Createachangingexhibitionprogramforsmallmuseumswithalimitedbudget.
• Objective1A:Establishasustainablechangingexhibitionprogram.
• Objective1B:Designandconceptualizethefirstexhibitionfortheprogram.
• Objective1C:Createamarketingstrategy.
Goal2:TellthestoryofthemusicandperformingartsattheTreasureIslandWorld
Fairsin1939and1940usingthemuseum’scollections.
• Objective2A:Usethemuseum’scollectiontocommunicatethehistorythrough
objectsandphotographs.
• Objective2B:Createwellwrittentextpanelstosupporttheexhibitcontent.
Goal3:Createaguideonlow-budgetexhibitiondevelopmentforsmallmuseums,which
willbeusedforfutureexhibitions.
Bugge 33
• Objective3A:Evaluatethefirstexhibitsoutcomeandestablishwhatworkedand
didnotwork.
• Objective3B:Provideamanualonhowtocreatefutureexhibits,whichcanbe
usedbythemuseum,andsimilarinstitutionsinthefuture.
Conclusion
Amuseumhasaresponsibilitytoitsmissionandvisitorstoprovidecompelling
contentandeducationalmaterials.Creatingexhibitionsisawayforthemuseumsto
approachthisresponsibility,andatthesametimebuildastrongerinstitution.Providing
newexhibitswilldrawmorepeopletothemuseum,whichagaincanleadtohigher
ticketsalesorpossibledonations.Themuseumcanusethisincometobuildnew
exhibitions,oronotherprogramsthatmaybenefitthevisitors.Startingthisprocesscan
bechallengingandintimidatingifyoudon’thavepeopleonyourstaffwithexperience
fromsimilarprojects.Forasmallmuseumwithasmallbudgetthatwon’tallowyouto
hireprofessionalconsultants,itcanseemdifficult.Thelackofliteraturefromsimilar
projectsisalsoanobstaclethatmustbeaddressed,butanalysisofliteraturerelatedto
biggerprojectscanbeusedforinspirationandprofessionalguidelines.
Itisimportanttorememberwhyyouaredoingtheproject,andwhatyouare
gettingoutofit.Openingnewexhibitsregularlyprovesthatyourinstitutionisworking
tofulfillitsmission,andwantstobeaplacewherevisitorscanengagewithhistory.
Thereareotheraspectsofmuseummanagementthatcanbeprioritizedlikecollections
careorupdatingcatalogingsystems,butthiswillnotservethepublicatthesamelevel
asanexhibit.
Forthisprojectproposal,Iamaddressingtheissueofcreatinganexhibitona
smallbudget.Justbecausetheexhibitiondevelopmentanddesigncanbechallenging
Bugge 34
andexpensive,itdoesn’tmeanthegalleryshouldbeneglected.Byprototypinga
programforcreatingexhibitionsregularly,youareservingyourmissionaswell
providingmethodsthatcanbeusedbysimilarinstitutions,andcreatinganewpractice
yourinstitutioncanbenefitfrominthefuture.
Bugge 35
Chapter3:ProjectPlan
ProjectTitle
CreatingExhibitsforSmallHistoryMuseumsonaLimitedBudget
ProjectPurpose
Thisprojectwillallowmuseumswithsmallbudgetstoupdateandchangetheir
exhibitionsonaregularbasis.Bydoingthis,itisestablishingamorerelevantpositionin
thecommunity,aswellasfulfillingitsmission.
BackgroundandStrategicContext
Museumsoperatingonsmallbudgetscaneasilyprioritizeotheroperating
expensesinsteadofexhibits.Thegeneralassumptionisthatexhibitionsareexpensive
andnotworthdoingwithlimitedresources.Thisprojectchallengesthatopinion,
creatingaprogramwherenewexhibitionswillregularlybedevelopedonalimited
budget.
Thestrategybehindthisexhibitionprojectisthatmorepeoplewillbedevoted
andinterestedinthemuseumiftheyprovidenewcontentandareasontovisit,which
willultimatelybenefitthemuseum.Inadditiontoreflectingathrivingandinteresting
museum,thenewexhibitionprogramcanhelpthemuseumsupportitsmissionby
engagingwiththecommunity.
Priority
Themuseumboardisprioritizingtheproject,butasthemuseumisalready
committedtoaverytimeandresource-demandingproject.Whentheresourcesaretied
upinadifferentproject,thismakesitdifficulttodevotetoomuchmoneyortimetothe
Bugge 36
exhibition.Theprojectwill,therefore,beconductedasasideprojectofthemuseum’s
dailyactivities.
OtherRelatedProjects
TreasureIslandMuseumisgettingreadyforamajorfundraiserandafuturenew
phaseinarehabilitatedbuilding.Thisprojectistakingupmostoftheboard’sresources,
andprogramslikelectureseriesandothereventshavebeentemporarilysuspended.
Thereisstilladesiretokeepthedailymanagementofthemuseumgoing,andprovingto
thecommunitythatthemuseumisstilloperatingduringthisphase.
Scopeincludingkeydeliverables
Forthisprojecttosucceed,Iamstartingoffbymakingafewassumptions.The
firstassumptionisthatthemuseumiswillingtodevotetimeandmoneytotheproject.
Forittofitintomyproposalofcreatingexhibitionsonasmallbudget,thebudgetshould
belimited,butitmustcoverstaffexpenses,andleavealittleroomforsuppliesand
services.Second,Iassumethatthemuseumhasacollectionthatcanprovidecontentfor
theexhibition.
Therearealsorestrictionstoconsider.FortheexhibitionatTreasureIsland
Museum,thethemewillbemusicandtheperformingartsatthe1939-1940World’s
Fair.Anythingthatdoesnotstrengthenthisstorywillnothaveaplaceintheexhibition.
Thesamegoesforanythingthatisnotinlinewiththemuseum’smission.Themission
statesthatthemuseumshouldengagewithvisitorsandtheisland’scommunity,andthe
exhibitionshould,therefore,bedirectedatthisaudience.
Bugge 37
Theprojectisalsoconstrainedbythebudget,staffsize,availabletime,andspace.
Thechallengeistotakeadvantageoftheresourcesthatareavailableandmakethe
projectfitwithintheparameters.
Thedeliverablewillbethefinishedexhibition,andaplanforfutureexhibitionsat
theinstitution.
Governance
ProjectClient/Owner:TreasureIslandMuseum,BoardofTrustees
ProjectDepartment:Collectionsdepartment
ProjectManager:MuseumEmployee
ManageroftheProjectManager:DepartmentManager
ProjectTeamMembersandpercentageoftimetheywillworkonthisproject
Theprojectisintendedtobemanagedbyateamoftwopart-timeemployeesat
themuseum.Oneprojectmanagerwillberesponsibleforconductingthemajorityofthe
exhibitiontasksbutwillconsultwiththeofficemanager,whowillserveasanadditional
resource.Theywillbothworkpart-time,onewillapproximatelywork20hours/week
onaverage,andtheotherwillwork5-6hours/week.
Inaddition,onevolunteerboardmemberwillworkwiththeprojectmanagerto
managethemarketingaspect.Anotheremployeecanalsofillthispositionifthatis
applicable.
Threeboardmemberswillserveontheadvisorycommittee;offeradvice,
feedback,andassistanceduringtheproject.TheBoardofTrusteeswillhavethefinalsay
onmajordecisions.Theywillreceiveprojectreportsregularly.
Bugge 38
Schedule
Startdate:August1.2016
Enddate:December16.2016
Formoredetails,seeactionplan
Budget
Personnel $10,400
Supplies $20
Services $250
Other $0
Total $10,670
Allexpenseswillbecoveredundergeneraloperatingexpenses.
Note:theexpenseslistedaboveareintendedforalowbudgetproject,withvery
limitedfundsdevotedtoit.Ifmoremoneyisavailable,alargerbudgetwillbecreated,
andmoreservicescanbeacquired.Whenalong-termprojectisestablisheditmightbe
relevanttospendmoremoneytoinvestinaprintertodoallprintingin-house,and
therebybringinglong-termcostsdown.
Forprojectswithmorefundsavailable,itmightbedesirabletoconsultwithadesigner
foramoreprofessionallook.
Bugge 39
FutureProjects
Thisprojectwillbeacontinuingprogramforthemuseumandserveasafirst
steptowardscreatingnewexhibitsregularly.Ifthisprojectisasuccess,themuseumwill
developfutureexhibitions.
Bugge 40
Chapter4:ActionPlan
Followingisthelistofactionsrequiredtocompletetheproject.Foracompletelistof
tasksandtimeline,seetheGanttChartinAppendixD.
Goal1:Createachangingexhibitionprogramforsmallmuseumswithalimitedbudget.
Objective1A:Establishasustainablechangingexhibitionprogram
Actions:
1. Researchpreviousexhibitionattheinstitution
2. Researchmuseum’scollection
3. Talktostakeholdersandestablishtheirinterestandexpectationsforthe
program.
• Collectionsdepartment
• Boardmembers
• Visitors/Community
4. ConductSWOTanalysis
5. Createadvisorycommittee
6. Createexhibitionteam
7. Createexhibitionthemeoptions
8. Decideonanannualbudget
9. Decideonnumberofexhibitstocreateperyear,basedonbudget
10. Createscheduleforthechangingexhibitions
11. Providethemesforthefirstyearofexhibitssothattheycanbuildoneachother
12. Mini-Milestone:Getadvisorycommittee’sapproval
13. Milestone:Getboardapproval
Objective1B:Designandconceptualizethefirstexhibitionfortheprogram
Actions:
1. Writeouttheexpectedbudgetexpenses
2. Establishatimelinefortheproject
Bugge 41
3. Puttogetheranexhibitionteam,including:OfficeManager,ProjectManager,and
MarketingManager.Theteammemberswillberesponsibleforfinishingtheir
owntasksandworktogethertoaccomplishtheprojectgoal.
4. Identifytaskthatmustbecompletedinordertoreachtheprojectgoals
5. Dividetasksandresponsibilitiesbetweenteammembers
6. Researchnecessaryskillsrequiredtocompleteproject
7. Brainstormpossibleexhibitionthemes
8. IdentifyexhibitionthemeandsubmittoAdvisoryCommitteeforapproval
9. Researchexhibitiontheme
10. Milestone:Advisorycommitteeapproval
11. Publicannouncementofexhibitionthemeonwebsite/socialmedia
12. Identifyextracollectionresearch,offsite
13. Identifypossibleloans
14. Mini-Milestone:Decideonobjectlistforexhibit
15. Milestone:Advisorycommitteeapproval
Objective1C:Createamarketingstrategy
Actions:
1. Establishabudgetformarketing
2. ChoseMarketingmanager.Forthislow-budgetproject,thiswillbeparttime
positionfilledbyamemberofthestaff.
3. Writeatimelineforannouncements,anddecidewhattypeofmediathatwillbe
used
• Museumwebsite
• Socialmedia
• Museumnewsletter
• Newspapers
• Flyers
4. Writeadetailedscheduleforannouncementsandpostsinsocialmedia.Other
possiblemarketingplatformswillalsobeincludedinthisdetailedplan.Theposts
willannouncetheexhibition,providestatusupdatesabouttheexhibit,show
“behindthescenes”photosandvideos,andotherrelevantinformationaboutthe
upcomingexhibition.Thesocialmediapostswillbepostedonplatformslike
Bugge 42
Facebook,Instagramandthemuseumswebsiteregularly,withthegoaltomake
thepotentialvisitorsinterested.
TheMarketingManagerwillalsobepresentonsocialmediaandrespondto
activityontheaccounts.
5. Mini-Milestone:Advisorycommitteeapproval
6. Writefirstdraftforeachsocialmediaannouncement
7. Advisorycommitteefeedback
8. Seconddraftforeachannouncement
9. Milestone:Firstpublicpost.Willbeannouncingtheexhibitionandtheexhibition
theme
10. Firstsocialmediapostaboutexhibition.Thispostwillprovidemorein-depth
informationabouttheupcomingexhibition,andwillbecomplimentingthe
announcementtheweekbefore.
11. Meetwithexhibitionteamtoreceiveupdateonexhibitionprogress.This
informationwillbeusedinthefollowingposts
12. Secondpost,aboutexhibitionprogress
13. Thirdpost,announcingtheexhibitionopening
14. Milestone:Sendoutinvitationstoexhibitionopening
15. Forthpost,abouttheopeningofexhibition
16. Milestone:Analyzemarketingstrategy,writeareport
Goal2:TellthestoryofthemusicandperformingartsattheTreasureIslandWorld
Fairsin1939and1940usingthemuseum’scollections.
Objective2A:Usethemuseum’scollectiontocommunicatethehistorythroughobjects
andphotographs
Actions:
1. Researchtheexhibitiontheme
2. Researchcollectionitemsrelevanttotheexhibitiontheme
3. Mini-Milestone:Establishingastorylinefortheexhibition.Writeareport
4. Milestone:Advisorycommitteeapprovalonstoryline
5. Determineifloansfromotherinstitutionswillberequired
Bugge 43
6. Ifloansarerequired,reachouttoinstitutionsanddrawuptermsandconditions
forloans
7. Mini-Milestone:Loanagreements
8. Mini-Milestone:Finalizeobjectlist
9. Milestone:Advisorycommittee’sapprovalonobjectlist
10. Deadlineforadjustmentsmadetostorylineandobjectlist
11. Firstdraftforexhibitionlayoutanddesign
12. Mini-Milestone:Feedbackfromadvisorycommitteeondesign
13. Seconddraftonlayoutanddesign
14. Milestone:Advisorycommitteeapprovalofdesignandlayout
15. Provideoptionsforprintingservices
16. Decideifprintingofposterscanbedonein-houseorhastobeoutsourced
17. Decideonprintingservice
18. Orderprints
19. Takedowncurrentexhibition
20. Cleaningofexhibitionspace
21. Milestone:Installationofexhibit
22. Evaluationofexhibition
23. Extratimetoconductanychangesthatmustbemadetotheexhibitbefore
opening
24. Milestone:Openingofexhibit
25. Milestone:writtenreportonexhibitionprocessandresult
• Whatwentwell?
• Whatdidnotworkwell?
• Whatchangesshouldbemadetomaketheexhibitionevenbetter?
Objective2B:Createwellwrittentextpanelstosupporttheexhibitcontent
Actions:
1. Researchbestpracticesforlabelwriting
2. Writefirstdraftforlabelcontent
3. Proofreadlabelcontent
4. Seconddraftoflabelcontent
5. Mini-Milestone:Labelcontentcompleted
Bugge 44
6. Designoptionsforlabels
7. Mini-Milestone:Providetwodifferentoptionsforlabeldesigntobeapprovedby
advisorycommittee
8. Milestone:Finalapprovaloffinishedlabels
9. Printoutlabeltext
10. Mountlabelstobackboards
11. Milestone:Installlabelsinexhibition
Goal3:Createaguideonlow-budgetexhibitiondevelopmentforsmallmuseums,which
willbeusedforfutureexhibitions.
Objective3A:Evaluatethefirstexhibitsoutcomeandestablishwhatworkedanddid
notwork
Actions:
1. Teammeeting
Everypersoninvolvedinthefirstexhibitionwillgatherandtalkabouttheir
experienceswiththefirstproject
2. Evaluateandidentifytheproblemsfromthefirstexhibition
3. Evaluateandidentifywhatworkedwellwiththefirstexhibitions
4. Evaluatebudgetexpenses
5. Identify5waysthebudgetmightbespentdifferentlytoimprovetheproject
6. Evaluatemarketingstrategy
7. Identify5waysthemarketingstrategycouldhavebeenimproved
8. Brainstorming
• Whatthoughtsdotheteammembershaveaboutthingsthatcouldhavebeen
donedifferently?
• Whatideasdotheyhaveforthenextproject
9. Providealternativemethodsandideasforthethingsthatdidnotworkwellwith
thefirstexhibition
10. Evaluationoftheexhibitsoverallsuccess
11. Mini-Milestone:finishevaluation,andwriteareport
Bugge 45
Objective3B:Provideaguideonhowtocreatefutureexhibits
Actions:
1. Identifythenecessarystepsforcreatinganexhibit
2. Establishbudget
3. Identifypotentialexpensesandrisksthatmightimpactthebudget
4. Establishrecommendedtimeline
5. Identifypotentialrisksthatmightimpactthetimeline
6. Providealistofresourcesthatmightbeusedtokeepexpensesdown.
7. Includelistofpastexhibitionthemes,andideasforfutureexhibitions,
determinedintheplanningphase(Objective1a)
8. Includethemarketingstrategy(Objective1b)
9. Provideaguideforwritinglabels
10. Includerepostsandexamplesfrompreviousexhibitionsthatcanbeusedasa
reference
11. Milestone:Theproductisfinished
Bugge 46
Conclusion
EvaluatingtheProjectsSuccess
Thesuccessofthisprojectcanbechallengingtomeasure.Therearemultiple
factorsthatcanbeconsideredsuccessful.Thefirstoptionwouldbetomeasurethe
responsesofthetargetedaudience.Theproblemwiththismethodofdetermining
whetherornottheprojecthasbeensuccessfulisthatpeoplehavedifferentexperiences
withinthemuseum.Eachpersonexperiencesthingsdifferently,andeachguestwill,
therefore,alsohaveadifferentexperienceintheexhibit.Thereisalsonowrongorright
waytointerpretthecontent,soeveryvisitorhasavalidopinionthatisrelevantfor
measuringthesuccessofanexhibit.Whilestandardizedformsareaneasywayto
measurefeedbackitsdownfallisthatyouarenotreceivinganaccuraterepresentation
ofyourdatapool.Thismethodwouldalsoinvolvedevotingtimetogatherandanalyze
thecomprehensivedata,anditdependsoneveryvisitorsbeingwillingtoparticipatein
thisevaluationprocessinordertogainaholisticunderstandingoftheexhibit’s
effectiveness.
Anotherwaytomeasurethesuccessofthistypeofprojectistoreviewthe
executionoftheproject,suchas,planning,scheduling,andmaintainingthebudget.This
isequallyimportantforthistypeofprojectwheretimeandresourcesarelimited.Ifthe
projectstayedwithinthesesetparameters,thenitcouldbeconsideredasuccessful
endeavor.
Thethirdcriteriaforsuccesswillbeifthemuseumboardapprovestheplanfor
futureexhibitions.Thefirstexhibitionwillfunctionasapilottoseehowsuccessfulan
exhibitcanbeonatightbudget.Itwillalsoprovidevaluableinformationtothestaffon
Bugge 47
methodsandproceduresthatcanbeadaptedforthenextprojecttobeequally,oreven
more,successful.Iftheresultissatisfactorytotheboard,theprojectcancontinueasa
changingexhibitionprogramandthemuseumcanbenefitfromhavingmultiple
exhibitionsinthenearfuture.
Aftertheprojecthasendedallofthisshouldbeconsideredindeterminingthe
successoftheproject.Havingexhibitsisimportantforhistorymuseums,anditisthe
bestwayforvisitorstoengagewiththemuseum.Itis,however,unclearwhetherornot
smallmuseumsarewillingtomaketheexhibitionsapriorityonaregularbasis.Even
withlowcosts,itisstillnecessarytodevotestafftimetotheproject.Thislossoftime
willhaveanimpactonsomeoftheothertaskswithinthemuseum.However,dedicating
thistimewillhelpthemuseumsupportitsmission.
WhatIhavelearnedfromthisprojectisthatcreatinganexhibitionisveryexciting
endeavor.Itisalsonotdependentonhavingalargebudgetattachedtoit.WhileIwas
readingaboutexhibitiondesignanddevelopment,itdidnotexplicitlydiscusshowmuch
thiswouldcostthemuseum.Itdid,however,providealistofthingsthatwillhavetobe
doneandsuggestedhiringoutsideexperts.Hiringexpertsandpayingforsuppliescanbe
expensive,andtheseexamplestoldmethatexhibitionprojectsareexpensive.Ifyou
wanttocreatesomethingthathasneverbeendonebefore,andyouwanteverythingto
beinlinewithbestpractices,youneedtounderstandthatthesetypesofprojectscome
withalargecost.Bykeepingasmallerstaffandinhousingtasksittobemanageableon
atightbudget.Byreadingtheliteratureandthecasestudies,Ilearnedthatthereisa
frameworkthatneedstobeinplaceinordertoconductanexhibitionproject.Youneed
tohaveastaffmemberthatcanmanagetheprojectfromstarttoend.Youneedtohave
anideafortheexhibit.Youneedtohaveacollectionascontentfortheexhibition,and
Bugge 48
youneedtohavelabels.Besidesfromthisittherestisprettyflexible.Withwell-
exploitedresources,likebudget,staffsizeandskills,imaginationandgoodproject
planning,anyprojectcanbesuccessful.Bycreatingthefirstexhibit,youarealso
expandingyourknowledgeonthesetypesofprojects,whichwillbetterequippedyou
forthenextone.
Thepurposeofthisprojectwastoseeifitispossibleandbeneficialforsmall
historymuseumstocreateexhibits,evenundertheconstraintsofatinybudget,and
fromwhatIhavefoundIwouldsaythatitis.
Bugge 49
AppendixA:AnnotatedBibliography
Allen-Greil,D.(2013).Exhibitionstudies:Learningandsharingexpertisewithsocialmedia.Exhibitionist,Fall2013,86-90.
Thisarticleisaboutusingsocialmediainthemuseum,andthethreeC’s:Consume,CommunicateandCollaborate.Socialmediacanbeusedformultiplethingslikereachingpeoplewheretheyare,loweringthethresholdforinteraction,aswellasnetworkingandkeepinguptodateonthenewesttrends.Thearticlechallengesthepracticeofsharingresearchwithprofessorsandpeers,andencouragesmuseumprofessionalsstarttosharetheirresearchonsocialmediainstead.Thatway,morepeoplegetthebenefitsfromtheresearch,andmorepeoplecancollaborateandsharetheirknowledge.Promotingyourexhibitionisimportant,andsocialmediaisanexcellenttool.Itisavailabletopeople,itcanbeveryaffordable,andeveryonecandoit.FormypaperIamexploringtheopportunitiesthemuseumhastopromotethemselvesandtheirexhibits.Thekeyistopromoteandcreateonalowbudget,andthemuseumneedstobeabletoreachtheiraudienceswithoutspendingalotofmoney.Thispaperprovidesanargumentforusingsocialmediatoachievetheattentiontheyneedaswellasprovidingaplatformforconversationandfeedback.Bedford,L.(2014).Theartofmuseumexhibitions:Howstoryandimaginationcreate
aestheticexperiences.LeftCoastPress.
Thefirstpartofthisbookisabouttheeducationalpurposeofexhibitionsandthedifferentkindsofvisitorengagementwiththeexhibition.Thebookalsoreviewsahandfulofotherpeople’sworkwithmuseumpractices,includingNinaSimonandparticipatorydesign(engagingthecommunityandvisitorstocreateamoredynamicandmorerelevantmuseum),andJayRoundsandIdentitywork(Makingthevisitorsreflectontheirownidentityaswellashowotherpeopleidentifythemselves),thealternativeexhibitionmethodvs.educationalmethod(thepurposeoftheexhibitionbeingtoeducatethevisitor),story(providingastorytothevisitor),andimagination(allowingthevisitortousetheirimaginationandcreativityinordertounderstandtheexhibition).Tellingastoryisimportantfortheexhibitiontobeinteresting,butsoisleavingroomforimagination.Letthevisitorengagewithwhattheyseeandreadtomaximizetheeducationalexperience.Thisbookrelatestomyprojectbecauseitisdiscussingdifferentexhibitionpractices,andwhatyoucanaccomplishwitheachofthem.Itisalwaysgoodtobeeducatedandhaveknowledgeabouttheeffectofdifferentpractices,andthisknowledgecanbeusedtocreateagoodproduct.AtleastitcanhelpmeasanexhibitdesignertoreflectoverthechoicesIammaking,andtounderstandtheresultsImightgetfromthat.BogleE.(2013).MuseumExhibitionPlanningAndDesign.Lanham,Maryland.AltaMira
Press.Thisbookalsocoverstheaspectsofexhibitiondesignforamuseum,butinamoretechnicalandindepthway.IfeelthatthisbookcomplimentstheFredaMatassabookonorganizingexhibitions.Thetwobookstalkaboutalotofthesameissues,butwhere
Bugge 50
Matassaprovidesaneasystep-by-step,how-tobook,Boglegivesmoreofanacademicdescriptionofthestepsandprovidesadeeperunderstandingofwhatisgoingon.Myprojectisaboutcreatingexhibitionsonalowbudget,andtobeabletoprovideaguideonhowtoaccomplishthisitisnecessarytounderstandhowexhibitionplanninganddesigningworks,andwhatisrequiredforansuccessfulexhibit.Thisbookincombinationwithotherreadingsonthesubjectwillprovideasolidbaseformetounderstandtheprocessofcreatingexhibits,whichagainwillhelpmetoprovideaconclusionformycapstone.Chicone,S.J.,&Kissel,R.A.(2014).Dinosaursanddioramas:creatingnaturalhistory
exhibitions.LeftCoastPress.Mostofmyliteratureonexhibitiondevelopmentanddesignisfocusedonartinstallations.Thisbookoffersadifferentpointofviewbywritingaboutexhibitionsinnaturalhistorymuseums.Whereasartmuseumsareobjectfocusedwithoutnecessarilyprovidingalargercontext,naturalhistorymuseumsarefocusingontellingastoryfromaneducationalpointofview,wherethehistoryisthemostimportantpart,andtheobjectsplaythesupportiveroletothestory.Theaudienceisvisitingtheexhibitionstolearnsomething,andthisisanimportantthingtokeepinmindwhencreatingexhibitionsforahistoricalmuseum.Thisisstillanotherbookonexhibitiondesignandplanning,butitisclosertowhatIamactuallytryingtodo,andisthereforerelevant.TheotherexhibitionbooksIhaveareaboutexhibitiondesigningeneral.Thisbookisdirectlyfocusedonnaturalhistory,andasstatedabove,thereisadifferencebetweencuratingforartmuseums,naturalhistory-andhistorymuseums.TheotherthingIlikeaboutitisthatitismoredescriptiveofthestepsinexhibitiondevelopmentandisdiscussingdifferentwaysofworking,likethebenefitsofgroupwork,whotoincludeandhowtodivideroles.Faden.R.(2012)CreativeAdaption:ExhibitionsintheDownturn.ExhibitionistFall2012,
58-63.
Thisarticleisaboutahistorymuseumwithasmallbudget.HistoricSt.Mary’sCityisastateownedandoperatedoutdoorlivinghistorymuseum.Byusingtheiralreadyexistingstaffinnewways,nothiringassistantexhibitiondesigners,andusinglocalstudentsasadditionalresources,theywereabletocompletetheirpavilionprojectforhalfitsprojectedcost.Thearticleisagoodreadinordertogetsometipsonhowtogetaprojectupandrunningevenwhenyouareasmallhistorymuseumwithlimitedfunds.Limitedfundingisoneofthekeywordsformypaper,andIfeelthatreadingaboutotherprojectswherecreativeorcontroversialdecisionsweremadeinordertocutcostsarerelevantonordertoprovideinspiration,andtoshowthatitactuallyispossibletoaccomplish.Lacher-Feldman,J.(2014)CreatingtheCurator:TeachingandLearningExhibition
DevelopmentforSpecialCollectionsLibrariansandArchives.Exhibitionist,Fall2014,54-58.
Thisarticletalksabouttheauthor’sexperiencewithcuratingexhibitionsforspecialcollectionslibrariansandarchives.Shefoundthatthereisadifferenceinthewayagradstudentistrained,andtheeducationthelibrariansandarchivistshave,andthatthe
Bugge 51
lattermustlearnonthejob.Shealsoexperiencedthelackofresearchandbookswrittenaboutcuratingforarchives.Becauseofthisshehadtorelyonherownexperienceinthefieldaswellascollaboratingwithotherprofessionalstodeveloptheworkshopsandresearchshewanted.Ialsofoundthatthereisverylittlepublishedaboutsmallhistorymuseumsinmyresearch,andIthoughtthisarticlewasveryinteresting.Shefiguredouthowtogetaroundtheproblembydoingherownresearchandcontributingtothefield,andshegivessomegreatadviceatthesametime.FormypaperthisisrelevantbecauseIimaginealotofmuseumprofessionalsarefacingsimilarchallenges,andIthoughtthishadtoberecognized.Ifoundthereisagapinresearchrelatedtosmallhistorymuseumsandexhibitiondesign,andthisarticleisexplaininghowthisonepersonmanagedtogetaroundtheobstacles.TheotherreasonforincludingthearticleisthatSpecialCollectionsandArchivesarequitesimilartoahistoriccollection,andwhatsheiswritingcanbeappliedinmypaper.
LissSaffle,K.(2013).ReinventingMuseumLabels:OvercominganArchetypewith
TechnologyandVisitor-CenteredLabelWriting.JournalOfMuseumStudies,7(1),1-15.
Thisarticlediscussesthedifferentpracticesoflabelwriting.Wheneveryvisitorhasdifferentpreferencesinmedia,lengthandcontent,itisextremelydifficultforthemuseumtoreacheveryone.LissSaffleprovidesagoodarticleonhowtooptimizetheexperience,andcatchthevisitor’sattention.Thearticlealsoaskshowthelabelcanopencommunicationwiththevisitorsandnotonlyprovidestaticinformation,andiftechnologyisthesolutionforsomeoftheseproblems.Whatmakesthisagoodarticleisthattheauthorisdiscussingthefunctionoftheexhibitionlabel,andwhatdifferentoptionswehavetoprovideadditionalinformationforthepeoplewhowantit.However,becausewehavethepossibilityofprovidingmoreinformationdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthatweshould.Inrelationtomythesisthisdebateisinterestingbecausenotallmuseumshavefunstoprovidefancylabelsorexpensivetechnologyforvisitorstouse.Therearelessexpensivewaystocreatelabels,andthoseoptionsmightbejustaseffective.Markopoulos,L.l.(2012).TheAccidentalExhibition:ChanceasCuratorialCritiqueand
Opportunity.JournalofCuratorialStudies,1(1),6-24.Thisarticleisaboutthecuratorialpracticeandwhatcanbelearnedfromstudyingotherexhibitionsinpursuitofabetterwaytocurate.Lookingatotherexhibitionscanbehelpfultolearnmoreaboutwhat’sworking,andwhat’snot,anditcanalsobegoodforinspiration.Thisarticlecriticizesotherpeople’sworkinaconstructiveway,andreadingthisishelpfultounderstandwhatmakesagoodexhibit.Peoplelearnfromexperience,butitdoesnothavetobetheirown.Bygettingfeedbackandcriticismfromoutsidersyoulearnmoreaboutwhatisworking.Andbysharingtheexperienceandcritiquemorepeoplecanlearnforthat.
Bugge 52
MatassaF.(2014).OrganizingExhibitions:AHandbookForMuseums,LibrariesAnd
Archives.London,FacetPublishing.Thisbookisahandbookexplaininghowtocreateandorganizeanexhibition.Startingwithtoptentipsforsuccessandtoptenmistakes,thebooktakesthereaderthrougheveryaspectofcreatinganexhibition,andthethingstoconsiderwhenmakingdecisions.Ireallylikethisbookbecauseitissoeasytoapplytoreallife.Itisprovidingrelevantinformationonwhatmakesagoodexhibit,tipsonhowtosucceed,commonmistakestoavoid,andtheorderofwhentodowhat.Thebookcanbeconsultedwhenyouhaveaproblem,andyouwillgetapracticalanswer.Thebookisnotfocusedoncreatinglarge,impressiveexhibitioneither,soitcaneasilybeappliedinsmallermuseums,whichishighlyrelevantformythesis.Melton,T.(2008).Realprojectplanning:developingaprojectdeliverystrategy.
Amsterdam,Boston,Butterworth-Heinemann.Thisbookisnotdirectlyaboutmuseumwork,butcovershowtoconductasuccessfulproject.Goodplanningisanimportantskillforanytypeofproject,andthisbookwalksthereaderthroughthestages,fromtheinitialideatotheprojectdeliveryandbenefits.Bothwritingacapstonepaperandcreatinganexhibitareprojectsthatneedtobeplannedproperly,andthisbookwillteachmetokeepontrack.ThereasonwhyIchosetouseabookinsteadofabookaboutmuseumprojectmanagementisthatIwantedtogetadifferentpointofviewonthesubject.Ialreadyhavesourcesaboutexhibitionplanningformuseums,andIwantedtocombinethedifferenttypesofliteraturetoseeifthereisanythingthissourcemightofferthatthemuseumoncedidnotthinkabout.Thisbooktaughtmethatprojectplanningandprojectsforafor-profitisslightlydifferentfrommuseumprojectplanning.Theframeworkisbasicallythesame,butthefor-profitwillalwayshavethepossibilityofexpandingtheirbudgetstogetabetterresult.Thisbookwasstressingthesuccessfulprojectmorethanhowmuchitwouldcosttogetit.MillerL.(2011).MusicAndPoliticsInSanFrancisco:FromThe1906QuakeToTheSecond
WorldWar.Berkeley,UniversityofCaliforniaPress,pp.247-265.ThischapterpresentspracticalinformationabouttheSanFranciscoWorld’sFairs:visitornumbers,openingdatesandthecreationoftheIsland.Italsocoversthemusicaldifferencesbetweenthe1915and1939-40fairs.Thechaptergoesintodetailonwhatbandsandmusicalnumbersperformedatthefairs,comparingthem,andputtingtheminasocialcontext.MycapstonesupportstheexhibitionIamcreatingfortheTreasureIslandMuseum,whichisfocusedonthemusicofthe1939-1940fair.Thisreadingisahighlyrelevantsource,andthereforealsorelevantformycapstone.Rand,J.(2016).Lessismore.Moreisless.Exhibition,Spring2016,36-41.Thisarticleisaboutthebenefitsofwritingshortlabels,andtheimportanceofediting.JudyRandpresentsdifferentresearchonexhibitionlabelsandthevisitor’sattentionspantoprovethatlesstextismorebeneficialforthevisitor.Shealsoprovidesaten-steplisttoedittheexhibitionlabelstoshorterandbetterpanels.Thebottomlineisthat
Bugge 53
visitorswanttheinformationfast,andtheydon’thavethetimeormotivationtoreadalongessay.Thearticlealsopresentsfactstosupportheropinionthatshortisbetter.Thisarticleisrelevantforabetterunderstandingofhowtowritelabels,andwhatmakesalabelgood.Becausealabelissuchanindividualpreference,itisimportanttohavedifferentresearchtosupportandunderstandthechoicesyoumakeforthefinallabels.Thisarticleisrelevanttomycapstonebecauseitistalkingabouthowtowritegoodexhibitlabels.Formypapertoprovideaguidetocreatinggoodexhibitionsonalowbudget,itshouldalsoincludeasectiononwritinggoodlabels.Thatwaythemuseumisnotdependingonoutsideresourcestocreatetheexhibitionlabels.Serrell,B.(2015).ExhibitLabels:AninterpretiveApproach.London,Rowman&
Littlefield.Thisbookbreaksdownthedifferentlabelsinanexhibition,andhowtheyshouldbewritteninordertocapturethereader’sattention.Thebottomlineisthatnotalllabelsshouldbethesame,buttheyallneedtocontributesomethingmeaningful.Labelwritersshouldwriteaboutsomethingmeaningfulinaninterpretiveway.Peopleliketothinkandvisualize,sothelabelshouldgiveyouthetoolstodojustthat.Theartofwritinggoodlabelsisextremelydifficult,butthisbookbreaksitdownnicely.Inordertocreateagoodexhibit,youalsoneedreallygoodlabelsthatthereadercanengagewith.Thisisalsoarelevantchapterformythesis.Agoodexhibitisdependingongreatlabels,andthisarticleisprovidinginformationonhowtoaccomplishthis.IncombinationwithJ.RandandK.LissSaffle’sarticlesIamconfidentthatIhaveagoodbackgroundtodiscusstheimportanceoflabelswhendesigninganexhibition.
Bugge 54
Skolnick,L.H.(2014)MasterClass:DesignasInterpretation.Exhibitionist,Spring2014,74-78.
Thisarticleisaboutapracticalmasterclassforthirtypeopleinwhichtheyallcreatedexhibitionsinteams,supplementedbyinformativelecturesandreadings.Eachteamwasgivenalocationandthemefortheirexhibit,andwassettowork.Eachteamalsoreceivedthesametoolstheycoulduse.Theyfoundthattheteamsworkedreallywell,andtheywerenotscaredofusingthetoolscreativelytoexplorenewwaysofcurating.Ithinkthisarticleisrelevantformycapstonebecauseitchallengesthestandardwaysofcreatingexhibitions.Itpresentsacaseinwhichteamscanworktogetherinacreativeway,usewhattheyhaveavailable,andgetagoodresultatthesametime.Walhimer,M.(2015).Museums101.London,Rowman&LittlefieldThisbookbreaksdownthemuseuminawaythatiseasytounderstand.Itcoverseveryaspectfromwhatamuseumis,tohowtocreateamuseum,tohowtorunitsuccessfully.Thisbookcoversalittlebitofeverything.Prettymuchallthetasksandissuesyoumightcomeacrossinthemuseumfieldarecovered,andthereisalsoatoolkitinthebackforhowtodealwiththem.Becausetheauthorwriteaboutthemuseuminageneralway,anditisnotfocusedonanyspecializedfieldlikeart,historyornaturalhistory,itcanbeappliedtoanykindifinstitution.ThereasonIchosetoincludethisbookinmyliteratureisthatIwantedageneralsourcethattalkedalittlebitabouteverything.Thisbookisprovidingjustthat,andistalkingaboutexhibitiondesign,costs,fundraising,specificsaboutbeingasmallmuseum,andcreatingamuseummarketingcampaign.Thesesubjectsareallrelatedtomypaperoncreatingexhibitionsforsmallhistorymuseums,andisconnectingthedifferentissuesmypaperhastotouchon.
Bugge 55
AppendixB:ProjectStakeholders
• TreasureIslandMuseum
• TheCommunityofTreasureIsland
• TheMuseum’sDonors
• TheMuseum’sMembers
• Visitorsofthe1939-1940WordsFairandtheirfamilies
• Similarsmallhistorymuseumsthatcanbeinspiredbytheexhibitionmodel
Thestakeholderswillplayacentralroleinthisexhibitionproject.Themuseum
members,donors,andothervisitorsarethetargetsfortheexhibition,andforfuture
programshappeninginthemuseum.Thesepeopleareapartofthecommunity,andthe
museumdecriestohaveabeneficialrelationshipbetweenthemuseumandthe
community.Iftheprojectisasuccess,thecommunityatTreasureIslandcanenjoy
multipleexhibitsaboutthehistoryoftheislandtheyarelivingon,andalsocontribute
withideasforfutureexhibits.Thispartnershipwillgivethemuseumitselfastrong
audiencebase,andasolidplanforfulfillingitsmission.
Othersimilarhistorymuseumshaveastakeintheprojectbecauseitisintendedto
inspirethemtodoexhibitionprogramsthemselves.Thispilotisleadingbyexample,
provingthatitispossibletocreateexhibitionsonsmallbudgets,andhopefullyother
museumswillbeinspiredtodothesame.
Bugge 56
AppendixC:SWOTAnalysis
PlanningToolkit–SWOTTable
Project: Sponsor
Date: ProjectManager:
SWOTidentificationandanalysis
Strengths Ranking Howtostrengthen?
<Insertanidentifiedprojectstrength> <Insertranking>
<Ifthisisrankedinthetop3theninserttheactionplantofurtherstrengthenthisarea>
<Insertstrengthn>
Weaknesses Ranking Howtoeliminate?
<Insertanidentifiedprojectweakness>
<Insertranking>
<Ifthisisrankedinthetop3theninserttheactionplantoeliminatethisweakness>
<Insertweaknessn>
Opportunities Ranking Howtomaximize?
<Insertanidentifiedopportunityfortheproject>
<Insertranking>
<Ifthisisrankedinthetop3theninserttheactionplantomaximizethisopportunity>
<Insertopportunityn>
Threats Ranking Howtominimize?
<Insertanidentifiedthreattotheproject>
<Insertranking>
<Ifthisisrankedinthetop3theninserttheactionplantominimizetisthreat>
<Insertthreatn>
SWOTsummary
<Insertasummaryoftheanalysisandtheabilityoftheprojecttoresourceactionplans,thusreducingtheriskprofilefortheproject>
SWOTTable.Melton,2008p.165
Bugge 57
AppendixD:GanttChart
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ete
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ect
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epor
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ting
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ide
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ugus
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ber
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e 3
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ngO
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M
Bugge 59
Aug
ust
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embe
rO
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ovem
ber
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rPh
ase
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ase
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ting
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rodu
ctPM
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Bugge 60
References
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