The Manual of Museum Exhibitions / Edition 1

by Barry Lord, Gail Dexter Lord, Ralph Appelbaum, Martha Black, Patrick Blandin

Overview

The Manual of Museum Exhibitions is a practical, hands-on, comprehensive guide to the entire process of planning, designing, producing, and evaluating exhibitions for museums of all kinds. Conceived, organized, and edited by Gail and Barry Lord, this invaluable book includes contributions by masters of each step in the complex art of museum exhibition-making. Subjects range from traditional displays of art, artifacts, and specimens from the permanent collection to the latest developments in virtual reality, online exhibitions, simulators, and big-screen reality.
An exciting array of stimulating case studies featuring outstanding museum exhibitions from both sides of the Atlantic makes this manual all the more valuable to practitioners and students of the museum profession, architects, designers and the many specialized contractors involved in 21st-century exhibitions. The book is also useful and interesting reading for museum Trustees and Board members, volunteers, and all others who understand and enjoy the educational value of today's museum exhibitions.
The Manual of Museum Exhibitions is particularly remarkable for its comprehensive scope, including evaluation processes, exhibition gallery requirements, and practical methods for each step in the planning, design, production, and project management of exhibitions. The final chapter surveys contemporary developments and presents a particularly impressive group of case studies that suggest possible directions for museum exhibition development in the new millennium. The Manual of Museum Exhibitions is a practical, hands-on, comprehensive guide to the entire process of planning, designing, producing, and evaluating exhibitions for museums of all kinds. Conceived, organized, and edited by Gail and Barry Lord, this invaluable book includes contributions by masters of each step in the complex art of museum exhibition-making. Subjects range from traditional displays of art, artifacts, and specimens from the permanent collection to the latest

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759102347
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	11/15/2001
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	7.24(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.41(d)

About the Author

Barry Lord is co-founder and Director of LORD Cultural Resources Planning and Management Inc. With Gail Dexter Lord he is also co-editor of The Manual of Museum Planning and co-author of The Manual of Museum Management. A former curator, art critic, art historian and museum educator, he has organized and curated many exhibitions over the past four decades, and planned exhibition galleries and facilities for hundreds of museums on four continents. His work is well known in Singapore, Korea, Australia and Hong Kong, as well as in Great Britain, the United States and Canada. He also lectures on museum planning and management worldwide.

Gail Dexter Lord is co-founder and Director of LORD Cultural Resources Planning and Management Inc. With Barry Lord she is also co-editor of The Manual of Museum Planning and co-author of The Manual of Museum Management. She has directed planning and management studies, visitor evaluation and exhibition development projects for hundreds of museums and galleries throughout the United Kingdom, continental Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. An inspiring teacher, she also teaches museum planning and management worldwide.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Foreword Part 2 Chapter 1: Introduction: The Exhibition Planning Process Part 3 Part I: WHY? Part 4 Chapter 2: The Purpose of Museum Exhibitions Chapter 5 2.1 Exhibitions as a Function of Museums Chapter 6 2.2 Museum Exhibitions as the Communication of Meaning Chapter 7 2.3 Modes of Exhibition Apprehension Chapter 8 Case Study 2.1 Exhibitions at the Corning Museum of Glass: Combining Modes of Visitor Apprehension Part 9 Chapter 3: Where do Exhibition Ideas Come From? Chapter 10 3.1 Research-based and Market-driven Exhibitions Chapter 11 3.2 Planning for Exhibition Research Chapter 12 3.3 Exhibition Ideas: Integrating the Voices of Communities and Audiences Chapter 13 Case Study 3.1 HuupuKwanum-Tupaat: Out of the Mist, Treasures of the Nuu-chah-nulth Chiefs, Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria Part 14 Chapter 4: How Will We Know When We Get There? Exhibition Evaluation Chapter 15 4.1 The Role of Market Analysis Chapter 16 4.2 Before, During and After: Front-end, Formative and Summative Evaluation Chapter 17 Case Study 4.1 Evaluation for a Permanent Exhibition about the Work of Conservators "Caught in Time" at National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside Chapter 18 4.3 Qualitative and Quantitative Audience Research Part 19 Part II: WHERE? Space and Facilities for Exhibitions Part 20 Chapter 5: Planning and Designing Exhibition Facilities Chapter 21 Case Study 5.1 Design Criteria: The International Glass Museum, Tacoma, Washington Chapter 22 5.2 Projecting Display Space Requirements Chapter 23 Case Study 5.2 Visible Storage at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Chapter 24 5.3 Behind the Scenes: Support Activities and Facilities Chapter 25 5.4 Access, Adjacency and Circulation Chapter 26 5.5 Preserving Collections in Exhibitions Chapter 27 5.6 Security and Public Safety in Exhibitions Chapter 28 5.7 Exhibition Accessibility Part 29 Chapter 6: Exhibition Galleries Chapter 30 6.1 Galleries for Art or Archives Chapter 31 6.2 Galleries for Artefacts or Specimens Chapter 32 6.3 Children's Museum and Science Centre Galleries Chapter 33 6.4 Study Spaces Chapter 34 6.5 Multi-purpose Public Spaces Chapter 35 Case Study 6.1 One New Kind of Gallery: Discovery Libraries at the Denver Art Museum Chapter 36 Case Study 6.2 Alaska Native Heritage Center: "A Gathering of Traditions", Anchorage, Alaska Chapter 37 6.6 Light and Colour in the Galleries Chapter 38 6.7 Gallery Structure Chapter 39 6.8 Materials and Finishes Part 40 Chapter 7: Gallery Facilities and Equipment Chapter 41 7.1 Display Cases Chapter 42 7.2 Lighting Chapter 43 7.3 Audio-Visual Hardware Chapter 44 7.4 Multimedia: Enhancing the Experience Chapter 45 7.5 Advanced Media in Museum Exhibitions Chapter 46 Case Study 7.1 Multimedia Investment Strategies at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Preparing for the Inevitable "Tomorrows" Chapter 47 Case Study 7.2 "The Feast of a Thousand Years" at the Ename Provincial Museum, Belgium Part 48 Part III: HOW? The Exhibition Development Process Part 49 Chapter 8: Planning and Managing an Exhibition Programme Chapter 50 8.1 Permanent Collection Display Chapter 51 Case Study 8.1 "Odyssey: A Journey into World Art" at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts Chapter 52 8.2 Planning and Managing Temporary Exhibitions Chapter 53 Case Study 8.2: "African Zion": From Temporary to Permanent at the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore Chapter 54 8.3 Travelling Exhibitions Chapter 55 Case Study 8.3 "The Treasures to Go" Travelling Exhibitions Tour, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC Chapter 56 8.4 Educational and Other Public Programmes for Exhibitions Part 57 Chapter 9: Financial Planning and Management of Exhibitions Chapter 58 9.1 Developing an Exhibition Budget Template Chapter 59 9.2 Financial Planning and Management of a Temporary Exhibition Programme Part 60 Chapter 10: Curatorship in the Exhibition Planning Process Chapter 61 10.1 Formulating the Exhibition Concept Chapter 62 10.2 Curatorial Research Chapter 63 Case Study 10.1 Making and Meaning: Turner's The Fighting Temeraire at the National Gallery, London Chapter 64 10.3 Collection Evaluation, Selection and Development Chapter 65 10.4 Documentation Chapter 66 10.5 Conservation Chapter 67 10.6 Preparation of the Exhibition Brief Part 68 Chapter 11: Interpretative Planning Chapter 69 11.1 The Communication Process Chapter 70 11.2 The Logistical Process Chapter 71 11.3 The Interpretative Planning Process Chapter 72 Case Study 11.1 Making the Earth Move for You: The Earth Galleries at the Natural History Museum, London Part 73 Chapter 12 Exhibition Text Chapter 74 12. 1 Balancing Perspectives in Exhibition Text Chapter 75 12.2 Exhibition Text Guidelines Chapter 76 12.3 Including Text in the Exhibition Process Chapter 77 12.4 The Language of Multimedia Part 78 Chapter 13: The Role of the Exhibition Designer Chapter 79 13.1 Criteria for Effective Museum Exhibition Design Chapter 80 13.2 Designing the Space for a Museum Exhibition Chapter 81 13.3 Designing Exhibitions for the Whole Sensorium Chapter 82 13.4 The Exhibition Design Process Chapter 83 Case Study 13.1 A Walk Past Time: Architecture, Evolution, and the Tree of Life: The Renovation and Re-interpretation of the American Museum of Natural History Fossil Halls Chapter 84 The Role of the Exhibition Designer Chapter 85 13.1 Criteria for Effective Museum Exhibition Design Chapter 86 13.2 Designing the Space for a Museum Exhibition Chapter 87 13.3 Designing Exhibitions for the Whole Sensorium Chapter 88 13.4 The Exhibition Design Process Chapter 89 Case Study 13.1 A Walk Past Time: Architecture, Evolution and the Tree of Life: The Renovation and Re-interpretation of the American Museum of Natural History Fossil Halls Part 90 Chapter 14: Construction and Installation Chapter 91 14.1 Organising the Museum for Exhibition Construction and Installation Chapter 92 14.2 Contracting the Construction and Installation Chapter 93 Case Study 14.1 Testing Exhibits During Construction for the Kirby Science Discovery Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Part 94 Chapter 15: Lighting the Show Chapter 95 Case Study 15.1 Lighting the "Scotland in History" Exhibition at the Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Part 96 Chapter 16: The Role of the Project Manager Chapter 97 16.1 Project Management Tools Chapter 98 16.2 Documentation Chapter 99 16.3 Attributes of a Successful Exhibition Project Manager Chapter 100 16.4 Commissioning and Completing the Exhibition Project Chapter 101 16.5 Warranty Period: Operation and Maintenance Chapter 102 Case Study 16.1 The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery: Project Management at Buckinghamshire County Museum Chapter 103 Chapter 17: Exhibition Rental Chapter 104 17.1 Retail Research Chapter 105 17.2 Merchandise Mix Chapter 106 17.3 Beyond the Museum Shop Chapter 107 17.4 Products Related to Temporary Exhibitions Chapter 108 Case Study 17.1 "Van Gogh: Face to Face" at the Detroit Institute of Art: Planning the Exhibition Shop Part 109 WHAT NOW? Part 110 Chapter 18: Museum Exhibitions in the 21st Century Chapter 111 Case Study 18.1 Questioning Scientific Authority: "A Question of Truth" at the Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Canada Chapter 112 Case Study 18.2 The Grande Galerie de l'Evolution Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris Chapter 113 Case Study 18.3 "Follow the North Star" at Conner Prairie, Indiana: A Case Study in Controversial Programming Chapter 114 Case Study 18.4 "Enchanted Worlds": A Presentation at the Museum of Ethnology, Rotterdam for Children on Multicultural Society Chapter 115 Case Study 18.5 "Art on Tyneside" at the Laing Art Gallery, Tyne and Wear Museums, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Part 116 Glossary Part 117 Annotated Bibliography Part 118 Index

Editorial Reviews

This book provides generously abundant information on many crucial fields of museum practice, aspiring to become a basic usable code of 'grammar and syntax' for the museum exhibition field. From this point of view, it is a major contribution and all those who are involved in museum exhibition practical matters will find a great deal of help in it.

Visitor Studies Today! - Eurydice Retsila

This is a valuable book on a broad subject, with many useful insights into the 'bigger picture' of museum exhibitions. It is good to see a section dedicated to interpretive planning...if you want a single textbook about museum exhibitions, this is it.

Interpret Scotland

The pages of the manual bulge with knowledge and case studies from 45 very experienced museum professionals from the USA, Canada, and Britain...It takes you step by step through all areas of exhibition development, from the germ of an idea to what you could sell in the shop....An alternative could be 'Everything you ever wanted to know about exhibition development but were too frightened to ask'.

Museum National - Vicki Northey

This book provides generously abundant information on many crucial fields of museum practice, aspiring to become a basic usable code of 'grammar and syntax' for the museum exhibition field. From this point of view, it is a major contribution and all those who are involved in museum exhibition practical matters will find a great deal of help in it.
— Eurydice Retsila, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece

Visitor Studies Today!

The pages of the manual bulge with knowledge and case studies from 45 very experienced museum professionals from the USA, Canada, and Britain...It takes you step by step through all areas of exhibition development, from the germ of an idea to what you could sell in the shop....An alternative could be 'Everything you ever wanted to know about exhibition development but were too frightened to ask'.
— Vicki Northey

Museum National

A library or archive with special collections may be interested in enhancing the visitor’s experience by applying the guidance in Manual of Museum Exhibitions.

American Libraries

Well written, practical suggestions and helpful tools; it is easy to see that Maria has decades of experience in the museum milieu.  Her insight and common sense suggestions are born of years of assisting clients the world over develop award-winning exhibits.  This is a must-read for every museum professional.

Marie Chapman

This Manual provides clear, concise, well-organized analysis of the museum program, the museum as a constantly evolving building type, and transformative design opportunities. With it, innovative concepts can be developed, precisely focused on the client needs and the evolution of the museum as an institution.

Michael Leckman

As a producer and fabricator of museum exhibitions, I have tremendous appreciation of the numerous and sometimes daunting task and processes necessary in the development, production and installation of any successful exhibition project. This manual provides a wealth of knowledge for anyone in unfamiliar waters in terms of creating planning and producing a major exhibit – an excellent guide sharing proven museum practices.

James Hungerford