A histolircal exhibit provides public audiences with an experience of history, one that helps them to understand a period in time. Such exhibitions require a greater amount of contextual information than traditional art exhibitions and thus may incorporate more text, dioramas, charts and maps.
A wide range of subjects lend themselves to histolircal themes, from cultural and social to natural history. Themes that explore a variety of rites of passage, such as birth, death, marriage and joining, or ideas that resonate across communities, such as home, freedom, faith, democracy, and mobility, provide an opportunity for museums to address enduring issues of broad public concern.
In the twenty-first century, museums need to demonstrate that they serve a useful purpose beyond preserving precious objects for future generations. This is a challenging task and requires new sources of material, creative approaches to exhibit design, and the ability to tell compelling, relevant stories to an increasingly diverse public.
Museums that successfully make the transition from a static institution to an active participant in historical interpretation and education are demonstrating their value. In many cases, museums are achieving this goal through innovative exhibitions that push the boundaries of interpretation and presentation. This column will focus on these exemplary exhibitions, highlighting their significance and potential impact on the field.
As a result, this column will not attempt to review all museum exhibitions. Rather, it will focus on exhibitions that are innovative or exemplify best practices. The column will also seek to highlight those exhibitions that explore important topics or challenges for the field of museum exhibition and interpretation. For example, an exhibition that addresses a new way of improving collaboration between the academy and museums; a community driven collecting initiative that reframes a small museum’s relationship with its local residents; or a show that uses innovative techniques to engage non-traditional or underserved audience segments.
Exhibitions that examine historic or contemporary society are a critical part of the mission of museums. These exhibits are unique and valuable because they are a way for museums to share their collections with the wider public. However, interpreting these themes effectively is challenging because it involves creating an understanding of the past for visitors that does not always fit neatly into academic categories or methodologies.
As a result, the success of an exhibition will depend on its ability to meld research, scholarship and interpreting skills with effective visual display and contextualization. The creation of an interpretive exhibition is a multi-step process that often includes the development of supporting publications, videotapes, live presentations and other ancillary products. The publication of reviews in Perspectives is important because it helps to create a literature and vocabulary that can be accessed and shared by the museum community as the process of exhibition making continues to evolve. It is a form of museum scholarship that will outlive the show itself. For this reason, the publication of these reviews is especially valued by historians. Each year, hundreds of significant historical exhibitions are created in the United States. These exhibitions enlighten and educate the public while contributing mightily to the knowledge base of the field. The publishing of exhibition reviews makes this scholarship available to historians and others who might not be able to attend the shows in person.