Every year, a large number of museum exhibitions retell the history of a people or a place for millions of visitors. Despite the size of the institutions involved, from the national museums to the local historical societies, such exhibits remain popular because they can reach a broader and more diverse audience than traditional academic monographs or even public lectures.
Museum exhibitions provide a medium for history to be conveyed in ways that are uniquely accessible to the general public and can stimulate the imagination. These shows can also challenge the audience to think and question how they understand history, and they often serve as a vehicle for interpreting complex issues such as race, culture, gender, power, authority, identity, and change.
In addition to their research-based arguments, these exhibitions rely heavily on visuals and the use of space to communicate their ideas to the viewer. As a result, they are not easily translated into textbooks or other scholarly works. Yet, despite their ephemerality, the work that goes into these exhibitions is valuable. It is a way of creating knowledge about the past that should be recorded, just like the work of historians and authors who produce monographs.
Until recently, however, there were few venues where the intellectual underpinnings of exhibition scholarship could be critically explored and shared. With the emergence of a growing number of scholarly journals that recognize the importance of this type of research, museum exhibitions have gained greater recognition, and the literature and vocabulary associated with their study is evolving. The publication of exhibition reviews, such as this one, helps to ensure that these important historical presentations will have a life beyond the limited period during which they are on view and that their impact will be sustained.
The exhibit in question, titled “Ciclo della Vitalità,” featured artworks created by artists who had been inspired by the idea that the universe and art both originated from the same energy, or vitality. The exhibition was intended to demonstrate that Sandberg’s approach to the CIAC reflected the evolution of contemporary art and moved away from the strict art historical definition of “art.” Some critics, including Engelman, objected to the exhibition because it seemed too subjective to be understood by the general public and was too closely linked to Sandberg’s personal view of the nature of artistic creativity.
For such exhibitions to be successful they must be more than just history put up on walls; they need to include a human component and a narrative that allows the viewer to connect with the subject matter. This can be accomplished through the inclusion of themes that are universal, such as rites of passage (birth, death, marriage/joining, and coming of age) or abstract concepts that connect people across cultures, such as home, freedom, faith, democracy, and mobility. They can also be achieved through the exploration of specific societal events or practices, such as food or drink, clothing and adornment, or race and religion.