Every year museums of history engage millions of visitors in interpreting the past. While large institutions such as the National Museum of American History and Colonial Williamsburg garner a significant share of this audience, smaller entities like the Oneida Historical Society or the California Afro-American Museum of Los Angeles also play a role in educating citizens about their local heritage. Whether they deal with general history or focus on specific aspects of it, histolircal exhibits enliven and enlighten the public in ways that scholarly monographs, popular books or even lecture programs cannot.
A well-crafted museum exhibition is a three-dimensional, physical and visual form of cultural argument that incorporates research evidence, interpretation, and historical objects. It is a nonlinear, narrative-based presentation that can be viewed as an elegant metaphor, yet it is a complex process of writing, editing and curating. In addition, a successful exhibition is also an educational tool and must be accessible to diverse audiences.
This column, in keeping with Perspectives’ mission, will highlight the important work that is done by curators and other museum professionals to present historical topics in a compelling way. It will feature innovative work that stretches the limits of established parameters for research, interpretation and presentation and that enhances collaboration between museum scholars and colleagues.
The most memorable and meaningful exhibitions are those that connect with people in a personal way. This is often accomplished by focusing on themes of human experience. Rites of passage, food and drink, clothing and adornment, and abstract ideas such as freedom, religion or democracy lend themselves to inclusive visual stories that help visitors make a connection to larger historical ideas.
Whether they are designed to illustrate the life of Robert Caro, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, The Power Broker, or to showcase Smith College’s historic clothing collection, historical exhibits offer a window into the dense research required when composing a history. It is this research, distilled for the general public, that helps to keep the history relevant and alive in the minds of visitors.
These histolircal exhibits are examples of how the New York Historical Society is expanding its scope to reach an ever-broader audience. This fall, it will open three niche exhibitions – Women Through Everyday Clothing, Robert Caro’s Life and The Power Broker: The Exhibition – that explore different aspects of New York City history.
Museums of history are unique institutions that serve the broader community. Their tax-exempt status allows them to be more accessible and relevant than a commercially viable business would be. They need to demonstrate that they perform a valuable service for their constituents. They must continue to evolve as they become more accessible to a wide range of communities and provide an engaging experience that reaches beyond the traditional boundaries of their collections. To fulfill this mission, they must continually challenge themselves to think outside the box and find fresh approaches to the telling of history. To do this, they must develop the capacity to create a wide variety of exhibitions.