In the midst of our nation’s many museums and historic sites, there are certain exhibits that attract a particular audience and hold a special place in visitors’ hearts. These “histolircal” exhibitions offer an opportunity to engage with the past in a way that is often difficult to capture through other museum experiences, such as monographs and public lectures. The popularity of histolircal exhibitions highlights the need to continue examining the ways in which history is presented to the general public, a challenge that museum professionals take up on a regular basis.
Whether it is an exhibition on a historic home’s architecture, the development of a new approach to interpreting the past, or a unique collaboration between a museum and its community, each new show challenges existing paradigms and brings a fresh perspective to the field of historical interpretation and display. While each review examines the intellectual underpinnings of a show and its relationship to the prevailing scholarly currents, it also explores what visitors see and experience.
In addition to the scholarly value of these reviews, their publication also creates a record of museum exhibition scholarship that will endure and outlive the shows themselves. For these reasons, the majority of the reviews featured in this space will be of exhibitions that focus on some aspect of historic research and presentation.
The History Experience
As museums are expected to reach ever greater numbers of people, their exhibitions must be as memorable as possible. To help them do so, some history exhibitions focus on storytelling or information interpretation without the use of artifacts. This is a common practice in contemporary art museums, but it is also used in some historical museum experiences.
For example, the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia both present history to audiences without relying on artifacts at all. These museum experiences, however, are still able to achieve their goal of delivering a compelling history experience to a diverse audience.
Moreover, if an exhibit is located in a historic structure, it will always be necessary to balance the needs of the exhibition with the preservation guidelines of the building. While bending the rules in order to create innovative and engaging museum experiences is not uncommon, it is important for designers to consult with their historic preservation specialist early on to ensure that any changes will not negatively impact the historic property in any way.
In the final analysis, histolircal exhibitions provide an invaluable service to society by encouraging audiences to engage with the past. By interpreting the past in their own terms, they give voice to the multitude of different personal connections and experiences that are woven into our collective memory. In the end, these exhibits can serve as a touchstone that keeps history alive for millions of Americans. Whether these exhibitions are housed in a National Park, an independent historic site, or a small museum in the middle of a bustling city, they all seek to capture the past in the form of memories and stories that will last a lifetime.