Course Overview  

MST 5700 Exhibit Development introduces students to the process of creating an exhibit and visitor studies. Students will also interact with peers through weekly discussions and will submit reading analysis essays. Students will also complete a final exhibit project after creating a free Omeka account and then build an online Omeka exhibit over several course-spanning unit assignments. Students will prepare a written critique of two peer exhibits. The ultimate reward is that you will have a very tangible technical skill that museums will like to see on your vitae!1 

Prerequisite: Graduate standing; May be repeated with a change of content; maximum credit 6 hours. Examination and discussion of advanced topics in museum studies.2 

Course Learning Objectives3 

• Describe the exhibit planning and design process.

• Analyze the visitor experience to determine the best way to design an exhibit.

• Define exhibit types.

• Evaluate the success of a museum exhibit.

• Create relevant exhibit development documents.

• Create a digital Omeka online exhibit.

• Write an exhibit critique.

Description 

The course MST 5700 Exhibit Development focuses on the fundamentals of exhibit creation, from planning and development to fabrication and installation. Some of the main topics covered in the course include exhibit planning and concept development (target audience, exhibit goals, objectives, and outcomes), interpretative frameworks, writing exhibit text, accessibility, audience engagement, exhibit design and spatial planning, creating artifact data sheets, and writing an exhibit brief. The course required students to complete several assignments, including critical analysis, exhibit briefs, artifact data sheets, a course-spanning project, two peer exhibit reviews, weekly discussion boards, and readings. 

The artifact selected for Exhibit Development is the final for the course-spanning project, a digital exhibition created on Omeka called Roots of Resistance: The Art of Elizabeth Catlett. The project involved developing an online exhibit on Omeka on a topic of our choice, which included creating an Omeka homepage front panel with our chosen Omeka URL as the front panel (home page) address, inserting an exhibit title in a title banner, and relevant exhibit image on the front panel, placing a necessary introductory paragraph over our topic and exhibit on the front panel, and incorporating a total of 25 digital object images to the Omeka exhibit, all of which needed to include pertinent object image metadata, such as object description, labeling information, museum/archival name, collection, material, and accession number.4 For this assignment, “students may use copyrighted images as Fair Use under the Copyright Act, as long as they are used for non-profit educational purposes”.5 The purpose of the artifact was to develop a digital exhibition that presented the works of Mexican American artist Elizabeth Catlett, highlighting themes of resistance, identity, motherhood, oppression, and labor. The artifact directly relates to the course content by presenting what I learned throughout the semester in a digital exhibit, demonstrating my growth and skills in exhibit development. This includes collections-based decision-making, interpretation, and storytelling (of the works of Elizabeth Catlett), exhibit design, and implementing meaningful audience engagement and DEAI. The artifact demonstrates the knowledge gained in the course by showing effective interpretive planning, visitor-centric design, and the application of technical and design skills from the course, Technology for Museum Professionals. Course concepts reflected in the artifact include critical thinking about museum theories that aid audience engagement, highlighting digital design concepts in the layout and navigation of the exhibit site, and incorporating DEAI standards.

Analysis 

MST 5700 Exhibit Development deepened my understanding of the subject by providing me with the tools to present accurate and authentic narratives that highlight difficult and uncomfortable truths. Exhibits are ways to communicate new interpretations to the audience through innovative design, research, storytelling, and visitor engagement. The main concepts of the course that were most impactful were learning more about exhibit design on Omeka and learning about museum theories of the visitor experience, such as framing, channeling, and broadening, all of which aid in creating more successful and meaningful visitor experiences. Learning these concepts challenged my thinking about what constructs the visitor experience, like how museums and exhibits are framed, spatial placement, and implementing strategies in the layout and design to engage the audience to learn new perspectives. The course was very informative, with the readings aligning with the assignments and course discussion boards. Specifically, the Omeka project provided valuable hands-on experience for digital exhibition design. The readings also provided numerous case studies that helped me understand the concepts of exhibit development. My motivation to take this course was to aid my future profession as a curator and better equip me to design, plan, fabricate, and install an exhibition effectively and efficiently.

The artifact demonstrates my learning from the course by integrating components of exhibit design and development into a functional digital exhibition. This included interpretive planning, developing an exhibit brief (like the provisional title, location, audience, theme, mission, outcomes, institutional goals, approach, and collections). By following this outline from the exhibit brief, the exhibit would stay focused on the narrative by communicating complex social issues of racism and systemic injustices through the works of Elizabeth Catlett, and remain accessible and engaging for all visitors to whom it is aimed. The artifact further aligns with AAM Collections Stewardship Standards, AAM Core Standards for Museums, and ICOM Code of Ethics.6,7,8 The skills applied in creating this artifact include critical research, the comprehensive use of the digital CMS software Omeka, and the incorporation of various multimedia elements. Along with applying ethical theory and practices in exhibit development, collections, and curation to ensure the exhibition is accessible, inclusive, and diverse, and to foster meaningful visitor experiences in the museum by providing accurate and authentic representation and storytelling of marginalized groups. The artifact demonstrates my growth in exhibit development and my ability to apply theoretical knowledge to a practical approach. The artifact meets the course learning objectives by creating a digital Omeka exhibit that incorporates visitor-centric design to foster meaningful visitor experiences that will aid the exhibit’s success.9 The artifact’s strengths are its clear communication of the theme and narrative, which align with Catlett’s message about racial inequality and social injustice. A limitation of the artifact is that, since this is a virtual exhibit, some elements could be enhanced and further explored if they were physically displayed.

Reflection 

Both the course and the artifact impacted me personally and professionally, as the course content will be applicable to my future profession as a museum curator, has deepened my understanding of exhibit development, and has given me hands-on experience in digital design by creating an exhibition on Omeka. In the Technology for Museum Professionals course, I was familiar with creating a digital exhibit on Omeka, but this time I had a better understanding of what content to add to make the exhibit easier to navigate and to include various interactive elements for all audiences to engage with, as well as developing themes and organizing content. Personally, the artifact pushed me to engage with complex and difficult histories, highlighting themes of racism, oppression, systemic biases, and resistance presented by artist Elizabeth Catlett.

Additionally, this artifact is connected to the Technology Brief from Technology for Museum Professionals, and the development of an exhibition at Timberneck House, an 18th-century plantation house located in Gloucester, Virginia, that explores marginalized groups from Gloucester and Virginia. At the beginning of the semester, I was interning at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. It was here that I was first introduced to the artist Elizabeth Catlett, as one of the Community Development teachers had created a lesson plan and activity based on her work in the Carter’s collections. Catlett’s name stood out to me because I knew it was the family’s last name that once lived at Timberneck House. I considered the slim likelihood that these were connected, but ultimately decided to reach out to the Fairfield Foundation to ask whether there was any correlation between Elizabeth Catlett and the Catletts at Timberneck. I was informed by representatives at Fairfield that yes, Catlett is very likely descended from the enslaved at Timberneck, and that further research was underway to obtain 100% confirmation. This information led me to decide to develop my Omeka exhibit on Catlett, juxtaposing her artwork (as a potential descendant of the enslaved at Timberneck) with the plantation house, transforming the space into a place of healing, reflection, and honor. Taking the Exhibit Development course helped me build practical, transferable skills that are critical for working in the museum, pushed me to think more strategically about exhibitions, the wants and needs of the audience, and how to align with institutional goals and mission. This course has been influential in my growth in confidence, enabling me to develop a comprehensive exhibition that maintains a cohesive vision.

One of the biggest challenges experienced in the course was balancing this course, the Independent Project, and the Capstone all at the same time. To have enough time to complete all my coursework, I had to create a strict schedule I could not deviate from. Overall, while the course was challenging in terms of the amount of work required, I believe it has also been one of the most rewarding for me in the MAMS program, preparing me for my future in the museum field as a curator by teaching me integral concepts in exhibit development. This course helped shape my Personal Learning Goals (PLG) 1, 2, and 4, to expand my curatorial and exhibition planning skills by gaining experience in curatorial research and exhibition development, including developing an exhibition concept, theme, writing labels, and designing an inclusive, diverse exhibition that engages all audiences, as well as further developing skills in exhibit design that incorporate spatial planning to create exhibition layouts that guide visitors and enhance storytelling, while being accessible to all audiences through analyzing existing museum exhibitions and designing an exhibit on Omeka. From this, I was able to integrate tools from coursework and projects that utilize interactive displays and multimedia technologies to create visitor-centric experiences that further facilitate community collaboration and foster deep, meaningful, and emotional connections with the exhibition Roots of Resistance: The Art of Elizabeth Catlett for Timberneck House. Completing this course will also meet Personal Learning Outcomes (PLO) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Lastly, I would not do anything differently for this project. Dr. Ricker has praised my exhibit as one of the best in the class; however, I am currently still taking this course, so based on feedback from peer review, there may be suggestions on what I could do differently in the exhibit for the future.