Workshop 2: Curation at the Weston Gallery
Friday 20th June 2014
Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre
Workshop Leaders: Hayley Cotterill (University of Nottingham Manuscripts &
Special Collections), Charlotte Pratley (Culture Syndicates) & Ruth LewisJones (Lakeside Arts Centre)
Texts on Curation and Interpretation
Interpreting Out Heritage by Freeman Tilden
The concept that curators cannot simply present objects and fact; they need to relate to the
audience, reveal new information and provoke the audience to think, rather than instructing them
what to do or what to think
The Engaging Museum by Graham Black
Useful processes of curating:
 What do you want to interpret?
 Why do you want to present this?
 Who are you presenting it to?
 How are you going to do it?
 So what? What difference will you make to the viewer?
Dr. Sam Ham
A leading figure on interpretation, Ham talks about the need for curation to be enjoyable, relevant
(meaningingful, personal and self-referencing to the audience), organised and thematic (i.e.,
grouped by theme rather than another method such as chronological). Some information on his
advocacy of thematic interpretation can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thematic_interpretation
Exhibition Design by David Dernie
The way in which the contemporary exhibition is designed is fast changing - previously aloof cultural
institutions are making use of technologies and techniques more commonly associated with film and
retail. Exhibition Design features a wide variety of examples from around the world, from major
trade and commerce fairs, to well-known fine art institutions, to small-scale artist-designed displays.
An introduction gives a historical perspective on the development of exhibitions and museums. The
first part of the book covers the conceptual themes of narrative space, performative space and
simulated experience and the second the practical concerns of display, lighting, colour, sound and
graphics.
Making Histories in Museums by Gaynor Kavanagh
'What stories will we be told when we take ourselves and our children to museums in the future?
Gaynor Kavanagh has tackled the question by inviting twenty-one contributions from museum
professionals - each focusing on a specific kind of collection, and has produced a riveting book as a
result.' The book museological features, but deals particularly with the historiographical issues that
have previously been underplayed.
Concepts on Exhibition Text
The Gunning Fog Index
Of the various methods for assessing reading age, The Gunning Fog index is the easiest to use and is
often use to create exhibition panels that are appropriate for the target audience. You can do this by
counting the number of words in a sample of your text and applying a simple formula, or this online
tool can do it for you:
http://gunning-fog-index.com/
The Cloze Index
This simple method of determining readability involves removing every fifth word and analysing how
easily your audience can fill in the banks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloze_test
Ekarv
This method of writing text for exhibitions creates simple, structured verses that are designed for
maximum enjoyment in the museum environment (often in poor light, while standing up and in a,
sometimes, distracting environment.
http://museums.4t.com/Articles/Article31.htm
WWI Links
BBC World War I At Home
A growing collection of stories that show how WW1 affected the people and places of the UK and
Ireland. The BBC has partnered with Imperial War Museums and the Arts and Humanities Research
Council
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01nhwgx
Mansfield Museum’s changing programme of exhibitions: Behind The Lines
Three exhibitions at the museum: Everyone’s Darling: the First World War Nurse, Last Post:
Remembering the First World War; and Clipstone Camp and World War One in Mansfield
http://www.ourmansfieldandarea.org.uk/page_id__905_path__0p4p25p84p.aspx
http://www.mansfield.gov.uk/museum/escapes/temporary_exhibitions/index.htm
Professor Joanna Bourke on Shell Shock
By the end of World War One, the British Army had dealt with 80,000 cases of shell shock, including
those of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen (WW1 poets). Joanna Bourke explores how the army
tackled this extreme trauma, and how it was regarded by those back home.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/shellshock_01.shtml
Gallipoli
This film by Peter Wier, starring Mel Gibson, depicts two Australian sprinters facing the brutal
realities of war when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082432/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Toby’s Room by Pat Barker
Parts of this book are set in Queen Mary’s hospital in Sidcup, which is mentioned in a letter that the
Life Lines group looked at, from a pioneering facial reconstruction surgeon to the family of the
patient. The letter and its accompanying photographs were kindly provided by Lakeside Arts Centre’s
Front of House Assistant, Max.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/10/toby-room-pat-barker-review
http://gilliesarchives.org.uk/