COURSE OUTLINE
HA 494
Museum Exhibitions: Theory and Development
Dillenburg and Morrissey
Summer I, 2003
M – W – F May 12 – June 26
PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTOR:
Eugene Dillenburg
Exhibit Developer
Science Museum of Minnesota
120 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102
(651) 221-4706
(651) 221-4514 fax
dillenbu@msu.edu
gdillenburg@smm.org
http://www.msu.edu/~dillenbu/ (class notes and other information)
TEXTS:
Required:
Planning for People in Museum Exhibitions, Kathleen McLean
Class handouts
Recom’d:
Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach, Beverly Serrell
1
SESSIONS:
Classes meet 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. in Museum Auditorium, unless otherwise noted
Session # 1
Monday, May 12
9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Course Intro
Assignments due today:
Today’s class:
none
Lecture:
Lecture:
Lab:
Lecture:
Intro to course
What is an exhibit?
Viewing an exhibit at MSU museum
Assigning teams for class projects
Readings due next session:
McLean
Handouts
Recom’d:
Assignments given:
Session # 2
Ch. 1 (visitors)
Ch. 5 (evaluation)
Visitors: Who Does…; Falk
Contemporary Theories of Learning, Dierking
Multiple Intelligences, Gardner
Constructivist Learning Theory, Hein
Visitors: Expectations & Behavior; McManus
Serrell, ch. 4 (audience) and 5 (learning styles)
none
Wednesday, May 14 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The Receiver
Assignments due today:
Today’s class:
none
Lecture:
Lecture:
Lab:
The museum visitor
Evaluation (Kris Morrissey)
Developing a questionnaire
Interviewer training
2
Readings due next session:
McLean
Handouts:
Recom’d:
Ch. 3 (teams)
Advocate for Everything, Kamien
What’s the Big Idea?, Serrell
Storytelling in Science Exhibits; Rounds
Outlining Your Exhibit, Edelstein
Noodling Around with Exhibit Opportunities, Gurian
Serrell, ch. 1 (big idea) and 3 (types of labels)
Assignments given:
Conduct surveys
BREAK #1
May 15 – 27
During this period, you should be:
Conducting your surveys
Researching the content of your exhibit project
Meeting with your teams
Catching up on that ton of reading I dumped on you
Session #3
Wednesday, May 28 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The Proposition
Assignments due today:
Today’s class:
Surveys (5 points)
Lab:
Lecture:
Lab:
Lecture:
reviewing / compiling survey data
Content development (main message / storyline)
Developing a main message
Guest speaker (Maria Quinlan Leiby, Mich. Hist. Mus.)
Readings due next session:
McLean
Handouts
Recom’d:
Ch. 2 (Exhibitions)
The Museum and Exhibit Experience; ILC
User-Friendly, Kennedy
The sound must be an echo…, Dillenburg
What is an Exhibit Developer?, Horowitz and Krile
Serrell, ch. 6 (levels & modalities)
3
Assignments given:
TEAM:
write a main message (due session 5)
Think of content points for Friday’s lab
Session #4
Friday, May 30
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The Dramatization
Assignments due today:
Today’s class:
none
Lecture:
Lab:
Field Trip:
Developing and planning exhibit experiences
Developing a storyline
to local museum (TBD)
Readings due next session:
McLean
Durbin
Handouts:
Ch. 4 (process)
Ch. 6 (problem solving)
Ch. 27 (Orientation & circulation; Bitgood)
Making Museums Better Learning Experiences; Falk & Dierking
Visitor-Centered Exhibit Development; Downey
Visitor Orientation & Circulation; Bitgood
Assessing Impact of Arrangement…; Falk
An Exhibit Team at Work; Grasso & Morisson)
Assignments given:
INDIVIDUAL:
exhibit review (due session 6)
Remember: TEAM main message assignment due next session
4
Session #5
Monday, June 2
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The Importance of Story
Assignments due today:
TEAM main messages (30 points per team member)
Today’s class:
Lab:
Lecture:
Lab:
Lab:
Review Team main messages
Exhibit content, story, metaphor and floorplan
Jim Volkert’s “The Dinner Party”
Developing a storyline and bubble plan
Readings due next session:
McLean:
Handouts:
Recom’d:
Ch. 5 (transforming spaces)
Ch. 7 (interactives)
Why are Some Exhibits more Interesting…; Rounds
Designing Exhibits that Engage Visitors; ILC
A Picture of Visitors; Bricknell and Mann
Creating in Teams, Bedno
Serrell, ch. 13 (evaluation)
Assignments given:
TEAM: write a storyline and draw a bubble plan; due next session
Reminder: Individual exhibit reviews are due next session
BREAK #2
June 3 - 10
During this period you should be:
Working with your team on your exhibit storyline and bubble plan
Visiting a museum and writing a review, based on class criteria
Continuing content research
5
Session #6
Wednesday, June 11 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
* NOTE: extended hours
Exhibit Plans and Components
Assignments due today:
INDIVIDUAL: exhibit reviews (20 points)
TEAM: storyline and bubble plan (30 pts. per team member)
Today’s class:
Lab:
Lecture:
Lab:
Lecture:
Lab:
Lab:
Reviewing team assignments
Exhibit plan: creating a content outline
Developing an exhibit plan
Exhibit components and scripts
Brainstorming components
Model workshop
Readings due next session:
McLean
Handouts:
Recom’d:
Ch. 8 (labels)
Objectives for Labels; Rand
Half a Dozen Hints; Curran
Ten Deadly Sins…; Serrell
A Label Manifesto; Williams
Reading Behavior; McManus
Professing the Word; Rupe
Borrowing from Technical Communication, Cozart
Spinning Fish Tales, Campbell, et. al.
Serrell, the whole book, but especially chapters 2, 7, 8 and 20
Assignments given:
INDIVIDUAL: develop an exhibit plan for one section of your team project (due next
session)
TEAM: final presentation of your exhibit, with each individual student presenting a script
for one section.
6
Session #7
Friday, June 13
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
*NOTE: this session may run extended hours
Label Writing Workshop
Assignments due today:
INDIVIDUAL: exhibit plan (30 points)
Today’s class:
anything we didn’t get to yesterday
reviewing assignments
label writing workshop
reviewing final assignment
Lecture:
Lab:
Lab:
Lecture:
Readings due next session:
none
Assignments given:
Reminder: final presentations due next session. Each team presents exhibit project; each
student presents script for one section.
BREAK #3
June 14 - 22
During this time, you should be:
Writing your final paper
Coordinating your project presentation with your team
Session #8
Monday, June 23
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.?
Note: depending how long the presentations are taking, we might go a little longer if it means we
can wrap them up.
Final Presentations
Assignments due today:
Final presentations:
Today’s class:
Lab:
TEAM:
INDIVIDUAL:
exhibit project
script for one section (60 points)
Final presentations
7
Readings due next session:
McLean
Durbin
Handout:
Assignments given:
Session #9
Ch. 12 (constraints and opportunities)
chapters 31, 32, and 33 (case studies, working with community)
Customizing Exhibit Process; Faron
none
Wednesday, June 25 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Issues
Assignments due today:
journal (10 points)
class participation (15 points)
Today’s class:
Lab:
Lecture:
(if necessary) finish presentations
current issues in exhibition
GRADING:
Class participation
Journal
Surveys
Team assignment: main message
Exhibit review
Team: storyline / bubble plan
Exhibit plan
Individual presentation
TOTAL
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
15 points
15
15
30 points (per student)
30
30 points (per student)
15
50
----200
188 points (94%)
176 points (88%)
164 points (82%)
152 points (76%)
140 points (70%)
8