Doing exhibits requires a lot of work, more than most
(non-museum) people realize.  Having said that, it my
favorite part of my job, and so it is truly a "labor
of love" for me!

I am a one woman department, so I do all of the work
myself -- from research and writing to graphic design,
painting, and installation.  We have 6 other FT people
who are one-person departments, and about 20 PT
people.  I change our temporary gallery 3-4 times a
year.

If your audience is mostly local folks, then you HAVE
to be sure to make changing exhibits a priority so
they will keep coming back.  New exhibits also
generate a media buzz that reminds everyone (whether
they come or not) that you still exist and are doing
cool things.  Our members expect to be invited to
openings more than once a year.

However, you want exhibits to be up long enough so
that your work is "worth it."  And if your only space
for visitors is your changing exhibit gallery, then
you are completely shut down when you change things. 
I used to work at a place where that was the case.  It
is tough to turn people away because there is actually
NOTHING to see.  Fortunately, now I am at a place with
lots of permanent exhibits, and I suppose we would
give people a pass to return if someone complained
that a gallery was closed, but to my knowledge this
has never happened.

I find that if I sprinkle in a traveling exhibit every
18 months or so, it gives me a break and allows me to
really catch up on collections responsibilities. 
There are quite a few affordable ones out there.  Our
budget is limited too, so we go for the $5000 or less
ones, and usually find a local sponsor to cover the
costs for us.

As others have said, it really depends on individual
situations.  Sometimes it just pushes the staff too
much to change things more often.  You have to strike
a balance that is workable and realistic for everyone.

My two cents!
Kim



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Rusty Baker
> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 11:05 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Changing temporary exhibits
> 
> Every now and then (4 times in my six years here),
> we have a debate
> about
> how many times a year we should change exhibits, how
> long a given
> exhibition
> should last, and the timing of the switch since we
> close 8-14 days when
> that
> happens.  We are small, 4 staff, about $400,000 a
> year budget, and we do
> not
> collect.  We currently switch out quarterly at the
> beginnings of Jan.,
> April, July, October.
> 
> Can anyone share with me, if they have a similar
> operation, what kinds
> of
> questions we should be asking in this debate?  We
> don't want to keep
> doing
> what we're doing just because we've always done it
> that way, but we are
> also
> fairly satisfied with our current pace.
> 
> Thanks,
> Rusty Baker
> Susquehanna Art Museum
> 
>
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Kimberly A. Kenney, Curator 
Wm. McKinley Presidential Library & Museum
800 McKinley Monument Dr. NW 
Canton OH 44708 * 330-455-7043 
* NEW EXHIBIT:  "Letters Home" will be on view from August 5 through November 13.  Don't miss this special tribute to our local veterans!
* SPECIAL EVENT:  Join us for "So Proudly We Hail, " an event featuring war-related programs, speakers, music, and FUN on October 1!  Half price admission for veterans.

"Let us ever remember that our interests are in concord, not conflict; and that our real eminence rests in the victories of peace, not those of war."  -- 25th United States President William McKinley












		
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