We use exhibit committees in planning and implementing new exhibits.  The
committees are appointed by the director and may include board members, but
we make a distinction between a board member fulfilling a trustee's
responsibility and a board member acting as a volunteer whether on a
committee or performing specific tasks at the museum.  In general, the board
members are sensitive to the distinction and we have few problems.

Exhibit committees function under the supervision of the director or a guest
curator for a particular exhibit.  Members participate in exhibit planning
including script development, artifact identification and preparation, label
writing, and fabrication.  Their work is helpful both in mounting new
exhibits and as a training experience for the committee members.  We
establish a new committee for each new exhibit (although some membership
overlaps from previous exhibits) and it is a wonderful opportunity to
education board members and other supports  that exhibits are not simply
"things' stuffed into cases.  As a preparatory step for new exhibits, I
usually write up a project plan that delinates the things that have to be
done and who will be responsible for doing them.

Because preparing new exhibits takes money and other resources, the board as
a body approves undertaking most new exhibits as fiscal issues.  The board
will also at times discussions about the relevance of particular exhibits to
the mission statement.

I hope this is helpful.

William S. Hanable
Westport Maritime Museum

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerrie Clarke <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, April 05, 1999 5:47 PM
Subject: Exhibits Committee


<<snip>>


I thought I'd ask some other museums
>how they use their exhibits committees.  Who sits on the committee?  How
>much input does the Board have in planning and updating permanent
>exhibits and in choosing traveling exhibits?
>
>Thank you,
>Jerrie Clarke
>Curator of Collections
>Valdez Museum
>Valdez, Alaska
>http://www.alaska.net/~vldzmuse/index.html
>
>
>
>Jerrie Clarke
>Curator of Collections
>Valdez Museum
>http://www.alaska.net/~vldzmuse/index.html
>
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>