Gaye,

This is an interesting question that we deal with on a much larger scale since we debate whether to put whole stores adjacent to exhibitions or not. Regardless of the scale, the issue is whether you compromise the intellectual integrity of your exhibitions by associating them too closely with earned income opportunities. My gut reaction is two fold: (upon second reading I should say that all of this assumes that there is SOME connection between the commercial opportunity in question and the associated exhibition and that you have some confidence that the stuff you are advertising is of some quality and has some sort of educational value. If you are just shilling rulers and pencil sharpers, forget it)

1. First, I don't think it is either absolutely appropriate or inappropriate. It is a sliding scale depending on the nature of the museum, the exhibit in question, the tone of the advertisement, and the commercial opportunity being hawked. A tasteful display of an exhibition catalog (we do this in our Engines of Change exhibition), scholarly monograph, or music CD in an appropriate exhibition would be taken differently than an ad for gummy tools in a recreated machine shop. Those are two extremes, but I hope you get my point. By the same token, what might be seen as okay in a science center or children's museum, might be seen as gauche in an art museum or historic house.

2. Visitors, by and large, see less of a separation between our educational & interpretive experiences and our earned income opportunities. We fret and argue endlessly over these issues, but the public, in general, sees a museum visit as one seamless and connected experience and will tolerate a lot more of this than most museum professionals would. Anecdotally,  I hear calls for more of this sort of thing from visitors, not less. 

The beauty of this issue is that you can easily and quickly dispose of it by a simple visitor study that uses test images and text printed on your office printer and a few hours of your time to find out just what your visitors think of this issue and what they will tolerate. My guess is the general tone of their feelings will be made clear after a few afternoons on the floor prototyping some signage. 

Good luck,

Matthew White
Director, Hands On Science Center
National Museum of American History



-----Original Message-----
>From: Dean Krimmel <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Aug 23, 2006 10:01 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [MUSEUM-L]
>
>I'm less uncomfortable than I used to be about mixing our art and commerce. For a new museum I worked on a couple years back, the director had us include a sign near a Norman Rockwell painting informing visitors that prints of the painting were available in the museum store. I winced, but it's there.
>
>If it was my decision, I'd turn it around and play up the exhibit links in the shop rather than the galleries. That's the obvious place to sell, sell, sell. 
>
>Dean
>
>Dean Krimmel, Museum Consultant
>Planning Exhibits, Programs & Interpretation for Museums, Historic Sites, Visitor Centers and Cultural Organizations
>423 Range Road  Baltimore, Maryland 21204
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>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: Bland, Gaye 
>  To: [log in to unmask] 
>  Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 3:46 PM
>  Subject: [MUSEUM-L]
>
>
>  A staff member has suggested placing a small display or a sign in an exhibit area noting that our shop has items relevant to the exhibit.  I've never seen anyone do this, so I assume it is considered inappropriate?
>
>   
>
>  Gaye Bland
>
>  Director, Rogers Historical Museum
>
>  [log in to unmask]
>
>  322 South Second Street
>
>  Rogers, Arkansas 72756
>
>  Phone: 479-621-1154 
>
>  Fax: 479-621-1155 
>
>   
>
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