Hi Rachel,

The institution and exhibition curator should agree on some procedure to
document the process, the exhibition itself and visitor response.
 Sometimes it's difficult to get everybody to agree, but once a
precedent has been set and communicated to everyone in the institution,
the 2nd experience is much easier.   My observation is, however, that
most people don't document their exhibitions enough and the resulting
files are not treasured as an archival source of information both for
the institution and the object(s).    I feel strongly that exhibition
files should be kept in perpetuity.   My museum is over 100 years old,
and we use those old files quite a bit.....to answer inquiries from
historians about old exhibitions or specimens, to build new exhibitions
which chronicle anniversaries or a particular period of history of the
institution, to research curatorial problems related to specific objects
in the collection, to provide administrative reports on exhibition
costs, etc.

The kind of information I keep on exhibitions I curate includes (but is
not limited to):   object lists and original storage location/dates,
hard copy of object/main text/graphic/subtext labels, incoming/outgoing
loan forms and receipts,  object photos, installation shots (during and
final product), correspondence, docent materials, grant narrative,
budget, press releases/external publicity, floor plan and security
forms, transportation arrangements, insurance forms, color specs,
special lighting/electrical/mounting issues etc. etc. etc.

It's amazing how much time can pass before a significant issue can
present itself.   For example, in one exhibition I curated over 6 years
ago, loaned material was returned to the lending institution and
receipts were signed indicating that.    The curator at that institution
became gravely ill, eventually died, and the individual who took over
the position could not find either the object or any paperwork that the
item(s) had been returned.   My files easily resolved any question of
impropriety on our part, but left many, many questions for the lending
institution.

Shirley Albright
Assistant Curator of Natural History Collections and Exhibitions
New Jersey State Museum





registrator wrote:

> Hi,
>
>
>
> (The last time, I didn't get any response, so I'm trying again.)
>
>
>
> Are there people who have experiences with documenting exhibitions?
>
> I'm interesting in experiences at this time and experiences of 10
> years ago.
>
>
>
> Hopefully, I'll get any respond this time. For me it is very
> important: I'm graduating my study of museology!
>
>
>
> Best regards,
> Rachel Bellwinkel
>
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