Ah, once again, the eternal search for the golden key!  In my ideal museum,
the ideal ratio of gallery to storage space is 1:100.  On the other hand, if
everything you have is exhibit-worthy, make it 100:1.  (In my ideal museum,
however, objects are collected as historical evidence for study and scholarship,
whether they are deemed exhibitable or not.)

Just kidding about the numbers, obviously.  The point is that your mileage
may (and should) vary.  For my ideal museum, I would start with the space
requirement for the existing collection, which should be known already, making sure
you have enough land to support projected major expansions in 50 and 100
years.  (But even this depends on the nature of your mission and collections; some
museums will never require major expansions.)  Then add sufficient exhibition
space to support what you are trying to accomplish, whatever that is (removing
objects from storage and placing them on exhibition automatically provides
expansion space for storage).  I see no reason that the ratio needs to remain
constant as the museum's collections expand.  It is possible for exhibition
space to be so enormous that visitors find it intimidating (I am thinking of the
frustrated complaint on Museum-L some years ago that the Louvre is "too
big"--visitor mileage can vary also).

It also seems to me that your exhibitions should realistically reflect the
full range of your history of collecting activity.  My museum currently is
engaged in designing a series of large, "permanent" thematic exhibitions which will
exclude many types of objects which we hold in trust and which many visitors
undoubtedly would like to see; I think this is a mistake.  The permanent
exhibitions may consume so much floor space that little room will remain for
temporary exhibitions, whether large or small.  The value of preserving adequate
space for special temporary shows (drawn from existing collections as well as new
acquisitions and loans) is that they ensure a lively program to attract
repeat visitors and keep your institution in the news, and keep curators and
designers fully engaged and creative (and employed).  Therefore I think a more
important ratio to keep in mind is that of permanent vs. temporary exhibits.  This
could well remain a constant, and my personal preference for my ideal museum
would be something like 3:1 to 2:1.

Incidentally, ever on the alert for typos, I was amused by several instances
of the word "ration" creeping into the conversation, and wondered if this was
a Freudian slip!  I hope museum folks don't fall into the negative mindset of
"rationing" either exhibition or storage space relative to the other.

David Haberstich

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