Planning and Managing an Exhibition Programme

;: 

Planning and Managing an Exhibition 

Programme 

The museum offices where exhibition programmes are planned and managed are often 

dominated by large calendars or schedules on green, black or white boards, with chalk 

or magic markers and plenty of cloths to erase them kept handy, because they are very 

often being changed. Many museums maintain major exhibition plans three and four 

years or even longer ahead, yet at the same time adjust the deadlines of shipments and 

the precise dates of openings or lectures as they get closer. In larger museums where 

multiple galleries or departments are involved, the schedule board may resemble a 

railway timetable for multiple tracks and destinations. 

In many museums the task of planning and managing exhibitions is seen as a 

function of collection management, so that in North America it is often assigned to 

the registrar. Other museums have established a specialised post called 'Exhibitions 

Officer' or sometimes even 'Curator of Exhibitions'. In smaller institutions exhibition 

planning and management duties are likely to be part of the responsibilities of the 

director or the curators. In any case, they are certain to absorb a considerable amount 

of tim'e and attention of the museum's staff, and success in their planning and 

management is in most cases correctly seen as a vital consideration for the health of 

the institution, the enjoyment and edification of the visitors, and the fulfilment of the 

museum's mission. 

An exhibition programme is likely to include: 

r 

o 

the relatively long-term display of a museum's permanent collection, usually in 

multiple galleries or departments, often with requirements for rotation of specific 

works on view for conservation purposes 

the museum's own temporary exhibition schedule, which may include changing 

selections from the permanent collection, individual loans of works of art or 

artefacts from other museums or private collectors, as well as whole exhibitions 

borrowed from or shared with other institutions 

PLANNINGANDMANAGINGANEXHIBITIONPROGMMME 261

. travelling exhibitions, some being received for display in the museum, others being 

shipped onward, and possibly some being originated for travel from that museum 

as point of origin 

. the educational and other public programmes associated with the exhibitions. 

This chapter considers each of these four components in turn. 

8.I PERMANENT COLLECTION DISPLAY 

Barry Lord 

The display of museums' permanent collection seems to most members of the public 

to be one of their paramount activities. Yet many visitors' exit surveys attest to the 

often well-founded suspicion that this function is not being satisfactorily fulfilled. 

Indeed, it is very often publicly acknowledged by the museum - and even widely 

publicised as a way of supporting a fundraising campaign - that a relatively small 

proportion of the permanent collection is on display. Newspaper accounts often cite 

the low percentage figures as if they were definitive tests of the institution's merits, 

deploring the concealment from the public of what may be properly seen as their 

heritage. 

Thus the Tate Gallery in London let it be known that only 10 per cent of its 

permanent collection was on display before its bifurcation into Tate Britain at its old 

building at Millbank on the north shore of the Thames, and Tate Modern in the 

renovated power station at Bankside on the south shore. Having raised the funds to 

complete Tate Modern, Executive Director Sir Nicholas Serota was able to announce 

that henceforth the public would be able to see 60 per cent of the Tate's international 

art collection at Bankside. 

Despite exception such as Britain's National Gallery which is able to display a 

very high proportion of its comparatively small collection of outstanding masterworks 

of European art history, the average for most art museums falls between 5 and 15 per 

cent of the permanent collection on view at any one time. History museumsometimes 

do better, although their percentage is also likely to be low if they are amassing social 

history or military collections. Natural history museums, especially those associated 

with universities or research institutions, often have the lowest percentages, since many 

of their specimens are study collections, and are not intended for display. 

Hence the first task in planning a museum's permanent collection display 

programme is to classify all the objects in the collection by purpose. There are usually 

three categories: 

262 THE MANUAL OF MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

v' 

f 

t 

: 

others being 

hat museum 

ribitions. 

o 

c 

display collection: objects collected and preserved indefinitely, primarily for 

purposes of display - although of course they also reward study 

study collection: objects collected and preserved indefinitely, primarily for 

purposes of identification, study, research, analysis or comparison with others; 

some of these may also be suitable for display, and may in fact be included in 

permanent collection displays, but the primary reason for collecting them is their 

value for study 

. reserue collection: objects to which the museum may not have made a commitment 

rf the public 

attest to the 

'ily fulfilled. 

even widely 

rtively small 

.ts often cite 

ion's merits, 

een as their 

r cent of its 

rin at its old 

dern in the 

the funds to 

:o announce 

nternational 

to display a 

nasterworks 

i and 15 per 

.s sometimes 

rssing social 

e associated 

, since many 

:ion display 

: are usually 

for indefinite preservation, either by reason of their condition, duplication of other 

items in the collection, intended use for hands-on education purposes, their present 

isolation from other objects in the collection (which may or may not be remedied 

in time), or other factors. Items in the reserve collection may be transferred to either 

of the other two categories when their condition is restored to be appropriate for 

display or studS or when other items are collected to make them a meaningful 

group; others, such as those used in the hands-on education programme' may 

eventually be de-accessioned. 

Once the display collection has been identified, the next step in planning a permanent 

collection display programme is to project its growth. Many curators initially despair 

of such projections, pointing to the unpredictable nature of an acquisition programme 

that may be heavily or even entirely dependent on donations. However, a study of the 

past fluctuations and averages is always instructive, and usually can justify a reasonable 

projection, especially if the museum professionals making it are keenly aware of the 

sources of donations, and the probability or imminence of such significant events as a 

new building or renovated galleries that are likely to attract more donations when they 

are announced. 

Contrary to the anxieties of some curators, projecting a growth rate does not limit 

a museum's flexibiliry, but enhances it. Knowing the anticipated growth rate facilitates 

a regular check against projections, so that adjustments can be made, and advantage 

may be taken of opportunities in a responsible way that acknowledges the space or 

scheduling challenges that new acquisitions present. Case study 8.2 presents an 

example of collection growth resulting from a temporary exhibition, in turn affecting 

the'Walters Art Gallery's permanent collection display plans' 

Only when the display collection has been identified and its growth projected as 

reasonably as possible, should the present and preferred display/storage ratio be 

considered. The ideal is not necessarily the maximum: 

PLANNING AND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGMMME 263

o 

r 

o 

if the museum is a natural science research institution attached to a university, a 

very high proportion of the collection may consist of specimens that are best kept 

as a study collection for scholars, while interactive multimedia may be used to 

interest visitors in the scientific disciplines, displaying only a relatively few 

specimens 

a local or regional history museum or a regimental museum with a collection of 

many duplicate artefacts that are also much like those to be found in several other 

museums in the area may be best to focus on a relatively small group of outstanding 

artefacts, perhaps utilising advanced cinema or object theatre (as described in 

chapter 7) to tell its story 

an archival or textile collection must plan for regular rotation of its collection every 

few months for reasons of conservation, and therefore should not plan for a very 

high percentage of its collection to be on view at any one time; multimedia means 

of showing their images on screen are likely to be a better solution for the archival 

materials. 

It is very often the case that the museum can tell its story better with fewer artefacts 

displayed in more space, so that sufficient attention may be paid to interpretation. 

A visit to the world's most popular railway museum, the California State Railway 

Museum in Sacramento, for example, shows the virtue of displaying a relatively limited 

number of locomotives and other railway rolling stock very well - both aesthetically 

and in historical context - in contrast to the many repetitive railway museums that feel 

a compulsion to show every engine and car in their collections - and often have no 

choice, since they have nowhere else to store them. The Swiss Transportation Museum 

in Lucerne - also one of the most popular in that country - similarly limits its collection 

to orltstanding display examples, and insists on using the remaining space in its galleries 

to show the visitor how each piece of apparatus works. 

On the other hand, many museums have collections that would benefit from 

presentation in a uisible storage mode, as described in Case Study 5.2 on the very 

successful ethnographic visible storage gallery at the Universiry of British Columbia 

Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. A visible storage display is any presentation 

where objects are ranged together in glazed drawers or on shelves as they would be in 

closed storage, except that they are glazed and visible to the public, usually with the 

entire museum documentation of the objects available either on card or on screen 

adjacent to the systematic display. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London 

brilliantly applied this approach to its glass collection, and succeeded in displaying a 

very high percentage of the 8,000 pieces in its glass collection. Philatelic, numismatic 


unlverslty, a 

re best kept 

'be used to 

latively few 

:ollection of 

everal other 

outstanding 

Jescribed in 

ection every 

Ln for a very 

redia means 

the archival 

i,/er artefacts 

:erpretation. 

ate Railway 

ivelylimited 

resthetically 

rms that feel 

ten have no 

on Museum 

.ts collection 

r its galleries 

rcnefit from 

on the very 

h Columbia 

presentation 

would be in 

rlly with the 

)r on screen 

in London 

displaying a 

numismatic 

*" 

I c 

t 

$ 

ii 

I 

t+ 

and many specimen collections provide obvious examples, as do flat textiles in glazed 

drawers, but the Metropolitan Museum in New York has shown that this technique 

can also be used to present American decorative arts, including furnifure, on shelves 

at varied heights. Many museums need to review their closed stores to determine 

whether they could enhance the visitor experience and share much more of their 

collections with the public by this means. Msible storage offers not only a quantitative 

gain in the percentage of a collection on display but also a qualitative enhancement 

related to the way in which collections are discovered by visitors in the 21st century. 

Visitors accustomed to finding information on the internet, and to channel surfing for 

entertainment, are likely to respond well to the open invitation of visible storage to 

discovery for themselves, accompanied by the complete revelation of the museum's 

documentation of the objects on adjacent cards or screens. This is not to say that visible 

storage should be the only display mode (as indeed it is not at any of the examples 

cited), but rather to observe that public visual and intellectual access to most museum 

collections can be significantly enhanced by the inclusion of visible storage as one 

component in the permanent collection display plan. 

Determining how much to display and how to do it most effectivelg should follow 

from an application of the museum's mission statement. If the museum's mission is 

oriented primarily toward natural history research, for example, then visible storage 

study collections may be appropriate. If the emphasis is on public education, thematic 

exhibitions with interactive components may be more suitable. In an historic house 

museum) placing the objects in their original context may be all-important. The 

relevance of a clear, inspiring but accurate mission statement in informing the planning 

of permanent collection displays may be understood from these examples. 

A significant issue for fine art museums is the question of how to arrange the 

hanging of their pictures and sculpture. Many still follow the traditional chronological 

approach, or group the works of art by period, style or national origin. In the past 

decade, however, the Tate Gallery has set the standard f.or a thematic approach to 

hanging works of art - grouping them by such themes as 'representations of women 

in the 20th century'. This approach can be controversial - as in the initial arrangement 

at Bankside in the new Tate Modern where 20th century works were grouped according 

to 19th century genres of the nude, landscape, still life and so on. Nevertheless, thematic 

hanging can be very powerful, especially for an uneven collection, as was shown by 

the High Museum in Atlanta, which grouped its paintings according to broad themes 

like 'faith' or 'family', helping visitors to see the content of the works, rather than 

presenting them exclusively in art-historical terms. 

The Tate has also pioneered an innovative approach to changes in permanent 

collection displaS by introducing an annual re-hang in its Millbank galleries (nowTate 


T 

E$ 

s 

a 

r 

F*+.: 

Britain), which has been presented as an annual temporary exhibition with a highly 

public opening and reviews. Such an approach is to be preferred to the very limited 

replacement of particular objects that can be one result of an unplanned approach to 

permanent collection displaS and is often hardly noticed by the visiting public. 

However often they are changed, and however they are arranged, it is useful to 

calculate the display density of the permanent collections. This may be expressed either 

as how many objects are on display per ftz or m2 of gallery space' or vice versa, how 

many ft2 or m2 per object on display - since postage stamps will be better expressed in 

the former mode, while locomotives can be more conveniently discussed in the latter. 

Display density varies not only with the size of the objects on displaS but also with 

the mode of exhibition used, and the mode of visitor apprehension (as described in 

secrion 2.3) that is preferred for each section of the collection. Planning and managing 

permanent collection display is ultimately about deciding which modes to employ in 

what measure: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

aesthetic displays that generally have the lowest density 

thematic exhibits that emphasise comparisons and context 

room settings that often group many objects in their original historic densities 

visible srorage displays that usually attain about two-thirds of the density of closed 

storage 

combinations of several or all of these in order to give the visitor the greatest variety 

of experience, with multiple opportunities to appreciate the collection in many 

ways. 

An advantage of planning to change permanent collection displays in an existing 

museum is that there is usually an exhibition already there - indeed, it may have long 

since passed its reasonable life expectancy! This provides the opportunity for ongoing 

evaluation by all the means discussed in chapter 4, and for testing responses to the 

results of that evaluation process. In fact, the planning and management of the 

permanent collection display can and should become an ongoing process of evaluation 

and refinement of changes made in response to the results of evaluation. In this way a 

museum can truly become audience-responsiue and uisitor-centred, while at the same 

time ensuring that the value of its permanent collection is fully realised. 

In order to accomplish such an ongoing practice, it is necessary first to plan 

permanent collection displays responsibly in terms of their 'life expectancy'. Too often 

displays that looked good originally and in their first five years are left standing ten or 


with a highly 

re very limited 

d approach to 

; public. 

it is useful to 

rpressed either 

ice versa, how 

:r expressed in 

d in the latter. 

but also with 

s described in 

and managing 

; to employ in 

'ic densities 

nsity of closed 

;reatest variety 

ction in many 

in an existing 

nay have long 

ty for ongoing 

iponses to the 

lement of the 

s of evaluation 

. In this way a 

ile at the same 

fifteen years later. A well-planned permanent collection display programme has 

assigned 

'expiry dates' for each gallery. 

This in turn can only be done if a reasonable budget for exbibition reneual canbe 

projected with some confidence. The cost of exhibition renewal can be projected on 

the basis of present exhibition costs, remembering of course that they are stated in the 

currency values of that year, and allowing for whatever enhancements are proposed. 

Permanent collection exhibition renewal costs should be allocated as a budget item 

separate from the maintenance costs for the existing permanent collection displaS and 

from the temporary exhibition budget. An amount can be calculated in constant 

currency as a percentage for annual renewal - for instance, a 20,000 ft2 (2,000 m2) 

gallery can be projected for annual renewal at a 1,0 per cent rate, meaning that the cost 

of 2,000 ftz (200 m2) should be projected for each year of the exhibitiont intended 

over-all ten-year life expectancy. This does not mean that a tenth of the exhibition must 

be changed each year: rather, such a plan might assume that in year 5 half of the gallery 

will be replaced, if half of the exhibits are planned for only five years, or even that in 

year 10 the entire gallery will be replaced. The purpose of the plan is to ensure that 

the funds are provided on an annual incremental basis, so that the museum does not 

face a huge capital cost at the end of the exhibition's life span. Such long-range budget 

provisions present challenges for public institutions with annual return of funds to 

general accounts, but if possible a method should be found to provide for this kind of 

ongoing refreshment of the permanent collection displays. 

The following case study 8.1 describes the analysis and subsequent display of the 

permanent collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusens in a 

particularly striking new exhibition called Odyssey that brought out the strengths of 

that museum's remarkable and varied collection. 

r first to plan 

rcy'. Too often 

tanding ten or 

PLANNING AND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGMMME

ODYSSEY:A JOURNE)' ,NIO WORTD ARf 

at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts 

Williom Phippen 

The Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Massachusetts, founded 200 years ago at the dawn of 

a new era of global trade and economy, is deeply rooted in both New England and the world. 

Shortly after the American Revolution, a group of captain entrepreneurs set sail from Salem 

and other nearby ports across vast, uncharted oceans in search oftrade.They took immense 

risks, but their successes transformed America's economy, making New England an 

international centre for commerce, education and culture. At the same time, they developed 

a profound, enlightened understanding of the fundamental importance of knowing and 

appreciating other people and cultures.Acting on this conviction, in 1799 they established a 

museum in Salem to help broadenAmerica's intellectual and cultural horizons by presenting 

artistic and cultural objects from beyond the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, including 

Asia, the Pacific and Africa. In addition they presented New England's own art and culture in 

recognition of the emergence of a new American identity. 

Since its founding,the museum has continued actively to collect and present collections that 

are singularly diverse and imporunt, now comprising more than 2.5 million works of art and 

cultural expression, representing thousands of years of human creativity.They bridge and 

connect many disciplines, nations, periods and cultures. The Peabody Essex Museum is 

transforming itself into a new kind of museum that reflects our interdisciplinary era and that 

transcends old boundaries among disciplines of art, architecture, history and culture.The 

museum is uniquely positioned to create experiences that reveal connections illuminating 

both humanity's rich diversity and the commonalities shared by all. In a time of rapid change 

in a globalising world,when societies are increasingly diverse, mobile and interdependent, one 

of the museum's goals is to produce powerfully imaginativexhibitions with the potential for 

fostering understanding across cultural boundaries. 

ln1999 the museum commemorated the bicentennial of its founding by celebrating its heritage 

as the countryt oldest continually operating museum and its future as a dynamic, expanding 

cuftural institution moving into its third century.The special exhibition,Odyssey,AJourney lnto 

World Art anchored the museum's overall bicentennial programming and served as a vehicle 

for positioning the museuml new approach to interpreting its collections to wider audiences. 

Odyssey was conceived as an exhibition of world art organised as a journey of artistic and 

cultural exploration. Using the metaphor of a journey, visitors were presented with a variety 

of 'encounters' similar to those that might occur during travel. On a real journey, travellers 

encounter people, places and ideas. Each encounter is distinct for each particular traveller. 

Each individual brings a unique perspective to an encounter, has a unique reaction and is 

affected by it in a unique way: 

THE MANUAL OF MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS 

-

dawn of 

he world. 

>m Salem 

immense 

rgland an 

leveloped 

wing and 

rblished a 

'resenting 

, including 

culture in 

tions that 

cf art and 

ridge and 

useum is 

r and that 

Iture. The 

uminating 

,id change 

rdent,one 

cential for 

s heritage 

axpanding 

vrney Into 

; a vehicle 

rudiences. 

'tistic and 

r a variety 

travellers 

' traveller. 

on and is 

'... I am part of all that I have meq 

Yet all experience is an arch wherethro' 

Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades 

For ever and ever when I move' 

Ulysses 

Alfred, Lord Tennyson 

Odyssey was developed to simulate the experience of journeying within a familiar museum 

environment. The exhibition within the galleries was designed to present unfamiliar 

encounters. In this way the visitor moving within the gallery environment traversed unknown 

territory much as a traveller would. On their own, in troups, or sometimes led by guides, 

visitors could begin making connections with art that spans the globe and cuts across cultural 

boundaries, uniting people with art, ideas and each other. The exhibit sought to elicit intrigue 

with the unfamiliar; the joy of discovery and the excitement of thinking in new ways. 

The exhibition was organised into five distinct but interconnected galleries, a total of over 

14,000 ft2 (1,300 m2).All Odyssey galleries were completely renovated for the exhibition with 

new finishes, lighting,fire protection and climate control.The renovations were part of the 

museum's major overall expansion,to be completed in 2O03.Visitors to Odyssey passed from 

one gallery to another in specific sequence, although within a single gallery each could choose 

his or her own path and pace. 

Odyssey,a large and long exhibition, did indeed cover significant territory: nearly 400 art objects 

from every continent. Although the exhibition could be enjoyed superficially in about a onehour 

visit, the extent to which a casual uninformed visitor could explore the galleries was 

limited.The exhibition was primarily developed to attract repeat visitors from new audiences 

comprised of museum-goers and world art connoisseurs from Boston's North Shore and the 

Boston metropolitan area. These groups are increasingly aftracted to the Peabody Essex 

Museum as it pursues its new approach to exhibitions and programming. Odyssey was designed 

to be visited many times and to be a basis for expanding audiences and attracting new 

memberships. 

Odyssey was scheduled for a lengthy run of at least one y"".. thit was partly to accommodate 

repeat visitation, but also because Odyssey was planned to be the centrepiece venue for a full 

schedule of maior events and development programming in conjunction with and celebrating 

the museum's bicentennial year. In addition, Odyssey provided the opportunity to completely 

reorganise and revamp overall educational programming to embrace better the museumt 

new more dynamic, interdisciplinary approach to interpreting its collections. The general 

museum tour, docent curricula and school programming were strongly reoriented towards 

Odyssey's interpretative approach. 

Odyssey was conceived as a special bicentennial exhibition of ambitious scope that would 

attract new audiences and engage them on many different levels. Much more importantly, it 

was developed as a product of the museum's new interdisciplinary approach to presenting 

art and culture. Significant regional and national marketing efforts to reposition the museum 

would be based, in large measure, on the concepts and interpretative direction of Odyssep ln 

order to. bring all possible resources to bear, the museum instituted a new multi-disciplinary 

approach to conceptualisation, development and implementation of the exhibition. This 

PLANNING AND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGRAMME 269

Figure 8.1 Gallery at Odyssey 

THE MANUAL OF MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

approach took into account the fact that the exhibition would involve every museum 

department and virtually every staff member, especially when educational and development 

programming were taken into account"The development and implementation of Odyssey took 

place against a background of normal operating activity, including the special exhibition 

schedule and educational programming, plus the final phases of planning for the major facilities 

expansion and an ongoing US$I00 million fundraising campaign. 

THETEAMAPPROACH 

To address this need for a new, innovative, management structure, an Odyssey Core Group 

was formed for the duration of the effort. Comprised of eight mid- or senior-level staff to 

oversee eight specific areas of activity, it was small enough for efficient management. At the 

same time it encompassed all key areas of exhibition-related activit),. lts purpose was to push 

decision-making to its appropriate level within the organisation. lts activities were to assure 

an essential level of co-ordination with ongoing operations, to report on progress and to 

resolve issues that rose to the Core Group level. The Core Group initially developed a 

comprehensive,'detailed list of tasks necessary to complete the exhibition and related 

programming successfully. The tasks were collectively divided and assigned to individual Core 

Group members and ultimately scheduled and budgeted.Accountability resided collectively 

in the Core Group. 

The Core Group itself was led by a three-person Management Group, which set agenda, ran 

meetings, recorded minutes, facilitated communication and follow-up, mediated and tracked 

tasks, schedule and budget. This group consisted of a deputy director with overall 

responsibility, supported by an exhibition planner and an executive assistant. Core Group 

members responsible for overseeing specific areas of activity each formed a broader subteam 

drawn from staff deeper within the organisation. Over time,with dynamic membership, 

these teams completed current assigned tasks and communicated further out into the 

organisation: 

t 

o 

o 

o 

Team l,Objeas ond Scholorshrp, developed and maintained the object list and made certain 

that the works were prepared and installed in time.Working closely with all curatorial 

departments, this team provided the research and primary information on the objects 

and ensured the integrity of both the obleca and the scholarship. 

Team 2,lnterpretotive Broinstorming,was the creative group that produced the conceptual 

and thematic structure for the exhibition, interpretative media and programmes. 

Teom 3,Exhibraon Destgn,was responsible for allaspects of exhibition design,fit-up,graphics 

and integration of interpretative media. 

Team 4, Renovotions, provided project management for the major renovations of the 

galleries, responsible for interface with the general contractors and for delivery of the 

completed shell space. 

. Teom 5, VisitorServrces, was responsible for planning mitigation of adverse impacts due to 

the renovation and installation work.This team also planned visitor service operations 

and amenities required by the exhibition. 

PLANNINGAND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGRAMME 271

o 

Teom 6,lnterpretotive Medio ond Progrommes, created value-added interpretative products 

using the primary obiect information within the conceptual framework established by 

Team 2.This included all label texg printed materials, gallery guides, video, audio and 

interactive, as well as development of related special programs including performances, 

lectures, curricula, docent tours and others.This group served as liaison to the museum 

board's Bicentennial Program Committee. 

fs 

E 

i 

tr 

. Team T,Morketing and Merchondisng, developed all materials and products that promoted 

Odyssey and co-ordinated these with the museum's overall marketing and positioning 

straEegy. 

. Teom 8, Development ond Events, planned and implemented exhibition-related 

development fundraising and events. This team co-ordinated its work with ongoing 

fundraising activities and worked closely with the board's Bicentennial Events Committee. 

Odysseywas introduced in East India Marine Hall, a grand 4OO0 fii (372 m') Federal interior, 

completed in 1825 as the first permanent home of the museum. lt was in this hall that the 

captain entrepreneurs who founded the museum met and displayed their original collections. 

They were among the first people to experience the entire world's tremendous cultural and 

artistic'diversity. For Odyssey,the hall was installed to evoke foreign iourneys and experiences 

that changed and influenced the founders so profoundly. East India Marine Hall was designed 

as a period re-creation showcasing nearly 200 diverse objects collected by the founders in 

distant lands. Many were mounted in the original display furniture, then called 'cabinets of 

curiosities'. For Odyssey, the room functioned as it did in the early 19th century enabling 

visitors to appreciate and be awed by the amazing diversity of the world and demonstrating 

the founders' conviction to educate and enlighten in new ways. Originally East India Marine 

Hall's large gallery also served as a social space, a place for meetings and banguets and 

celebration. Odyssey sought to do the same 200 years later when the great hall served as the 

venue for a series of major bicentennial events including a gala ball, celebrity lectures, world 

music and dance performances and other programmes. In many ways East India Marine Hall 

embodied a vital connection to the enduring legacy of the founders' vision and values. 

THEMES 

Odyssey's three main themes were 'Encountering Place', 'Encountering People', and 

'Encountering 

the Spiritual'. Running like threads through each were core ideas that tied the 

whole exhibition together.These were t}at every object exhibited represents the maker's 

desire to transcend boundaries, whether it is a work of fine art or an artful functional object. 

These creations take both maker and viewer beyond the limits of the material world and into 

the realms of the aesthetic, the conceptual, the intellectual, or the metaphysical. Each act of 

creation entails its own unique journey,a journey driven by curiosity and fulfilled by discovery. 

Each individual who interacts with a created object continues that journey, a journey guided 

by that individual's own background, knowledge and emotions.To Odyssey, visitors brought 

their own experience and understanding as they explored both the rich diversity of human 

beings and the ties that unite them. 

In each of the three sections, the theme was stated neither explicitly nor didactically.The 

visitor was encouraged to explore the art, to look for the imprint of the artist reflected in 


) Products 

blished by 

audio and 

ormances, 

e museum 

promoted 

rositioning 

,on-related 

:h ongoing 

lommittee. 

'al interior, 

all that the 

:ollections. 

:ultural and 

rxPeriences 

rs designed 

lounders in 

cabinets of 

ry, enabling 

nonstrating 

rdia Marine 

nquets and 

lrved as the 

:ures, world 

Marine Hall 

'alues. 

€ople', and 

:hat tied the 

the maker's 

ional obiect. 

rrld and into 

. Each act of 

>y discovery. 

rrney guided 

ors brought 

ty of human 

acticallY. The 

; reflected in 

the skill and originality with which the work was executed; to look for clues of place and time 

reflected in the style and medium; to look for a spiritual or metaphysical viewpoint reflected 

in the culture and in the purpose for which the work was intended. Unique groupings, 

arrangements and juxtapositions of objects, as well as the text labeling identifying objects, 

were all designed to subtly stimulate awareness of the myriad interconnections among the 

works. 

This mandated a new approach to the selection and display of collections which is illustrated 

in this example from 'Encountering Place', a thematic area that included landscapes and 

depictions of the natural world,which allowed visitors to consider place and to try to discover 

the artisr's view of the landscape. Two paintings juxtaposed on a single wall were a 1795 oil 

by Dutch artist Franz Balthazar Solvyns, Lounching of Gabriel GIIete\ Armed Merchontmon,and 

contemporary native American artist David Bradley's lndion CountryTodoy.The former is a 

shorefront scene in colonial Calcutta showing a ship launching attended by a great multitude, 

but with the European shipt owner and a few upper-class lndians set apart. The latter, a 

contemporary American painting is of a southwestern Pueblo viewed from above showing a 

sacred dance performed within the Pueblo while mining, gaming, military manoeuvres and 

other encroachments threaten from outsideJhe visitor can make comparisons at many levels. 

They are both visually striking works and superbly executed.They both convey a very still, 

quiet, peaceful overall atmosphere,yet they show loci of concentrated activity within them. 

They are both about'lndians', and can be interpreted as statements about colonialism and 

dominadon, each from its artist! own point of view. Yet, the paintings interact and influence 

each other both visually, by virtue of dominant yellows in each palette, and intellectually; for 

example, the overt satire and pessimism expressed in Indion CountyTodoy can be transposed 

to the Solvyns painting where it would not have existed if viewed by itself.The Solvyns is also 

a self-portrait, which bridges into the self-portraiture theme developed in the next section 

of the exhibition,'Encountering People'. 

NEWTECHNOLOGIES 

A central objective of Odyssey was to create stimulating educational and recreational 

experiences thatwere multi-sensory and provocative.To achieve it,audio,video and interactive 

media were extensively used in the exhibition, marking a dramatic departure from previous 

Peabody Essex Museum exhibitions.There follow some examples: 

o 

r 

Multiple media components were located in each gallery of the exhibition. A large-screen, 

rear projection DVD theatre was located just before the entry into East. India Marine 

Hall.A four-minute introductory video presented a fast-paced series of animated images 

and music selections that introduced the diversiry of the work and cultures showcased 

in Odyssey.Very brief narration introduced the three main sections of the exhibition. 

A visual database with a detailed record for each of the 400 works in the exhibition was 

developed on CD-ROM for installation on 19 in (48 cm) touch-screen, PC-based kiosks. 

Kiosks were installed at various locations in the Odyssey galleries, programmed identically 

to allow visitors in any gallery to navigate through the entire exhibition virtually, in search 

of detailed information on any work.The individual object screens included at least one 

large image of the work and extensive textual information. ln many cases,additional views 


and details, and sometimes video clips, were accessible through the touch-screen. 

o 

o 

Written information included label text, more extensive detailed data and contextual 

material as well as the Antenna audio text if the work was a stop on the tour. A selection 

of appropriate navigation buttons were included in each screen, as well as buttons that 

connected the work to another individual work for comparison and to groups of other 

works in similar thematic categories.With these navigation tools, the visitor could follow 

innumerable paths through the database according to individual preference and curiosity. 

When not in use, each kiosk displayed an animated screen-saver appropriate to the 

thematic area in which it was located.The database was planned to be adapted as an 

extensive interactive area on the museum's website. 

One visual database was located in East India Marine Hall but not in the usual kiosk 

structure. lt was installed in one of the hall! original glass-fronte display cases along with 

a selection of art and cultural objects collected on the founders' voyages. lt was an 

intriguing juxtaposition of state-of.the-art museum technology from different eras.The 

'cabinet' of curiosities' containing numbered objects identified by entries in an 

accompanying printed catalogue was a cutting-edge innovation in 1825, just as the 

Pentium lll-powered touch-screen display is today. 'Encountering Place' contained two 

media installations. A large-screen rear proiection of details from several landscapes 

indicated the depth to which a viewer can penetrate into a work of art through close 

examination, and encouraged them to do so. To reinforce this concept, a large 

18th-century Chinese writing desk, carved over its entire solid ivory surface with 

intricate,minute bas-relief of the rural countryside,was placed to be viewed in conjunction 

with the projected details. 

o 

r 

The other media installation related to landscapes was a iuxtaposition of two screens. 

One, a large plasma screen display mounted horizontally near floor level, showed a video 

montage of highly ethnocentric clips from an early 20th-century expedition to New 

Guinea.The other, a pair of huge early 18th-century lacquer screens rose high behind the 

plasma screen.These were commissioned by a director of the British East lndia Company 

and decorated with scenes of silk production in China. Both works conveyed messages 

about cultural dominance and exploitation.The bluish flicker of the video on the highly 

polished black screen added movement to the space and heightened the contrast 

between old and new technologies. 

An image capture station using live video was located in the self-portrah thematic area 

of 'Encountering People' where visitors could take a digital portrait of their own faces. 

Each image capture created a new self-portrait. A few moments after it was captured, 

the self-portrait disappeared from the video screen and the visitor would be surprised 

to encounter it again some time later displayed on another screen in the exhibition. 

o The concluding section of Odssey was a dense concentration of new technologies.The 

'face wall',for example,was actually three adjacent walls, each with a projected sequence 

of very large-scale images of faces, groups of people and contextual scenes from around 

the world.A large,very bright plasma display was mounted on each wall and also displayed 

. images of faces of people from different times and places.The six separate slide shows, 

each timed differently, created a very active cacophony of light and motion.The installation 


d contextual 

r. A selection 

buttons that 

'ups of other 

could follow 

rnd curiosity. 

rriate to the 

Capted as an 

r usual kiosk 

-'s along with 

:s. lt was an 

:nt eras.The 

rtries in an 

iust as the 

,ntained two 

.l landscapes 

trough close 

ept, a large 

;urface with 

conjunction 

wo screens. 

'wed a video 

ion to New 

h behind the 

lia Company 

:d messages 

'n the highly 

he contrast 

tematic area 

'own faces. 

ls captured, 

re surprised 

hibition. 

ologies.The 

:d sequence 

rom around 

so displayed 

ilide shows, 

r installation 

o 

o 

re-emphasised the diversity of humanity by simulating bustling encounters with people 

divorced from space and time. Visitors to Odyssey were physically part of this installation 

as they stood amid the projections. They were also included virtually. At random intervals, 

their self-portraits captured in the gallery below would appear for a few seconds among 

Another new technology in this gallery was the electronic postcard station where visitors 

could customise email messages based on images of works included in the exhibition. 

Sending a postcard virtually while travelling metaphorically was an appropriate, 

entertaining activity associated with Odyssey. 

The final component of Odyssey was informally called the'cocktail party', a presenation 

of 20 superlative artistic or cultural works, in a carpeted space evoking a more domestic 

feeling than the previous galleries. Some of these objects, such as the portraits and 

landscapes, related to previous sections of the exhibition. Others, such as a New 

Caledonian ceremonial axe, a Hessian mercenary's helmet and an intricately carved 

Flemish terminal rosary bead, did not. All the works were interpreted through audio 

'conversations' 

projected from sound-focusing dome speakers installed above them.The 

conversations about the artworks were edited from recordings made of numerous actual 

conversations that occurred when a variety of individuals were invited to talk about 

objects of their choice.A short sound clip with two to four voices interpreting an obiect 

was played when activated by a motion detector that sensed a visitor approaching the 

object. lt was interesting to observe that when multiple audio clips were playing 

simultaneously in the gallery, as they often were, they gave the impression of a gathering 

of real people.This attracted visitors into the area and encouraged them to ioin in,or at 

least eavesdrop on, the conversations. The 'cocktail party' installation revealed that 

opinions about art are diverse, reflect many points of view and are often contradictory. 

It was apparent that there were no right or wrong opinions, but that exPressing opinions 

facilitated conversation about art. 

Overall, Odyssey's conclusion was designed to leave the visitor with the realisation that the 

dialogue about world art is a dynamic, exciting and enriching activity that can be carried out 

beyond the bounds of a museum. People at all times in all places have engaged in dialogue 

with art and will continue to do so. lndividuals as viewers have an important role in the life 

of a work of art because we have the ability to make an object transcend its intended context 

and purpose.Interaction with art can change our lives by stimulating the search for connection, 

meaning and discourse that drives us to new insights and greater understanding. Looking at 

and thinking about art is a profound and creative process. lt can allow us to see our world 

differently. 

'l am part of all that I have met...' 

Ulysses 

Alfred, Lord Tennyson 

The museum's expansion programme,to be completed in 2003, includes new installations of 

all the museum's permanent collections. In addition to fostering appreciation for the individual 

collections, these new exhibitions will draw from themes, approaches and ideas tested in 

Odyssey, which represented the museum's initial step into its third century. 

PLANNINGANDMANAGINGANEXHIBITIONPROGMMME 275

8.2 PLANNINGAND MANAGINGTEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS 

Barry Lord 

Temporary exhibitions are indispensable if a museum is to aftract adequate numbers 

of repeat visitors. However powerful the presentation of the permanent collection may 

be, and even if its display is changed frequently, it is no substitute for a strong temporary 

exhibitions' programme. Even institutions famous for unique collections, such as 

Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or London's Wallace Collection, have 

found special temporary exhibitions to be desirable. Temporary exhibitions are the 

means of ensuring the return of regular visitors, sparking a new interest among those 

who have not previously visited, and hopefully attracting the attention of cultural 

tourists. 

Temporary exhibitions can also offer a 'window on the world'to the community 

served by a museum. This may be particularly important for a local authority museum 

with a collection focusing on the history of the area. Although some of that museum's 

remporary shows should address local issues, others may simply be exhibitions of 

interest to the resident population that would not otherwise be available to them. An 

exhibition policy should state the purpose of the temporary exhibition programme, 

and should include a realistic projection of the annual percentage of shows to be drawn 

from international, national, regional and local sources in order to open this'window 

on the world', yet still serve the local community. 

Temporary exhibitions may provide the entire display programme for a kunsthalle 

or an exhibition centre. Alternatively, they may be an occasional event at a site-specific 

museum that relies on an association with a famous person or building. London's Freud 

Museum, for instance, has hosted a series of temporary exhibitions by contemporary 

British artists inspired by the site and furnishings of the museum and its subject matter. 

At many museums temporary exhibitions are a demanding activity, sometimes 

requiring the attention of the entire staff plus volunteers, specially engaged guest 

curarors, and additional security staff. Balancing their seductive appeal with other 

museum functions is a major challenge for many museum directors. It may be useful 

for a director or curator to have a sign posted beside his or her desk, asking'Is this 

exhibition necessary' Many museums have appointed an exhibitions officer, or have 

established an entire department, to schedule and operate a temporary exhibition 

programme. In North America the registrar is usually a key figure, managing both 

incoming and outgoing loans. 

The exhibition policy should also address the intended mix of five possible levels 

of amuseum's involvement in the origination or management of temporary exhibitions: 


iloNs 

uate numbers 

:ollection may 

)ngtemporary 

:ions, such as 

,llection, have 

ritions are the 

r among those 

cn of cultural 

he community 

rority museum 

that museum's 

exhibitions of 

le to them. An 

n programme, 

vs to be drawn 

r this 'window 

o 

o 

o 

A temporary exhibition may consist of a new presentation of the museum's 

permanent collection. In recent years the Tate Gallery (now in rwo London 

locations, Tate Britain and Tate Modern) has shown the potential of an annual 

'rehang' of its collection, complete with opening receptions and reviews. 

A museum's potential for such a programme depends on the range and depth of 

its permanent collection. 

The museum may borrow works related to objects in its collections, and present 

them together as a thematically related show. The National Gallery's Fighting 

Temeraire exhibition in London, described in case study 10.1, provides an excellent 

example of a series of National Gallery shows in which a major painting in the 

collection is placed in a context supported by loans from other institutions and 

individuals. The result enriches the museum's understanding of its own collection 

as well as attracting renewed public interest in specific works of art or artefacts. 

The museum may choose a subject or theme and borrow objects from many 

sources, possibly including only a few items from its own collections. Exhibitions 

that document an artist's entire oeuure, a whole civilisation, or all aspects of a 

species such as dinosaurs or whales, are among the many examples of this type of 

exhibition. Science centres may rely less on borrowing and more on fabrication of 

new exhibit apparatus to explore such subjects as chemistrS physics or astronomy. 

x a hunsthalle 

t a site-specific 

,ondon's Freud 

contemporary 

subject matter. 

iry sometimes 

engaged guest 

eal with other 

may be useful 

asking 'Is this 

cfficer, or have 

'ary exhibition 

nanaging both 

possible levels 

rry exhibitions: 

o Although the preceding three levels of engagement are applicable to shows 

originated by the exhibiting institution, museums can also participate in loan 

exhibitions initiated by others. Participation may be limited to paying a fee, or may 

involve collaboration in research, preparation of catalogues, negotiation of loans, 

or other services. 

o Finally, museums may simply receive and display 'package shows', exhibitions 

circulated by specialised agencies such as the American Federation of Arts or the 

Smithsonian Institution Temporary Exhibition Service (SITES). For such 

exhibitions the receiving institution usually pays a fee and receives a completely 

prepared exhibition, including a fixed number of catalogues, posters, publicity 

photographs, and the text of a news release. 

Most 'package shows' are relatively small, since they are designed for circulation to a 

relatively large number of possible venues. The opposite extreme is the blockbuster, 

usually a relatively large exhibition for which there is known to be a broad public 

interest, and for which there is a very limited distribution. Major exhibitions of the 

French Impressionist artists, Van Gogh, or ancient Egypt are almost always 

PLANNINGANDMANAGINGANEXHIBITIONPROGRAMME 277

.,1 

blockbusters, as are large displays of dinosaurs, and shows that feature precious metals 

or precious gems. The worldwide survey of art exhibition attendance in 1999 published 

in the Febru ary 2000 edition of The Art Newspaper indicated that nine of that year's 

top rwenty shows featured either Monet or the French Impressionists. The Royal 

Academy in London claims that its 1999 showing of Monet in the 20th Century drew 

the highest daily attendance figure ever for an art exhibition in Britain, averaging 8,555 

people each day to total over 813,000 visitors, including over 40,000 who attended 

during the first round-the-clock opening of an art exhibition in Britain, from 8am on 

a Saturday until 5pm on a Sunday. Another 565,992 visitors saw the show at the 

Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, bringing the global audience for that exhibition up to 

1.3 million persons. By comparison, the 'original' blockbuster (and the exhibition for 

which the term was invented), Treasures of Tutankhamun, drew 6,150 visitors daily 

to London's British Museum, totalling over 1,.7 million visitors over a nine-month 

display period during its inaugural year in 1.972. 

To accommodate such exhibitions, major museums require 12,000 to 20,000 ft2 

(c. 1,200 to 2,000 m2 ) of dedicated exhibition space, often with extra galleries nearby 

that can be demounted from other functions and added to the total display space when 

necessary. At the other extreme, as little as 1,500 ft2 (c. 150 m2) may suffice to receive 

package shows and mount solo exhibitions of individual artists in smaller institutions 

in smaller towns and cities. A survey of North American museums and exhibition 

circulation agencies several years ago indicated that 5,000 ft2 (c. 500 m2) was sufficient 

for displaying as many as 95 per cent of the package shows and other exhibitions 

available from the distribution agencies. But to operate a dynamic programme capable 

of initiating creative exhibitions in collaboration with other museums at least 5,000 

to 8,000 ft'z (c. 500 to 800 m2) is often needed, while 12,000 to 20,000 ft2 (c. 1,200 to 

2,000 m2) is a requisite for larger institutions. 

One liability of building more temporary exhibition space is the need to provide 

sufficient programming for it. Although exhibitions originated by a museum or in 

partnership with one or two other museums are usually shown for longer periods at 

each venue, package shows and many other loan exhibitions are often available for 

only three to six weeks. Even with a week before for installation and a week after for 

demounting the show, this means that from six to ten package shows a year would be 

needed for a given gallery. If most of the exhibitions shown require only 5,000 ft2 (c. 

500 m2) or less, but the museum has 15,000 ft2 (c. 1,500 m2) of temporary exhibition 

galleries, this indicates an annual need for as many as 18 to 30 package shows to 

programme that space. Of course the number of shows may be decreased by planning 

more exhibitions originated by the museum, or in partnership with one or two others, 

t, 

F 

I 

il 

i 


:ious metals 

)9 published 

,f that year's 

The Royal 

'entury drew 

raging 8,555 

rho attended 

iom 8am on 

show at the 

ribition uP to 

:xhibition for 

visitors dailY 

r nine-month 

to 20,000 ft2 

rlleries nearbY 

ry space when 

:fice to receive 

.er institutions 

rnd exhibition 

'was sufficient 

rer exhibitions 

:amme capable 

at least 5,000 

f1z (9. 1,200 to 

reed to provide 

museum or in 

'nger periods at 

:n available for 

r week after for 

a year would be 

nly 5,000 ft2 (c. 

rrary exhibition 

.ckage shows to 

rsed by planning 

re or two others, 

xL 

* 

3 

n fi 

: 

i 

B, 

ii 

Y 

i: 

i 

h 

I 

i; 

i 

t: 

scheduling those for several months' duration, but of course those exhibitions require 

more staff time and expertise. 

Thus, in addition to projecting the proportionate sources of exhibitions to be 

shown, the Exhibition Policy should ensure that the museum or exhibition centre 

provides only the temporary exhibition gallery capacity that can reasonably be 

programmed, considering not only space and facility limitations, but also budget, staff 

and time available. One solution was found by the new Frist Center for the Visual Arts 

in Nashville, which has renovated 12,000 ftz (c. 1,,200 m2) on its ground floor for 

temporary exhibitions, but is utilising its 8,000 ft2 (c. 800 m2) upper floor galleries 

for longer-term rotation of works of art on loan, with that additional space available 

when needed for blockbusters. 

In practice, every museum operates a mix of shows, often exemplifying all five of 

the levels of engagement listed here. The exhibition officer typically maintains a large 

wall calendar projecting the schedule of exhibitions, including time allocations for 

installation, demounting, packing and shipping dates. Museums with inadequate 

temporary exhibition space may face the added challenge of demounting permanent 

collection displays to make room for temporary exhibitions. 

Nor is display space the only requirement. The Art Institute of Chicago, for 

instance, finds it necessary to have three or four smaller rooms adjacent to its temporary 

exhibition galleries to house audio-visual programmes, audio tour equipment, and a 

shop with stock dedicated to the subject matter of the changing exhibitions. The latter 

has become a common means of revenue generation associated with major shows. As 

described in section 5.3 of this book, there is also the need for an entire suite of nonpublic 

support spaces - from the loading bay through a crating/uncrating area to a 

transit store or temporary exhibition storage, not forgetting the associated security 

station, an isolation room (in case of infested crates), a documentation office, 

workshops for framing and mount-making, and an exhibition staging area where 

works of art, artefacts or specimens can be installed in cases or on plinths to test case 

layouts before they go into the galleries. 

Many museums find it necessary to meet the highest standards of functionalitS 

environmental controls, and security in these non-public temporary exhibition support 

spaces, in order to guarantee their ability to borrow important exhibitions from major 

museums. Museum couriers - usually curators, registrars or conservators - often 

accompany major works of art on loan, and their approval of these support spaces can 

be essential. Even if they do not come in person, directors, curators, conservators or 

registrars considering a loan request routinely issue a form that requires the borrowing 

institution to describe these facilities in detail. Most collection policies require that 

loans can be approved only to institutions that at least match the facilities and 

PI.ANNING AND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGMMME

conditions of the lending museum, or in many cases even exceed the conditions found 

within the loaned work's home museum. 

The general rule of borrowing power is that each museum can borrow 

proportionately to its ability to lend. Thus a museum with a strong permanent 

collection from which it is willing to lend objects to other accredited institutions usually 

en;'oys an excellent capacity to borrow items from them. Museums with weaker 

collections, or exhibition centres that may not have collections at all, must strive even 

harder to meet the highest standards of environmental controls, security and 

functionality in their non-public temporary exhibition support facilities as well as in 

their galleries, especially if they want to borrow or participate in shows other than 

those available as packages from the exhibition circulation agencies. 

Loan request forms and loan agreement forms are the tools of the registrar, curator 

or exhibition officer responsible for borrowing and lending objects for display. In 

addition to the names, mailing and email addresses, and phone and fax numbers of 

both borrower and lender, these forms should identify the duration of the loan - 

including time allotted for shipping and receiving both ways. They should name and 

describe the objects on loan, including the catalogue number assigned by the owner 

and any number assigned by the borrower for the exhibition catalogue. A photograph 

may be attached. The borrower's commitment to providing specific environmental 

conditions, security, and lighting limits (in lux or footcandle levels and in hours of 

exposure) should be specified. Authorised representatives of both borrowing and 

lending institutions should sign the forms, with the lender's signature usuallr' 

transforming a loan request form into a loan agreement form. Perhaps most important. 

a monetary valuation for insurance purposes must be provided by the lender, with a 

clear indication of which party is responsible for insuring the loan, with proof of that 

insurance to be attached to the form as soon as it is arranged. Sample copies of the 

forms actually in use at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Vashington are 

shown in figures 8.2 to 8.5. 

Insuring the objects borrowed for temporary exhibitions has become a major cost 

in the operation of a temporary exhibition programme. Many lenders prefer to insure 

themselves and bill the borrowing institution, while in other instances the borrower 

may be expected to provide what is often called 'wall to wall'or 'nail to nail'insurance 

- meaning coverage from the time a painting is taken off the wall of the lending 

institution until it returns to that 'nail'. In either case the insurance cost is proportionate 

to the monetary value of the objects borrowed. 

An alternative developed by many countries that are actively involved in the 

international circulation of works of art for temporary exhibitions is a government 

indemnity programme, according to which the national government of the borrowing 

280 


F 

E 

l 

:. 

rnditions found 

o can borrow 

)ng permanent 

itutions usually 

Ls with weaker 

nust strive even 

, security and 

.es as well as in 

ows other than 

lgistrar, curator 

for display. In 

fax numbers of 

r of the loan - 

Lould name and 

d by the owner 

:. A photograph 

environmental 

rnd in hours of 

borrowing and 

lnature usually 

nost important, 

e lender, with a 

th proof of that 

,le copies of the 

Washington are 

me a major cost 

prefer to insure 

es the borrower 

r nail' insurance 

I of the lending 

is proportionate 

involved in the 

rs a govefnment 

,f the borrowing 

Smithsonian 

National Museum af Ameriaan Art 

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PLANNING AND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGMMME 

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rrpoir, re3lorallon, or relc{Jchlt€ p.ocgssoa; hoFltlo or rarliks actlo.r, insurrocllon, or rebo{ion; andor 

nuc|oat .etcllm. nwloar radialion. ot ridoactv€ cofildminaliofl. Tho NMAA 6hal dotdrmlno *halhor fi€ 

borowsr io3urc6 tl6 obirts or nhethor fr N&qA hsurss $om and bilb O|e bonorvo. lor tho p,omium. 

In trlo caco ol long tarm loa|s, lrEuranco vak 6s aod pclmluns rnay br .6vblr!d p€dodhrlt, and ht 

NMAA re3€fr33 tho righl lo increaso coverogp andor p{omiu$s. ll tho bono*€r b lasurtng th3 obl6c1g. 

lho NMM. prlo{ to shipro€fii of fr€ oQFcli, musN bo prill&d wilh oith6. s cor$8cata ol lnrursca tr a 

copy ol lh€ pollcy mado oul In tavot ot f* Smlihsonisn ln*tfulbn. Unlo$ olherx,isa agro€d to, inrts-drrc. 

may be walved lor loans to oltlclsb of th€ Unlt€d S1al6e Govemmsnl agdoclqs: horvo\€r, suci agroncl6s 

sha[ bo |"sponsflto for 8lo cool d l€pair o. roplacofi|o { of 016 oblocts 6hooH damag€ or loca occrt 

duttng lh6 poriod of lho loan. 

PACKINO At{D picklngand trsnsportiuon anang€ilan|s forlhd obicc{ nustbo spp.ovsdby *}€ NMAA. Unpackhgand 

tAAt€PORTATKtil rspactlng mud b€ podo|rrEd by gpo.l6nc€d por3onnd undor comp€l6.rl Eup€rybion. Repscklr€ must bo 

dono wilh enb6r origNrul or shllar mdgdats Ird bor$, and by lhc samo rlslhods a! th. obl6c6 rvers 

rac€iwd, Pac*ing ind ttenipod$ltn co6li Enn{ bo bo|m by trio bonowor, 

ca€Dn uilE 

Eoch obiocf ehsC bo croditad lo ttto Nalionsl lAlsoum o, Am€rban An. Smithsonian Institulion. 

PHOTOGRAPHY Unle3s olhsfise ndllied in l|rlting lho boror€r has lhe righl to phologaph and rsprodrco photogr8ph3 ol 

tho loan lor odrtcltlonal purpos€ dirdy |elslad lo olB loan, Ptrc{ogoghy requootB tsr I p{np6o odtet 

lhan odircallonal mu6l br approvod by th3 Nir,{A R.9istr.r'6 Oftic, prior to publicatbo. Photogrsphy tor 

commofiial purpc€c h ptotrtrll6d. 

EITEtlSpl{/FEruRil Obioc,lr lenl nut bo 'otumod to tho NitAA in sali$actory conddon by tlo slalod t€rmtnatlon dalo. Any 

etio|Elon of lho loan pedod musl bo spplwed h tridng by lh€ Oiroclor, NMAA, or h!! d€oignalo. Ths 

NiilAA r66orvo8 lh€ rlgtrt to rucall lho obled ltom h€n il any llrno and si! mrl€ evsry dtort to g,tvo 

rs$onabls nolica. 

corFucrs In thg €rrsnl of any conflld bafle€n lhb rgrgerpil and any agroomools of th€ boror€rs, the torms of 

lhb ryrosnonl €hallbo conlro$ing, 


= 

LOAN AGREEMENT 

A$roqttefit br m{aoum lsan betrv€en lhc l*sltonel M|aoum g{ Arn6rha[ An, Smilh€onhn In$Ulu$on, ajrd Eonpryc/iluio({n ilsrita 

n. Tha 

i '€r{ by 0lo 

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r€ notfi3d 

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rct€cbd fiottl 

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PEfiIOO OF LOAII beginnhg h.r dals - nd bon (bta 

exlfiAfi|ofl 

adribilhn lith 

WORK{5JOFAFT Ul€f'wrr*anbrsdwt tr'd{*andVeltfi' 

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1234.5 Ar&l n*m€: gINXU&e, dett, medlnL (tmcftbrlr' c|€(n fin€ 

PLEASE &ttTACT P||OTOSERyIEES (HlOt{E {l FOf, ,d'LP|{}IOARAPHIC itAIEFrAl.S/4rvOPERn#SS,O/VS 

rpdcHng.nd 

,*kln9 mlj3lba 

bltcte vJao 

EXACTLOCATIoII 

OfOanEcTg 

wH||-EOfto rl 

Eorromrrlnura{rmnorl|e 

rdtr6sr 

lon. 

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,togr4lry tot 

SEllATUgE 

frl oqlodtr &rr filolnd ffilo|d ptbt nod//b'ddn ro t a tugigtrat, tlatlutr. rt|{l.6,wt d Atr8{,qn An 

ttq N bo fn/}b'n b l.'''rc('ata to€lL) 

Tho bonorcr ad

conomoils Go9EFiltltc LoaNs 

CAREAND 

PBEEERVATIOT{ 

SHIP'ING 

The Nalional Museum ot Altlsrtaen Arl {NllAA} rvlll sxarch€ ths sern6 cara wiih ro€Ooct 1o Srg wo* d ar1 

on losn sr il does with canDarabla Drogertv d ilB ovwr- 

Paclqng a'ld shipdng arranlormntB crn ba fiirl€ only by f|€ otlics ct rh6 tughlrar, NlrtAA fto 

molhod d $hlfln€nt, horiEver, must b€ ego€tl upon in advarce by both th6 Lcrder and f${AA" 

Gov*mmont rsgda$ons p€mil payftent br pscl*tg and shipping cnarg€s ordyufian snanged |hfi.qtr tra 

OffiLr of lh6 Reglslr.r. NI'AA. 

Customs rooulrtio.rs wil| b6 ddrorcd to ,or lnlemalionat ruffi36- 

|l{suRAilcE 

U'|loir lha Le{der €rpoaoly ebcb to m*tu8ain hlgll€r oryrn lnsurafics corerag€, lSrlAA rvll hrsu'a hb t!,o{l( 

vrall-lo.wall unds.llB tino ani polhy aealnst lr$ks ot pfttahsl lo6s or darnag€ from 6r6|nal catE rhib kr 

lrsnslt and m locadon drrhg $ra p€dod ot th€ bsn- 

The h$nanc€ covsrage cornahr lia |J3ual @lu€iorlr ol 1063 ordgtnagB a$ !ogucfi c&rgsg a3||gsrgnd 

ls6r. gradurl dela*orailon, Inhorcnl vlce, $ar lnalioq hosffilies, ilsunec0on. nudsar rgac.thn or ndhihn, 

conllrcedon by oder at any gpwJrirn€flt or Fblic auttority, dsk ol corilrab.nd orhgd |rl'rsporlrlio'ti 

and/or tra&. ard any $prlrlng, &6lrora$on, of €tqrcl|lr€ authodsad by t r lordor" 

Insuranco r|ill be drcsd in lhe amomt sFecllied by the lender nhhh mwl rellocl lah mar*61yrlur. Ir caar 

ol darflage or loss, the loHrrinco co.npeny 'niy ask S|e l€ndor to et$ataniat! th€ hsurams ylluafro'r It 

ho L.ild€rlajb lo hdicdo ro 6r|rounl, Ni{AA !r{l s3t ! valrro tor purpoBs. of h8|lnnco fortha Forrod ol ths 

h.n. Any tocorery tor &p'acalion or loa6 of vahrs shll bs oalcuhlod rf ! pofrcn{ags of lhg lndrEd rd|l. 

spocfb by th€ Lorder kr Srla ageernenL Tho L.rdor agroai to ffipl.affil'|orition h US Do{sri 

ll n tIo t $rl$ch ha8 boen indueaiefly falriceled 16 dame€d or lo'gt, Brd il crn b€ r€palrcd or Bplrcod tq lh6 

slll6f6 rp6.ltbsfbns, NMAA! lisbifity !tia[ ba ffitt€d to tho coat ot sudl replacBnorn. 

f lio Londor ol6ct0 lo rnahurin it/lFr otrn k!s{|rence, NMAA rnrBt b€ s$p{€d tyilft a eeiffcato ol 

hsuranco n mkrg lhe Nr{onat l,bs€|rn ol Arn€&an AIt Smhh6ordrn lmltbdor|, rnd 6aEi of ho 

pailichonng mrFrutrF a$ an addillmal lruil|gd or, alto$€thrdy. t*.it{'rg i|rbrogsHon og6lfit NMAA rrd 

oacfi ot $a par{chsltng muEourro" olhonfta, tho Lo{dsr'a €x€cdlon ol t$ loan agradnart slra$ 

constiluts e rald{so ol NilA.A and sach ol lhc F6rtdpslng t,om rny ilrulf|y }n connocdon uith lha r.od( ot 

$l o.r loss. NllMcan accopi no cqonsb$ty lron anyono(ord.fcLncl in hfonrdon furdJlad by il|o 

L€nder lD hbjlre lMreB ot lor l|M hr lhd Lmdear M cMEe. 

R€TURN 

Unb6s NMAA b no$liod in |v|ttkE lo th6 oontrary. l|te aerk sill bo r€tumod or*y to !t Lrndor al tho 

a(Fnrc alaled on tp rsvsrso of botlom o, dia paga. il lhe legd oyrnellib ol th6 y|l'rt shorrd cheru6 

d.udng lh€ pgrlod cd thi8 lo.n, x,hs0rgr by roasfi o, dorlh, sd€ lnsohrrrFt gfr, or othorurko, the now owner 

€hB[glvrNMAAfiift6nnolholthocnangeN38oonr'po3sbls. Prloftodl.rotrmoftfiewodqt'|6oyrner 

wlu be rcquiled lo oEtab$sh fr€/her lsgEl dght 1o rocolvo tho rlork by prrd sa[clacbry b Nl/l A- It lha 

addrass of lho r|owolrnershoub b€ ct g|balef dcNanca lhao t|g locdrvtrqn |vl|lctr the tod

t tIi 

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institution agrees to cover the cost of any loss or damage, making insurance 

urlnecessary. One difficulty encountered with such programmes can be a divergence 

bcnveen the amount of ir.rdemnity required by a lender, and the am()unt that the 

so\rernment may be willing to indernnify; where these differ, the borrowing museunl 

nray have to try to arrirnge for supplementary lnsurance coverage. 

High insurance costs are one of the reasons for increased participation fees for 

museunrs who wish to share in a loan exhibition. Extencling thc loan pcriod for the 

borrowed works rniry make multiple showings in varior-rs markets possible, thcrcby 

reducing the insurance irrrd other costs per participeting muscunr. However, lenders 

rnay not be willing t() extend their lclans for the additional time, and the longer tour 

m:-ry not be advisable from a conservation viewpoint. 

Crating ancl shipping costs, the expenses of a courier if required to l.rccomplrny thc 

loans, installation costs, and the expense clf producing catalogues, audio tours, audiovisual 

progrilrnrnes and other support material are the other costs that ncecl to be nret 

for rnclstemporary exhibitions. Planning for a show requires itemising all these costs 

realistically, before cletermir.ring the revenue levels rccluirccl to make the exlribition 

sustainable within thc institution's buclget allocirtion for temporary cxhibitions. 

Ilevenues for a temporary exhibiti

Vienna's Kunstforum, for example, changes the stock of its shop for each exhibition, 

and ensures that visitors can exit only via the shop. Larger museums now routinely 

locate temporary shops with exhibition-related stock within their premises, usually 

taking over an adjacent gallery to do so. 

Planning and delivering education programmes and special events related to 

temporary exhibitions has become an important part of their presentation, as noted 

in section 8.4. Museums hosting blockbusters sometimes find that the demand of 

school groups for tours of the special show temporarily eclipse study visits to the 

permanent collection. 'Whether volunteer or paid, docents must be specially trained 

for many temporary exhibitions, and additional numbers may need to be recruited and 

prepared for large and popular shows. Again, the challenge for the museum is very 

often to retain the interest of teachers and students who may have visited the museum 

only for the big show. 

Audio-visual and multimedia programmes offer the possibility of obtaining 

revenues from, or at least sharing costs with, television or other media outlets. Planning 

for major temporary exhibitions usually begins two to three years in advance of the 

opening da5 so marketing or development officers, educators and security personnel 

all need to be involved from the beginning. Their early involvement can result not only 

in television coverage but, even more importantly, in TV 'specials' related to the 

exhibition, or audio-visual shows that can be presented both in the museum and over 

cable or network stations. On one occasion the author attended an exhibition 

committee meeting where the security officer saved the museum significant operating 

costs by pointing out that the proposed exhibition design would require rwice the 

normal number of guards for invigilation, and showed how the number of guards 

needed could be cut in half simply by removing several panels that would have 

presented barriers to the guards patrolling the galleries. 

Given the constantly rising costs and the growing popularity 

of temporary 

exhibitions, it is not surprising that sponsorship of temporary exhibitions by 

corporations or individuals has become a substantial factor in their planning and 

execution, often affecting the decision whether to proceed with a show or not. A 

sponsorship policy has therefore become an important clause in a museum's exhibition 

policy. A museum's credibility depends on the publict appraisal of its objectivity, and 

this may be forfeited if the museum allows the sponsor to influence the content of the 

exhibition. A science centre presenting an exhibition about food groups, for example, 

may be tempted to avoid displays that cast doubt on the value of a corporate sponsors' 

products, unless it has a clear policy that isolates exhibition content from sponsors' 

interests. Still other questions are raised when the sponsor is also a collector who stands 

to benefit from the prestige conferred by the institution that displays his or her 

286 


each exhibition, 

ms now routinely 

premises, usually 

events related to 

:ntation, as noted 

rt the demand of 

tudy visits to the 

: specially trained 

o be recruited and 

e museum is very 

isited the museum 

collection, as in the controversy over the L999 Sensation exhlbition of the Saatchi 

Collection of contemporary British art at the Brooklyn Museum. Most sponsors, 

individual or corporate, understand the need for a sponsorship policy that preserves 

the museum's integriry and are very willing to work within its terms, as long as it is 

presented in a positive context. Nevertheless, the importance of securing sponsors, and 

the increasing tendency of corporations to consider sponsorship as a function of their 

public relations or marketing budgets, means that museums in their sponsorship 

proposals for exhibitions must more and more address such marketing issues as 'reach', 

'demographic impact','impressions' and'exposure'. 

Case study 8.2 presents an example of a travelling temporary exhibition that was 

not only popular in itself, but also led to the opportunity to add a whole new group 

of works to the museum's permanent collection, and thereby to a new permanenr 

collection exhibition gallery as well. 

lity of obtaining 

r outlets. Planning 

in advance of the 

securiry personnel 

:an result not only 

rls' related to the 

museum and over 

led an exhibition 

;nificant operating 

require twice the 

number of guards 

that would have 

:ity of temporary 

:y exhibitions by 

heir planning and 

a show or not. A 

useum's exhibition 

its objectivity, and 

the content of the 

cups, for example, 

orporate sponsors' 

:nt from sponsors' 

lllector who stands 

isplays his or her 

PLANNING AND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGMMME

AFRICAN ZION 

From Temporary to Permanent at the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore 

GoryVikan 

In 1993 theWalters Art Gallery in Baltimore was the co-organiser and inaugural venue for 

an innovative internationaloan exhibition devoted to the sacred art of Ethiopia, 13th to 18th 

century (figure 8.6).The first comprehensive presentation of Ethiopian art in rhe western 

hemisphere, Africon Zon ravelled to six other American cities over the next two years. 

Figure 8.6 Gospel Book, St John the Evangelist. Ethiopia, c. 1500-1520, w. 850, 

fols 153v-154 

PHOTO: SUSAN TOBIN, COURTESY OF THE WALTERS ART GALLERY 

The exhibition was favourably reviewed and enthusiastically received throughout its tour, and 

its catalogue (now out of print) remains the most authoritative treatment in English of this 

fascinating and liale-known facet of medieval Christian art. Especially thought-provoking was 

the section in the exhibition entitled 'Jesus as a Man of Color', wherein the historical and 

theological aspects of the ways in which different cultures have porrayedJesus were explored. 

TheWalters Art Galleryl participation in this project reflected the convergence of specific 

collection strengths, curatorial interests and audience priorities. Specifically, these included: 

. our museuml substantial holdings in medieval art,with the notable exception of Ethiopian 

art 


Baltimore 

3ural venue for 

ia,13th to 'l8th 

in the western 

two years. 

r 

o 

the present author's curatorial interest,as a Bfzantinist, in exploring through exhibitions 

the art of medieval Orthodoxy (Byzantine silver in 1986 and icons in 1988, medieval 

Russian art in all media in 1992, and Armenian manuscripts in 1994), and finally 

the director's conviction,which was fully vindicated,that such an exhibition would have 

substantial appeal for Baltimore's largeAfrican-American community. We were all pleased 

and proud when the leaders of this community stepped forward to underwrite this 

project by matching a challenge Srant from a local bank 

The unanticipated opportunity to turn something temporary into something permanent 

presented itself in 1995, when a major private collection of Ethiopian art was put up for sale. 

First on the scene, I was fortunate in securing all the best pieces, including a very rare vellum 

liturgical fan that had been part of the original exhibition of 1993. 

Hearing about this initiative, a second major private collector contacted me to offer the 

Walters additional work of top quality. By the end of that year, our museum could boast of 

a collection of nearly two dozen first-rate Ethiopian works of art in all media, ranging from 

the 13th to the lgth century.This acquisition, which came at a cost just a fraction of what 

one would pay for equivalent pieces from medievaltaly or Bfzantium, constitutes the finest 

such collection outside ofAddisAbaba.lt is,in effecga miniature versionof AfriconZon,installed 

permanently at the Walters, 

The museum was packed with African-Americans - and public officials from throughout 

Maryland - at our new collection's inaugural opening in the summer of 1996. Since then our 

Ethiopian holdings have grown through gifts from private collectors who have become aware 

of our interest in this important category of African art, and through the purchase in 1998 of 

a major 16th-century Ethiopian manuscript of the Gospels from a London dealer. (l should 

note that all our acquisitions have complied with the UNESCO Convention on Cultural 

Property of 197Q.) 

20, w.850, 

rut its tour, and 

r English of this 

-provoking was 

: historical and 

were explored. 

ence of specific 

hese included: 

ion of Ethiopian 

In October 2001 theWaltersArt Gallery reopens its ancient and medieval galleries after more 

than three years of renovation.These installations are completely new. At the centre of the 

floor devoted to the Middle Ages we are situating our Ethiopian collection, binding together 

the arts of medieval Orthodoxy. 

Significantly, this new permanent collection gallery has been underwritten and named by an 

African-American member of our board and his wife, who is a member of our African- 

American Steering Committee.This is the largest such gift to a Baltimore cultural institution 

from our local African-American community. Moreoven a leading Ethiopian businesswoman 

has contributed substantially to the publication of a general-audience catalogue of these 

holdings that will be published to mark the gallery's 2001 opening. 

Looking towards the future, we plan eventually to offer our Ethiopian holdings and catalogue 

for temporary exhibition at another museum, in exchange for a collection of works from a 

region and period that lies outside the scope of theWalters' permanent collection holdings. 

So the productive cycle of temporary exhibitions and permanent collection display continues. 

PLANNING AND MANAGING AN EXHIBITION PROGRAMME 789

Etbical perspectiues 

are needs so profound that they transcenrl e\ren the most revolutionary 

technologies. 

The museum is no longer lvhat it rvas just twentl ,vears ago. One hopes to be 

able to sa)' the same rwent)' years from norv. But rvhatever changes come fo 

passr I trust that one thing sta,vs intact, the thing that animates and rnsprres 

the museum: the hope that each visitor finds within it food for thought, for 

discovery, for pcrsonal growfh, and for wondt,rmcnt. 

236

Planning and Managing an Exhibition Programme

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