Planning and Managing an Exhibition Programme

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.,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 278 THE MANUAL OF MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
: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
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