An Advocate for Everything: Exploring Exhibit Development Models

Abstract

Abstract This article presents six models, from within and outside the museum profession, useful to consider when creating exhibition teams. The focus is on five roles—client, content specialist, designer, content interpreter, and project manager—and the authority and responsibility assigned to these roles in the different models. The author examines the pros and cons of the models and provides examples from museums in which they were instituted. The developer model was created at The Field Museum of Natural History to replace the team approach model. Both of these models replaced the curatorial model. The broker model was developed at The Children's Museum in Boston. From outside the museum field, the author presents the architectural model and the theatrical model. Each of the models, in differing ways, defines a process, a point of view about the expected outcomes, and assigns specific authorities and responsibilities to staff members in each of the five roles. The author argues that it is not so important which of the models is chosen for any given exhibition project, but emphasizes that the importance lies in being certain that a model be chosen and rigorously implemented. The appendix also includes a sample exhibit process document from one museum.

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