The 2 Biggest Museum Questions
The fundamentals of most, if not all, museum projects can be boiled down to two short but essential questions.
I started reflecting on this after reading an excellent article entitled "Who Gets to Decide?" on the Creating The Future website. Among many other excellent points, the article evokes the motto of disability rights activists: Nothing about us without us.
The other question I like to ask before starting a project is, "Who is this for?" or, more sharply, "Who cares?" I'd suggest if your answer(s) doesn't hinge on some variation of "our visitors" or "the communities we serve, " you might want to head back to the drawing board.
I have been to museums where I'm not quite sure if the answers to the questions "Who is this for?" and "Who gets to decide?" involve VISITORS -- and it shows.
And if your exhibition or museum is instead trying to cater to wealthy board members or only subject-matter experts, why bother charging visitors for that experience?
Before starting your next project, consider who gets to decide and who cares.
Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!
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