The Exhibit Cheapbooks are now FREE!

The four Exhibit Cheapbooks are now available for FREE online!  

That's right -- nearly 100 free exhibit "recipes" contributed by museum colleagues from all over the world are now available to download as PDFs from the POW! website.  (Did I mention that they're FREE?)

A little history --the idea for the Exhibit Cheapbooks started during sessions at the annual Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Conference with the purpose of sharing "cheap" exhibit ideas and creating a written record of how to replicate these simple and successful exhibit components.

The very first "Cheapbook" was compiled and edited by Paul Orselli and published by ASTC in 1995. Subsequent volumes appeared in 1999, 2004, and 2014.

The Exhibit Cheapbooks have always celebrated the "sharing" nature of museums. You will find varied exhibit ideas from museum colleagues from around the world inside each volume. 

Sincere thanks to everyone who has shared their ideas and expertise by contributing ideas over the years! And special thanks to ASTC for allowing all the Exhibit Cheapbooks material to now be shared freely online.

Think of all these Exhibit Cheapbooks entries not as detailed shop drawings, but rather as creative jumping-off points for your own exhibit building.

So what are you waiting for?  Click on over to the Exhibits Cheapbooks Download Page and start making cheap exhibits!

Have fun!

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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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Where Can You Find Things Like Giant Sequins And Fake Dirt? Check Out The Great Big Exhibit Resource List!

Developers, designers, and educators often need to track down unusual (or very specific) items to create museum exhibitions or trade show displays.

That's where The Great Big Exhibit Resource List comes in!

What started out years ago as a project for an ASTC Conference session, has now blossomed into an ever-growing and evolving set of resources organized by categories like "Fake Food", "Green Exhibits Materials", and "Glow-In-The-Dark Stuff".  (As a matter of fact, I just added some new entries this week.)

Blacksmith tools?  No problem!  Specialized plastic boxes? Sure!  Giant sequins for an air exhibit? Click the link!

Click on over to The Great Big Exhibit Resource List to explore the possibilities yourself.  (If you have suggestions for additions to the list, feel free to drop me an email.)

And while you finding the exhibit supplies of your dreams in The List, also check out the FREE Exhibit Resources page on the POW! Website.  There you'll find downloadable articles and resources such as donor recognition examples as well as a wide range of museum/exhibit/design topics like those covered here on the ExhibiTricks blog.



Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

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!

If you enjoy the blog, please help support ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Where Can You Find Fake Dirt? The Great Big Exhibit Resource List!

Developers and designers often need to track down unusual (or very specific) items to create museum exhibitions or commercial displays.

That's where The Great Big Exhibit Resource List comes in!

What started out years ago as a project for an ASTC Conference session, has now blossomed into an ever-growing and evolving set of resources organized by categories like "Fake Food", "Hardware", and "Glow-In-The-Dark Stuff".  (As a matter of fact, I just added some new entries this week.)

Blacksmith tools?  No problem!  Specialized plastic boxes? Sure!  Giant sequins for an air exhibit? Click the link!

Click on over to The Great Big Exhibit Resource List to explore the possibilities yourself.  (If you have suggestions for additions to the list, feel free to drop me an email.)

And while you finding the exhibit supplies of your dreams in The List, also check out the FREE Exhibit Resources page on the POW! Website.  There you'll find downloadable articles and resources on donor recognition and other museum/exhibit/design topics covered here on the ExhibiTricks blog.


Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

P.S. If you receive ExhibiTricks via email (or Facebook or LinkedIn) you will need to click HERE to go to the main ExhibiTricks page to make comments or view multimedia features (like videos!)

Creative Design Toolbox: FotoJet

FotoJet is a fast, fun, and FREE online app for your creative design toolbox.

You can use FotoJet to create a variety of collages (like the 3D image collection below) or other photo effects using your own images (or the easy-to-use FotoJet templates) and then save and download the finished images to your computer.

FotoJet even provides templates for various Social Media sites, so you can create headers for your Twitter or Facebook or Instagram accounts.

So click on over to the FotoJet website to see what you can come up with yourself!



Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

P.S. If you receive ExhibiTricks via email (or Facebook or LinkedIn) you will need to click HERE to go to the main ExhibiTricks page to make comments or view multimedia features (like videos!)

FREE Exhibit Design Resources

Who doesn't like free stuff?  Here are some links to some great exhibit design resources that come from the POW! website:

The Great Big Exhibit Resource List
A constantly updated compendium of resources for museum design and exhibit fabrication (including websites and contact information.



Downloadable Exhibit Articles: 
"Producing Great Exhibits on a (Not So Great) Budget"
My article from the January/February 2014 issue of ASTC's Dimensions magazine. Some simple, inexpensive ways to add to your exhibits program.


"Green Design Nuts and Bolts"
An article jam-packed with resources and techniques to help you expand your green exhibit design toolkit.

"Million Dollar Pencils and Duct Tape: Some Thoughts on Prototyping"
Concrete examples and tips about how to move through each phase of the exhibit prototyping process.

"Good Things Come In Small Packages" (Small Museums Article)
Lessons learned from over thirty years of working with a variety of different types and sizes of museums.


Have some free exhibit resources of your own to recommend?  Let us know more in the "Comments" section below!


Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

P.S. If you receive ExhibiTricks via email (or Facebook or LinkedIn) you will need to click HERE to go to the main ExhibiTricks page to make comments or view multimedia features (like videos!)