Online course on exhibitions

Northern States Conservation Center announces a new on-line training
course in exhibit fundamentals.

MS106: Exhibit Fundamentals: Ideas to Installation
Instructor: Lin Nelson-Mayson
Dates: October 3 - 28, 2005
Over the Internet

Nearly every museum develops exhibits, but how can we improve
communication with our visitors while presenting our objects to
their best advantage? This course explores museum exhibits from
initial idea to final installation in a variety of museum settings.
Topics covered include exhibit theory, the role of the museum's
mission, creating a time line, intellectual and physical
accessibility, writing the exhibit script and other interpretive
texts, the role of design elements (sequencing, color, graphics,
lighting, audio-visual), basic installation techniques (including
placement guides and hanging framed artwork), object safety and
security (including mount-making), visitor safety, and types of
exhibit evaluations. Each student will develop an exhibit plan based
on their museum's own exhibit goals.

The course will last for four weeks. The course format is self-paced
through 6 sections. The instructor will be available at
predetermined intervals throughout the course. This course will
include on-line literature, slide lectures, and
student-teacher/group-teacher dialog. The course is limited to 20
participants.

If you are interested in the course, please sign up at
<URL:http://www.museumclasses.org> and pay for the course at
<URL:http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html>. If you have
trouble completing an on-line order, please contact Helen Alten
<helen<-a t->collectioncare< . >org> or Eric Swanson <eric<-a t->collectioncare< . >org>

Course Outline

    1.  Introduction: Exhibition Theory and the Museums Mission
        Introduction What is an Exhibition?
        Mission and Exhibitions
        What makes a good exhibition?
        Types of exhibitions
        Finding ideas for exhibitions

    2.  Intellectual and Physical Accessibility and Exhibition Evaluations
        Intellectual Accessibility
        Physical Accessibility
        Types of Evaluations

    3.  Creating a Timeline and Writing Texts
        Developing and exhibition concept
        "Team" exhibition development
        Developing an exhibition timeline
        Budgeting for an exhibition
        Writing labels

    4.  The Role of Design Elements and Basic Installation Techniques
        Light
        Color
        Sequencing and Floor Plan
        Graphics
        Audio-visual
        Fabrication
        Specific Installation Techniques

    5.  Object and Visitor Safety
        Mount making and handling
        Potential hazards to exhibited objects
        Object security
        Visitor safety and security
        Exhibition maintenance

    6.  Conclusion
        Museum Exhibition Standards of Excellence
        Current Issues in Museum Exhibitions
        Complete Exhibit Plan

Lin Nelson-Mayson, with over 25 years of museum experience at small
and large institutions, recently joined us as a museumclasses.org
instructor after being the Director of ExhibitsUSA, a nonprofit
exhibition touring organization that annually tours over 30 art and
humanities exhibitions across the country.  For five years she was a
coordinator or judge (two years) for the American Association of
Museums' Excellence in Exhibitions Competition. She currently serves
on the Exhibition Committee for the National Sculpture Society. Ms
Nelson-Mayson has extensive experience with the planning,
preparation, research and installation of exhibitions and the
decision-making processes each museum must go through to ensure that
the exhibition aids in the fulfillment of the museum's mission. Ms
Nelson-Mayson's experience includes teaching museum studies and
museology courses.  Her particular interest is the needs of small
museums.

Her credentials include the following;

    *   An MFA from The Ohio State University in sculpture and
        critical writing A BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
        in painting.

    *   Work as a curator for the Ross County Historic Society
        (Chillicothe, OH), the Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus
        Christi), the Columbia Museum of Art (SC), and the Minnesota
        Museum of American Art (St. Paul).

    *   An active member of the American Association of Museums, the
        Association of Midwest Museums, and past chair of the
        Minnesota Association of Museums.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:9
                  Distributed: Friday, August 12, 2005
                        Message Id: cdl-19-9-015
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