As we mentioned before, museums are not only spaces that feature exhibits but they also choose which exhibits belong there. They determine if an exhibit is relevant to what they want to show people, whether it is popular or not, and how much money it will make them.
Museums that want to be run efficiently have committees made up of different individuals who work together to make these decisions. These committees include experts in their field as well as users of the museum!
The role of user experience (UX) professionals in this process has grown rapidly over the past few years. UX professionals help create experiences for all types of audiences by defining standards and guidelines for using products and services.
They do this by paying close attention to detail such as usability, tone, and design. In fact, some professional groups even have their own dedicated word for this style of thinking — “user-focused”.
User-focus means considering the needs and wants of other people when developing new things and improving old ones. This type of thinking can apply to any area of life, including workplace settings, educational facilities, and more. It is important at the museum where you spend your time exploring new ideas and resources just like anywhere else.
This article will talk about one specific group within museums that helps decide which content to display – curators. We will also discuss why having diverse opinions is important to the success of a museum and some tips to promote diversity among staff members.
Museums choose what to exhibit based on the following factors
As we know, museums are an integral part of our culture. They play a crucial role in educating the public about different topics for many years!
Museums that are thriving show they care about their community by investing in activities and exhibitions that appeal to diverse groups. This is important because not only does it bring more people into their museum, but it also boosts attendance overall.
Many museums begin with a focus on a specific topic or area. As the museum grows, other parts emerge as things take off.
As staff members, we need to be aware of these emerging areas so that we can invest time and resources into them to help grow the department.
This article will talk about five reasons why your museum may not include diversity in its exhibits.
Public interest in an artist
As we know, not every artist is well-known or has many followers on social media. Some artists are still performing live, and their work can be seen in art galleries and museums across the world!
Some people feel a strong connection with an artist’s work, while others may admire it but cannot tell you much about how the artist made it.
Whether you’re a casual fan who likes an artwork once or twice then moves onto something new, or you’ve got a lot more invested – like us! – then read on to find out some helpful tips for choosing which artists to include in our museum exhibition this year.
Public interest in an artist is one of the most important factors when deciding what to put into a museum show, so here are our top 5 tips for increasing public engagement with your favourite artists!
1) Start with the basics
Make sure your first step is to check if the artist has a Wikipedia page or not. This will give you basic information such as where they were born and educated, along with any awards or achievements they have won.
You should also look up their biographies on other websites (for example, Amazon), see if there are any interviews published and whether they do anything else that gets talked about. These could be videos, blogs, tweets, etc.
Museum space is limited
There’s always something that other museums are doing, or someone else has found a way to convey a message more effectively than how others have done it before.
Museums can be hard to come by so there’s not much room for manoeuvre when it comes down to choosing what to exhibit.
And while some people may argue about whether or not including this item in an exhibition makes sense, most would agree that if you’ve got nothing better to show off then why not?
So, how do museum professionals decide which items to include in their exhibitions?
Here we take a look at five things they consider when deciding what to showcase…
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The importance of labels
As human beings, we like to know what things are. It helps us understand them, gives us context for understanding new information, and allows us to associate features with each other.
That’s why we use terms such as ‘label’, ‘title’ or even ‘caption’ for objects. A label doesn’t necessarily mean anything beyond its own content, but as word tags go, it’s pretty powerful.
When it comes to artefacts, a label isn’t just a catchy phrase or poetic metaphor – it’s also the key to identifying who made it and where.
The quality of the art
A lot of people focus only on how much art an organization has, or what kind of artwork they have, but that is not the best way to evaluate a museum. Rather, you should be looking at the quality of the art in their collection.
Art museums are gathering treasures for generations to come so it makes sense that some have more than others. Art comes from all different time periods and mediums, so even if a museum does not have a piece by Picasso or Chagall, there may still be something else they have that is very impressive!
The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin is famous for its large-scale sculptures made out of bronze and iron. Many of these pieces were designed and created by Irish artists and include figures such as Apollo, Poseidon and Athena. Some of these designs became symbols of the country after being cast and put into place.
However, one thing most people do not know about this museum is that many of the pieces donated to them were actually removed from other collections. This shows how important it is for individuals to donate and support charities and organizations through donating your old things and/or supporting fundraising events.
The museum will assess whether or not the item belongs in their collection with rules and regulations set up to determine if it fits. They want to make sure it can’t be sold for profit and that it doesn’t belong to someone else.
The artist is famous
As art historians and museums staff know, artists’ success comes in many forms. Some create popular works that hang in major museum collections or go on show at prestigious international exhibitions. Others achieve wider recognition for their craft through publications and lectures, establishing themselves as professional experts in their field.
But what most artists don’t have are big corporations backing them. Technology companies hire artists to design logos and gourmet food brands recruit culinary professionals to develop in-house products. But very few museums invite an artistic expert to suggest new exhibits after they organize a showing of a work you’ve never heard of before.
So how do they? By looking beyond your initial instinct and thinking about it from another angle.
A well designed piece can tell us a story. A good story can inspire awe, wonder, emotion, and even action. When we feel these things, we’re more likely to consider changing something around or doing something similar ourselves. These effects also increase interest in the item, helping to spread awareness and exposure.
By understanding this concept better, you’ll be in a position to contribute to the exhibition planning process by incorporating stories into your own repertoire.
The artist is local to the museum
A lot of museums choose which artists they showcase by looking at how well-known an artist is within their community or area. If there are lots of people in the community that know about an artist, then it will get featured in the museum.
This seems like a very logical way to pick your next exhibition, but there is one major problem with this theory.
It assumes that all of those people who know about the artist talk about the art positively. But what if some don’t? Or what if some only ever say bad things about the artist?
By choosing to exhibit an artist because he or she is popular in the region, you could be showcasing the negative opinions most people have of them.
There has been studies done where participants were asked to name the biggest cause of death for individuals between 20 and 35 years old. Almost every participant was able to give a correct answer, except one. Most agreed that drinking and drug use played a huge part in young peoples deaths, but one person said smoking did instead.
The smoker was then given $100 and half an hour to spend it as they wished. They could either buy more cigarettes or go to the movies. They were also allowed to keep the money and movie ticket as a gift. Only once the time was up did the smokers had to come clean and tell everyone what they really spent the money on.
A large number of people used it to go out and drink alcohol.
The artist is a renowned brand
As we mentioned before, museums are constantly having to deal with limited resources and space. They have to make tough choices about which areas of art they want to focus on and showcase how much money they have for new exhibits.
Museums will often choose an artist or piece that seems very famous because it was popularized or well-received by other people. This is called marketing their brand.
By exhibiting one thing from this famous artist, even if it is only for a short time, you can help spread awareness of their work while also generating revenue for your museum. Or at least that’s what most museums think!
There are some things you should be aware of when working as a curator (the person in charge of content at a museum) or as a collector of art. Make sure your budget doesn’t include expensive purchases unless you really need them! Only spend what you have allotted for new pieces.
There’s not enough time to display everything
As much as we might like to, there simply isn’t enough time in our lives to see all of the incredible works of art that exist out there.
We can’t visit every museum at least once, nor would it be practical to try. Even if you’re rich, there’s only so many places you can go and experience what they have to offer.
So, how do museums decide which things to include in their collections?
They look for patterns in how people spend money to learn more about a particular area or genre of art. They also consider whether or not your wealth comes from being wealthy or making lots of money, and how that relates to the artwork.
