The past few days have seen a flurry of activity at
the McFaddin-Ward House’s Curatorial Office Building. My research is complete,
and my exhibits on the McFaddins’ contribution to the First World War are installed.
The installation process is something that can only be described as organized
chaos. When I was given an opportunity to build an exhibit at this museum, I
already knew that I wanted to work on something dealing with World War I. I
have always been fascinated by the conflict, which proved to be our nation’s
first steps on the road to becoming an international superpower. However, I was
also sure that visitors would enjoy seeing something that displayed the small,
but important role that their town played in this exciting episode of World
History.
I have been working toward designing the ideal exhibit, which was mostly in my head, for the past eight to nine weeks. I have researched the period thoroughly, and used archival materials as well as objects within the museum’s collections to construct the exhibit. Yesterday, we moved the “At Home” segment of my two-part exhibit into the case at the Visitor’s Center. This process involved placing items such as documents and other materials into the case in such a manner that the arrangement was both pleasing to the eye, and easily visible. It was a great experience, despite the fact that my “ideal” exhibit has been changed in several ways, owing to limitations within the space, lighting, and other environmental concerns. I also had a similar experience this morning, when the registrar and I prepared the “Away” portion of the exhibit for the carriage house. Despite the difficulties associated with working in these two extremely different spaces and the changes that were needed to take “Home and Away” from concept to reality, I came away with a greater understanding of the problems faced by exhibit designers, and how solutions to these problems can improve your display.
The display will be up through December 2013 in the museum’s visitor center, located at 1906 Calder Avenue. I hope that you will enjoy exploring it as much as I enjoyed making it, and I hope to see you in the trenches.
I have been working toward designing the ideal exhibit, which was mostly in my head, for the past eight to nine weeks. I have researched the period thoroughly, and used archival materials as well as objects within the museum’s collections to construct the exhibit. Yesterday, we moved the “At Home” segment of my two-part exhibit into the case at the Visitor’s Center. This process involved placing items such as documents and other materials into the case in such a manner that the arrangement was both pleasing to the eye, and easily visible. It was a great experience, despite the fact that my “ideal” exhibit has been changed in several ways, owing to limitations within the space, lighting, and other environmental concerns. I also had a similar experience this morning, when the registrar and I prepared the “Away” portion of the exhibit for the carriage house. Despite the difficulties associated with working in these two extremely different spaces and the changes that were needed to take “Home and Away” from concept to reality, I came away with a greater understanding of the problems faced by exhibit designers, and how solutions to these problems can improve your display.
The display will be up through December 2013 in the museum’s visitor center, located at 1906 Calder Avenue. I hope that you will enjoy exploring it as much as I enjoyed making it, and I hope to see you in the trenches.
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| Predicting the movement of guests within the exhibit in the carriage house, I placed the posters where they can best be seen with the size of the space and the lighting available. |
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