Exhibit Makeovers: A Do-It-Yourself Workbook for Small Museums

by Alice Parman

Excellence in exhibit development is about thoughtful planning, energetic execution, and a spirit of openness and collaboration. It's not about money. It doesn't require prior expertise, though specialists can be helpful. With creativity, effort, and forethought, even small museums with limited financial resources can breathe life into old exhibits or install thought-provoking and eye-catching new ones.

In Exhibit Makeovers , Parman and Flowers use straightforward language, informative sidebars, fill-in-the-blank forms, and helpful illustrations to take readers step-by-step through the exhibit planning process. The workbook offers guidance, ideas, and examples in a way that will be useful for a broad spectrum of users, from the enthusiastic volunteer with no academic training to the museum director or professional in need of a practical action plan.

To download worksheets from the book, visit Alice Parman's website.

Genres: Museology, Museums, Nonfiction

98 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Karin]

This is a great little exploration of exhibit work. Geared towards an audience with little to no experience, the side tangents into purpose & vision work, strategic planning, visitor surveys etc., are all helpful.

[Vincent Houghtaling]

Full of useful tips and strategies, very clear on how to do these things on a variety of levels.

[Tiffany]

This is a decent book. It gives you insight and tips on how to approach putting together an exhibit, or redoing an old exhibit, including text, planning, labor, etc.

It also gives additional resources, like ideas for funding exhibits, types of programs to have, the Visitor's Bill of Rights, cleaning procedures, etc.

[Rachel]

Skimmed it for a second time, because it's got great content!