This document discusses different types of exhibits and considerations for designing an effective museum layout and storytelling experience. It describes virtual tours of existing museums, the importance of exhibit flow and presentation, and how to use space to guide visitors through a narrative. Key decisions are outlined, like beginning and ending points, linear vs. nonlinear structure, and use of interactive elements versus static displays. Design techniques are proposed for evoking emotion and effectively conveying a story through curation of objects, exhibits, and interpretive materials. Students are then tasked with sketching a floor plan and dividing responsibilities for their class museum project.

1. Think of the answer silently
Bellringer: What are some different
types of exhibits in museums?

2. Virtual Tour
• Smithsonian Natural History
– http://www.mnh.si.edu/panoramas/
• Talk about what we noticed during the tour

3. Museum Flow
• “The way in which a work is displayed influences our
perception of it and our reactions to it”
• A museum is not just arranged in a line, chronologically
• Importance of presence, presentation and
representation.
– By presence, we mean the bringing together within a given
space of a set of material objects
– By presentation we can highlight different things to draw
attention or evoke emotion at certain times in the story
– By representation, we understand that many different
objects brought together can make a whole

4. Museum Flow
• We have to tell a story through our objects,
exhibits, and interpretations
– Start with the beginning of our story (the theme
we have chosen) at the entrance and the end of
the story at the exit
– Enrich the story through the exhibits

5. Building a Story
• Create a flow so patrons
can easily see how the
history is connected
– Move from the
beginning to the end
– Visualize the story
• Also need to create easy
foot traffic
– Natural path
– Easy to move in
• Use given space to
create this story

6. OR….
OR, you can simply place a series of exhibitions
around and have the audience create the
story themselves

7. Interactive vs. “Do Not Touch”
• Art Museums are generally “Do Not Touch”, as
our museums with artifacts
• Interactive museums encourage patrons to
experience the subject matter
• Can have both

8. Evoking Emotion
• Holocaust Museum, Museum of Slavery
– Exhibits can be placed in the flow to have a large
impact on the patron
– The presentation of the material can also be
manipulated to evoke the most emotion

9. Other Exhibits
• Use of metaphors and art as well as history to
best explain your story
• Use of technology
– Video, audio

10. Making Decisions
• Where will our museum be? Munier Center or Old
Parish Center?
• How will we arrange it? Beginning to end or nonlinear?
• In what order will our exhibits/topics be?
• What do we want to include? Documents? Interactive
material? Objects?
• Do we want to have a centerpiece?
• Do we want to evoke a certain emotion? If so, how?
• Should we include non-historical materials to better
tell the story?
• What materials do we need?

11. Creating Flow
• In small groups, sketch a floor plan for our
museum
• Share and finalize floor plan

12. In Partners
• Based on floor plan and exhibits, divide up
work between partners
• Research in pairs (computer lab)
• Finalize exhibits and materials