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The Final paper will show the incorporation of the new museology applied to professional work. The aim is apply new museology and open new considerations in either exhibiting pieces, choosing mode of conduction and even designing the space for the masses.
t how revisionists model the modern museums, I wish to incorporate an application to a design process for exhibit preparation. The framework is of individual application and can be adapted to exhibit work, following the paradigm of new museology. The areas of exhibition are as follows:
1. Museum Administration - people in charge for management of museum collections, logistics and storage of artifacts. (colored light blue due to indicate association)
2. Museum Curator – assigned or appointed curator of works/artifacts for the given museum space with art direction/selection in mind with the given theme or exhibit direction. (colored light blue due to indicate association)
3. Artifact Collection – collection of works where the curator will have to select the artifacts for the said exhibit, and will have the same stakehold as the Public Audience (colored light blue due to indicate association)
4. Design Process – process of deliberation, conception and production of cultural spaces for the said direction, as given emphasis by the curator, to effectively reflect the objectives of the exhibitions to the general exhibit viewer. This includes production resources such as manpower or staff, equipment and materials pertinent to the exhibit conduction.
5. Exhibition – actual duration of the exhibit proper to the audiences, where the event happened and conducted with the viewers. During this time, there may be incidental changes to cope with viewer traffic and even response to the exhibit.
6. Design Constraints – constraints in space, materials, budget, and all other physical facets that deal with the exhibition conduction and production.
7. New Museology – not as an area of constraint, but deals with the consideration of intangible but relative aspects of exhibit conduction and preparation, such as cultural aspects of audiences and other stakeholders, integrity of exhibit conduction for the masses, accessibility to the viewers, the selection of contemporary works or artifacts and deterrence to predominant secular or individual interest or preference to upper elitist social strata, to the exhibit collection.
8. The Audience – the mass viewer, and at certain times the target market, though it can be debated under the incorporation of the new museology.
The process stems were initially the museum administration planning in agreement with the exhibit curator the theme or concept of the exhibit itself. Both parties agree on the rough concept while the curator begins sorting the artifact collection for the exhibit. There would be design constraints on the size, the transportation, the exhibit condition and the rarity of the selected artwork would be set.
Items may be valuable that it requires additional security and encased in glass modules and viewed from a particular standpoint. Item may be large that it requires transportation to the exhibit area, such as cranes and reinforced module to bolt the structure for the safety of the viewers.
Then applies the new museology design spectrum, carrying the revisionist museum mode of conduction, looking at artwork or artifact as a valid representation of cultural production, it’s not adherence to elitist bourgeois hegemonic culture, an object of racial and cultural affirmation and its relativity to the audience. All of these become factors for deliberation to proceed with the exhibit production:
The item that is valuable is considered as a product of black American slavery under a white man colonial rule, which emphasizes its tyrannical rule of the time. Perhaps another less valuable object of everyday importance may be selected that removes the sectarian advocacy and representation of power can be selected for the exhibit. The said item is huge and exposes too much perceived grandeur that it visually intimidates viewers, covering its importance to the theme of the exhibit, perhaps a modest, smaller piece with the same aspect of cultural relevance can be selected for the exhibit.
After determination of the selection or collection, the curator and his staff will deliberate further to see if such aspects are covered. Once agreed upon, they can move to the next mode of the design process, which carries out the actual production itself.
The use of the spaces, such as viewer traffic, its accessibility and its movement about the spaces can be studied and designed after. It can also include how the exhibit pieces are mounted and prepared for viewer study. All of these fall into the design constraints which may include manpower and budget for its preparation. Additional cost for exhibit modules and mounts are considered in this phase.
Following this, an application of the new museology paradigm can be applied. Questions such as will the mounts and modules to grand and excessive for the audience that they will be intimidated viewing it. Are the modules and artifact placements too complex for a general viewer to follow that they have the tendency to avoid or disregard traffic flow in the process.
It may be the choice of mounts and partitions can be replaced by more passive and subtle pieces to have the viewer focus on the artifact itself. Though the experience can be debatable, the look and feel can be replaced with the choice of lighting to alter the mood, thus removing the cost of expensive mounts and modules. The process can also narrow down costs inflated by excessive selection of exhibit mounts and stands, rented or acquired; it does have substantial changes to replace.
The final phase of the exhibit is the event itself. Again designs constraint can continue, from the performance to even the food catering and ushering of viewers. All can involve cost in space and resources. The new museology paradigm can be applied as additional points in consideration, particularly in the advent of relevancy for such conditions and even incidental situations.
The performance can be perceived as too much grandeur for the audience in a stage, thus a moving performance on a predetermined path would be more of an experience than sitting at the back of a huge stage. The audience can even interact with the performers and re-affirm the experience. Food catering that includes caviar can be too expensive and too much class that viewers would defer eating. More modest servings of common biscuits or food pieces with some association with the exhibit theme would be more engaging for the viewers, again emphasizing on the look and feel.
The overall process assumes that the exhibition will carry over with no changes in its beaucratic channels and administration, where the new museology supplements decision making in various phases of exhibit production and additional debate, which can be perceived a longer but a more engaging process for the stakeholders, particularly exhibit and event organizers.
The Exhibit Proposal
To cut down on the activity of event production and preparation for the exhibition, it may be possible to apply new museology or revisionist mode of thinking to the phase of pre-production, the proposal itself. The exhibit proposal can be subject to various revisions and debate before exhibit production, to reveal it real intention and foresee reactions of the audience to the exhibited collections. Guide questions in line to such considerations will cut down costs and energy in experiencing it along the process and will be a better result of exhibit planning.
Submitting an exhibition proposal
A proposal provides an outline and details of an exhibition or project. It should include:
A short biography or curriculum vitae, and contact address.
A description of your past and current art practice or interests
An exhibition/project outline simply explaining:
Your ideas, purpose or concept,
Why you would like to exhibit at this Gallery,
What benefit or relevance it would have to the local community,
Practicalities such as preferred dates, dimensions, no. of works
Any costs and how you expect to cover them.
Slides, photographs or video of your work. Approx. 5 - 10 clear and detailed examples, as much like the work you intend to exhibit as possible.
Please note that...
An outline of the Gallery's cultural objectives is below.
The Gallery plans its exhibition program up to two years ahead.
Floor plans of the Gallery's exhibition spaces may be requested . You may inspect potential spaces. Site specific works are welcome and unusual spaces may be free sooner than the main Galleries.
The deputy Director is available to discuss and help you prepare a proposal.
The Gallery provides insurance, installation assistance, labelling, an opening, invitation printing and publicity. Catalogue production, unusual publicity, freight or installation costs and touring of the exhibition must be negotiated and may depend on success in gaining outside funding. Artists fees are negotiated.
Your proposal will be returned after review by the Gallery's Program Committee. Refer to Proposal Assessment criteria.
Proposals should be sent to: Wollongong City Gallery, Locked Bag 8821, Wollongong NSW 2500. Attention: Director.
Proposal Assessment
Your proposal will be assessed by the Gallery's Program Committee for its potential interest to audiences, particularly local ones.
The Gallery also tries to balance the number of exhibitions over several years:
In different media: sculpture, painting, crafts, photography etc.
Of male and female artists.
Of local artists, as well as interstate and international artists.
Representing specific cultural or ethnic perspectives.
Relevant to contemporary social issues.
Your proposal does not need to address all these issues, however if it is not accepted it may be because we have already scheduled similar exhibitions. Below is a typical format with guide questions for a museum or exhibit committee decide the proposal:
Exhibit Title: - is the title relevant to said theme or adheres to the proposal made?
Topic: - is topic presented consistent with the chosen theme, curation and title.
Concept / Statement: - is the concept catering to a specific audience? and an audience that the space can readily provide adequate traffic? is the concept leaning towards a specific group and its viewing affirms the visitor's belonging to the group?
Exhibit Objectives: are objectives in line with the concept and statement? are the stakeholders for the exhibit have all been considered for the group.
Target Audience: Is the exhibit for a general audience? is it for a specific market with what demographics or attributes?
Venue / Date / Exhibit Time: is the duration of the exhibit time accessible, convenient or conducive to the target audience identified?
Collaterals: is the chosen collateral adequate for the said audience? do you need varied modes or channels to announce?
Collaborators/Partners/Sponsors: are sponsor parties neutral to the theme? do they have influences on the conduction or direction of your concept?
Project Budget Statement: will the budget be enough support the vision of the concept/theme?
Opening and Other Events: will it conducive relative to its target audience or demographic?
Lighting: will lighting provide relative mood to the viewer experience?
Exhibition Layout Plan: will the layout convenient and accessible for its audience, considering its dynamic movement and flow?
The guide questions are designed to further look at the relative approach to viewers for the exhibit. The importance of relating to the target market, as identified thru demographics hopes to give a viewer experience that will further affirm their belonging to the group. These however is one of the many ways to apply the new museology, and incorporate the revisionist's conduction to one's exhibit or lead proposals.
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