TeaTeaching Exhibition Design: A Survey of Graduate Programs in the United States by Barbara Brennan
Barbara Brennan is Co-Director, xhibition design is fun. In fact, museum theory, architecture, interactive Graduate Exhibit Design I can’t imagine more rewarding technology, graphic design, and the use of Certificate Program (GEDC) or satisfying work. Yet, like social media to develop exhibitions that George Washington University E many professionals in the field today, I interpret challenging content and engage and was formerly the Chair of the stumbled into my career accidently. When diverse audiences. Exhibit Design and Technology Department at the National I joined the Smithsonian’s National Air Air and Space Museum. and Space Museum (NASM) staff in In addition to designing exhibitions for She may be contacted at 1980, the exhibition design department NASM, I have taught graduate exhibition [email protected]. consisted of an illustrator, oil painter, design for George Washington University’s architect, fashion designer, and graphic (GW) Museum Studies program since If you would like to comment on designer (me). Most museum exhibitions 2005 and, after retiring in 2012, became this article or others in this issue, at that time were “designed” by curators Co-Director of their GEDC. Every please go to the NAME page on or scientists, occasionally assisted semester, at least one student asks what he Facebook or send us a tweet by artists, who created dioramas or or she must do to prepare for a career in @NAMExhibitions. dramatic stage sets for the display of exhibition design. exotic curiosities. Since then, changes in the museum profession have resulted I get the attraction. Exhibition designers in the need for design staff trained in research period styles, colors, materials, and structures and dig deeply into curatorial content, expanding their knowledge with each project. They work on teams, forming close relationships and learning to problem-solve, while putting their unique creative vision onto a public stage. Exhibition designers are artists, story-tellers, educators, historians, scientists, writers, performers, diplomats and coordinators. It’s the perfect profession for someone with a broad range of interests, both academic and artistic.
Where can students go to acquire the specialized training necessary to become exhibition designers? There are now in the United States over 100 museum studies programs or museum studies courses offered within art history, anthropology, arts administration or historic preservation programs. Yet, The National Gallery of Art’s Senior Curator and Chief of Design, Mark Leithauser, and Senior Architect, Donna Kirk, lead Corcoran School of Art + Design students in a critique of exhibition only six offer graduate level training in models. Interaction with design professionals is a critical feature of the Corcoran’s program, and exhibition design. Students who become they frequently are invited to share their expertise as guest lecturers or through teaching specialized enamored of the profession while in courses. Photograph by Clare Brown. graduate school may need to take courses in graphic design, typography, or CAD at
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EXHIBITIONNIST FALL '14 a local community college if they lack a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, design, or architecture.
This paper will examine the six graduate programs in the United States that offer exhibition design training, focusing on the importance of developing community relationships to provide students with the opportunity to interact with design Students assist in fabrication of an exhibit they designed to promote the new GW Museum and the professionals and to design and install Textile Museum, opening on campus in 2015. Each semester, students design exhibitions that are exhibitions in public spaces. Each of the installed on GWU’s campus, or at the National Air and Space Museum, with the primary goal of highlighted programs reaps the benefits providing hands-on design and installation experience. Photograph by Barbara Brennan. of being located in or near a large city with many museums, design companies, yet to be determined, but the process and non-profit organizations with whom of programmatic and curricular to form educational partnerships. Two integration has begun, with the shared (UC Davis and GW) are part of larger goal of creating a unique and dynamic universities with museums on campus, arts program. where students may intern and work on exhibition design teams. They offer a Currently, the Corcoran’s program is a wide variety of disciplines to complement studio-based master of arts that can be the design programs, with opportunities completed in two years of full time study. Exhibition for collaboration and cross-pollination Through memberships in the Society for of ideas. The others are within schools designers are Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD), dedicated to the arts, where students student organizations, and internships attend 4-hour studio classes and are able artists, story- at Washington, DC museums, the 54 to delve more deeply into design projects. students currently enrolled have many tellers, educators, MICA and UC Davis have a strong opportunities to interact with design curatorial focus, GW and University of historians, professionals. the Arts bridge exhibition design and scientists, writers, development, and FIT and the Corcoran In addition to the links with SEGD, a are more design-based. performers, close working relationship with BRIVO, a local tech company, has benefitted diplomats, and Graduate Program Descriptions both organizations. Students review the Corcoran College of Art + Design MA in company’s new technologies for possible coordinators. Exhibit Design museum applications, and in return 48 credit hours BRIVO provides internships. In the spring At the time of this writing, an of 2014 BRIVO sponsored the program’s agreement has been signed to bring the 14 thesis students’ attendance at a design Corcoran College of Art + Design into conference in London. George Washington University. The impact of this collaboration on their Although no formal agreement exists, respective exhibition design programs is BRIVO’s strong commitment to working 19
EXHIBITIONNIST FALL '14 There are now in the United States over 100 museum studies programs or museum studies courses….Yet, only six offer graduate level training in exhibition design.
(continued from page 19) with students through the completion of program is hands-on experience, and each collaborative project is critical to the students may have the opportunity to relationship’s success. Similar relationships design and install up to three exhibitions with local businesses provide real design at NASM and on GW’s campus. experience. They are closely vetted by the professors and by a select group of GW has a long-standing collaborative students to ensure companies will follow relationship with the Smithsonian through to the end and provide a true Institution, and twice a year an exhibition learning experience rather than simply design course is taught at NASM, where asking students to complete a design task. students have the opportunity to observe The Exhibit Design program has two full- real-life examples and design a poster time professors and 16 adjunct professors exhibition on a topic related to current who are working professionals that bring research and exhibition development a wide range of expertise and projects into projects at the museum. They work the classroom. In addition, a large portion closely with NASM curators, designers, of the program’s budget goes toward photo archivists, and script editors, and guest speakers from different museum the student-designed exhibition remains specialties. By graduation, Corcoran on public display for up to six months. students have had experience in exhibition A formal agreement includes a tuition design, curatorial studies, artifact sharing program through which a portion conservation, museum management, and of student tuition goes to museums willing many other fields of study related to the to host interns or provide classroom museum profession. space. This arrangement creates a strong and effective incentive to participate George Washington University Graduate and ensures that students have access Certificate in Exhibit Design to museum professionals and real-life 18 credit hours exhibition design experience. GW’s program can be completed in one year and is geared toward working In addition to contact with professionals professionals or graduating seniors in the Smithsonian and other Washington, holding undergraduate degrees in interior DC museums, GW is in the process of or architectural design, graphic or building a new museum on campus that multi-media design, museum studies, fine will serve as a laboratory for students in arts, or theatre production design. The all areas of the profession. In the spring six to eight certificate students customize of 2014, students enrolled in an Advanced their programs, selecting courses from Exhibition Design course designed Museum Studies, Theatre and Dance, two inaugural exhibitions for the GW and Interior Architecture Design Museum’s Albert H. Small collection and depending on their career goals and an exhibition for the Textile Museum, learning objectives. They may replace scheduled to open in 2015. A previous one of the six required courses with an advanced exhibition design class designed internship in a professional exhibition an exhibition for NASM’s Flight and the design department at a Smithsonian Arts gallery that was on public display museum. A critical component of the for six months. Design work included the 20
EXHIBITIONIST FALL '14 Students participate in a concept brainstorming exercise, where they experiment with design disciplines to interpret museum collections and create unique public experiences. Cultivation of creative logic, conceptual thinking, and MICA and UC storytelling methodologies are core goals of FIT’s program. Photograph by Brenda Cowan. Davis have a strong curatorial entrance treatment, graphic panels, object to be accepted. A BA or BFA in a labels, a banner, and promotional signage. related field is required, and portfolio focus, GW and In all cases, the students and George requirements are very tight. The 15 Washington University receive credit for students in the program matriculate full University of their work. time and complete the MA as a cohort in the Arts bridge two or three semesters. Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY exhibition MA in Exhibition Design The students are an eclectic group (75% design and 36 credit hours, 65 contact hours international), who design multiple FIT’s program encompasses a broad projects for sponsoring institutions, development, range of exhibition design applications including EDPA members (producers, and FIT and the including museum exhibitions, trade exhibition design firms, and the trade show installations, retail, and new media. show industry), museums, and non-profit Corcoran are They are sponsored by and have a formal organizations such as the Smithsonian more design- agreement with the Exhibit Designers Institution, the Intrepid Museum, the and Producers Association (EDPA). Their New York Botanical Gardens, and the based. sponsors are closely involved in program National Park Service. advising and curriculum development, bringing industry experts into the The program focuses on human factors, classroom and providing professional one- audience evaluation, and the user on-one mentors, in addition to providing experience. Exhibition design skills apply internships in member organizations. to multiple settings, from museums to corporate events, and understanding Due to the intense course load, students how narrative drives design is critical to must be familiar with drafting, 3D successful design wherever it is applied. rendering, and the Adobe Design Suite Students are encouraged to try it all and to remain open to careers in a variety of venues. 21
EXHIBITIONNIST FALL '14 from a variety of backgrounds including fine arts and art history, and plan to work as curators, educators, or gallery owners. Regardless of background, all are expected to learn exhibition design skills.
In partnership with Maryland Traditions and the Latino Providers Network, Devociones y Fe (Devotions For their thesis projects students write and Faith) investigates how Latino spiritual traditions express faith and devotion, and how those spiritual detailed proposals to partner institutions traditions create a sense of belonging. Installed in El Tesoro restaurant, the exhibit explores the use of including a vision statement, mission, non-traditional space and is informed by fieldwork, one-on-one interviews, and surveys within Baltimore’s goals, programming, timeline, and budget. growing Latino communities. Photograph by MICA student Michelle Gomez, who designed and curated the exhibition. The student and partner enter into a formal agreement for the duration of the (continued from page 21) Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) project, and partners often contribute MFA in Curatorial Practice to the cost of the project. Students 60 credit hours sometimes work on site at partner MICA’s MFA program is located museums and are mentored by exhibition in an area designated as an Arts & design professionals. This could be one Entertainment District by the state of day per week for one semester or two, Maryland. Although it is a research- and mentors serve on students’ thesis and writing-based program, requiring committees. multiple practicums and a thesis, it is included in this paper because students Over the course of the program students are required to learn exhibition design participate in the development and design skills and to design the exhibitions they of four to seven public exhibitions. They curate. There are currently 10 students in are encouraged to experiment and to the 2-year program, and they matriculate create unique exhibitions that incorporate as a cohort. Courses touch on exhibition site-specific public art, performance, design as it relates to curatorial vision language, and unusual collections. and push curatorial practice in new and Students may also address social issues or interesting ways, while demonstrating use non-traditional sites such as a church, that artists, community members, corner store, restaurant, previously vacant and curators can produce innovative, office, homeless services center, school accessible exhibition designs through auditorium or a library lobby and creative collaboration, a unique feature study area. of MICA’s program.
For practicum courses, students spend Exhibition Planning and Design a year planning and implementing an 60 credit hours exhibition or site-specific installation The 9 to 12 students accepted into in the A&E District. Baltimore artists, this studio-based program each year designers, and museum professionals typically work in museums or exhibition review practicum and thesis proposals and and media design firms as exhibition provide feedback throughout the project developers or designers, so each class has development process. Applicants come a mix of academic and fine arts/design 22
EXHIBITIONNIST FALL '14 Students in a University of the Arts prototyping class worked with professional staff at the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site to develop early stages of an exhibition illustrating the dramatic rise in prison populations over 40 years. This composite image shows the cardboard and marker prototype and the 35' x 20' graph structure installed on site. Prototype photograph by Breanna Wucinich. Installation photograph courtesy of Eastern State Penitentiary. undergraduate degrees. Design applicants wide exhibition illustrating the dramatic submit a portfolio, and academic students rise in prison populations over 40 years. must provide writing samples. Both Twice a year, students are involved in groups complete the 2-year, full-time a professional “charrette” where a real program as a cohort. world problem is posed by an outside client (museum or curator), the students There are many layers of opportunity brainstorm/problem solve for 24 hours, for students to work in design offices and present their findings to the client. and interact with the multiple types In several instances the institutions have and sizes of museums and non-profit utilized these design concepts. institutions in the Philadelphia area. These include internships, curriculum- based partnerships with local institutions, One of the challenges faced by this and and paid assistantships performed outside other programs that straddle exhibition the classroom. At the beginning of each design and development is uneven skill academic year up to 40 museums and levels. Students are encouraged to focus institutions present possible assistantship on their areas of strength, but all must projects to students, a process often become familiar with the processes and referred to as “speed dating.” Students vocabulary of the museum profession. who plan to do an assistantship may be Students who don’t plan to be designers paid by the university or elect to do it as must at least learn to read technical an internship and receive credit. Either drawings; designers must know how to way, they benefit from real professional conduct research, for example; and all experience, while building their resumes must learn visitor testing and prototyping. and portfolios. If a student with no art background wants to be an exhibition designer, courses are Opportunities to collaborate with local available to help fill in the needed skills, institutions occur in visitor studies and one of the benefits of an exhibition design exhibition prototyping courses. In a recent program within an art school. prototyping course, students worked with Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site to develop and design a 16 ft tall by 30 ft
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EXHIBITIONNIST FALL '14 (continued from page 23)
Exhibition Development and Design Program Web Sites: Smithsonian Institution:
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EXHIBITIONNIST FALL '14 Each of the programs detailed in this paper provides graduate students with the opportunity to learn exhibition design skills through close interaction and partnerships with museums, exhibition design firms, commercial venues, and non-profit organizations in the community.
hospitality, retail, office, exhibitions, global perspectives of Additional Programs: exhibition, and event design. modernity, institutional critique Art Center College of Design: and art history. A practicum and http://www.artcenter.edu/ accd/programs/graduate/ UÊ/ iÊ i}iÊvÊ iÃ}]Ê ÀÌ Ê thesis are also required, but not environmental_design.jsp Carolina State University teaches courses in exhibition design. exhibition design issues within College of Design, North Carolina other required course work, such UÊ-V ÊvÊ6ÃÕ>ÊÀÌÃÊÊ ÃÌ State University: http://design. as graphic design. offers an exhibition design ncsu.edu/academics/art-design/ graduate-program1 elective within the graphic design UÊ/ iÊ >>ÀÊ ``Ê-V ÊvÊÀÌ]Ê department, open to graduate Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia offers a and undergraduate students. University of Georgia: http://art. directed study class in exhibition Multidisciplinary teams focus uga.edu/ design. on problem-solving, story-telling, Parsons, the New School and offering museum visitors an for Design: http://www. UÊ*>ÀÃÃ]ÊÌ iÊ iÜÊ-V ÊvÀ experience. newschool.edu/parsons/subpage. Design offers an undergraduate aspx?id=100454 minor in Temporary Environments Each of the programs detailed in this and an MFA in Trans-disciplinary paper provides graduate students with Pratt Institute: https://www.pratt. edu/academics/art-design/art- Design. the opportunity to learn exhibition grad/interior-design-grad/ design skills through close interaction UÊ*À>ÌÌÊÃÌÌÕÌiÊvviÀÃÊÌ iÀÊ}À>`Õ>ÌiÊ and partnerships with museums, San Francisco Art Institute: http:// Interior Design students the option exhibition design firms, commercial www.sfai.edu/exhibition-and- of replacing traditional thesis work venues, and non-profit organizations in museum-studies with an Exhibition Design the community. Each reflects the unique School of Visual Arts, Boston: Intensive, a two-semester culture found only on that campus http://www.bu.edu/cfa/visual- immersion into the design and and in that particular city. While the arts/prospective/graduate/design/ study of exhibitions of all kinds. programs are very different from one another, serving a wide variety of UÊ/ iÊ->ÊÀ>VÃVÊÀÌÊÃÌÌÕÌiÊ needs and career goals, students in all offers an MA in Exhibition and benefit from real-life experience that Museum Studies that includes comes from working directly with courses in research and writing, professionals in the field. critical histories in museums and
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