Course Description

The purpose of this course is to look at the process of museum exhibit creation in historical museums, from planning through development to opening and maintenance, as a negotiation among many stakeholders for influence upon the story that is told. We will consider the institutional positioning of the museum, including its history and resources; the interests and concerns of museum employees (registrars, researchers, curators, conservators, education specialists, support staff); the influence of the public, both the “audience” public and those whose interests are directly affected and/or represented by an exhibit’s story; and the role of contractual professionals when they are used (designers, exhibit construction firms, visitor studies experts). As a field for the study of this knowledge we will use the range of historical museums and museum-like venues in Austin where informal learning about history is available to citizens.