So, this week’s post is going to be a bit shorter than usual. The museum world is finicky in this way. While there are always things to do, some weeks are more relaxed (answering emails, giving tours, chipping away at archiving a collection, and so on. But some weeks–like this week–are incredibly busy, especially since this is an in-person show.
I have noticed a sizable difference between online and in-person shows (other than how they are two vastly different mediums). When creating an online show, you are working on it (writing and editing text, choosing photos, designing the website, etc.) until the bitter end. That’s because I was doing everything myself. But when creating an in-person show, you cannot work on it until the bitter end, because you need to outsource your work. I need people to print the opening poster, to translate the exhibit text, to help with framing, and so on. My “bitter end” work needs to be done about a week and a half in advance (at least!) so that there’s time for the exhibit to be finalized.
So, when I say there are two weeks until the exhibit, that means that my most diligent and busy works comes into play over the next few days. Of course, next week will be when I strike the old exhibit and mount this one, but the bulk of the creative work is happening now, as I type this.
The point of this post, then, is to give you a very brief sneak peak into the world of exhibit-making. And to explain why this post is much shorter than normal. This week is just especially busy, as I finish up all I need to do for the exhibit before I hand it off to more capable people who take my ideas and make them a reality. So, now, I’m off to finish laying out where I want each artifact to go, and to finalize the exhibit text.
Until next time,
Patrick
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