Public History & Memory

Historical Museum Exhibit Review

Your task is to visit an historical exhibit at a museum and critique it as you would a film or book in 5-7 thoughtful pages. In doing so, you should explain why you chose this exhibit, what you expected to find in the exhibit based on its publicity material, what you indeed found in the exhibit, and your reaction to it. Like books and films, museum exhibits are produced entities. Choices are made regarding tone, presentation (physical layout), content, audience, and perspective; institutional and corporate sponsorship can also influence final presentation. Be sensitive to these elements of your exhibit, illustrating how historical artifacts (objects, recordings, documents, visuals, etc.) are deployed to support the exhibit's professed claims. Be attentive to the "silences" in the exhibit, if you perceive any.