The Fall meeting for the Chicago Museum Exhibitors Group (CMEG) was hosted by the Field Museum, and there were three presentations on the topic of scaling to fit. From the invitation for the event:
“Museum storytellers are often faced with challenges of scale. Will a nascent idea be enough to fill an entire gallery? How do we winnow down thousands of objects to tell a coherent story in the space we have? What do we need to do when scaling an existing exhibit to a new space or situation?
Explore the SUE and Brewing Up Chicago exhibits at the Field Museum, followed by a discussion about scaling exhibits up, down, and out through three case studies.
Presenters:
Liz Garibay (Chicago Brewseum) on Brewing Up Chicago at the Field Museum
Olivia Castellini (Museum of Science and Industry) and Mark Ewing (Luci Creative) on MSI’s Numbers in Nature traveling exhibition
Susan Golland (Field Museum) on the new SUE exhibit”
Presenting on MSI’s ‘Numbers in Nature’ exhibit
The Chicago Brewseum pop-up inside the Field Museum
My work at my museum is indirectly related to exhibits, but I have enjoyed all of the CMEG events that I have attended, and this one was no exception. It was fascinating hearing about how folks in this field problem solve and find solutions to challenges imposed by space, logistics, budget, and time. In particular, I really enjoyed the conversation about SUE, and how the designers were focused on retaining and improving upon the visitor experience for this iconic dinosaur. Given how far removed my work can feel from the public, it felt like a breath of fresh air to hear about intent and impact so directly tied to visitors. And, of course, it is always a treat to visit a museum after hours to explore some exhibits!
Spending some time admiring the exhibits
