Writing About a Museum Special Exhibition When writing the review the student should include (but not be limited to) the following items: 1. Genre Exhibited: painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics or textiles. Period or style? 2. Artist(s): very short bio [where studied, where artist teaches, previous exhibits if warranted, etc.] but remember that the focus of the review should be on the works and not on who created them. 3. Curatorial Elements: Anyone who chooses the In-Person option for their Museum Review must review a ″Special Exhibition″ at the museum and not just works from the permanent collection that are currently on display. But if you have chosen the Online option for your review you will, in most cases, not be able to evaluate these elements. Do keep them in mind, however, and as you view the images try to think of the kinds of questions and challenges a curator would deal with when making decisions on how best to properly display these works in their online museum. So there is a reason for understanding the role that a curator plays in the creation of an exhibition, regardless of where it takes place, and it has to do with the theme that is chosen when a special exhibition is set-up. Whoever curates the exhibition will be considering things such as these Curatorial Elements: Objects selected — Why? How are they presented or arranged? Lighting? Printed exhibition guide provided? Explanatory posters provided? Evaluating what is done and how well it works are all a part of the role that a curator plays in the staging of an exhibition. For more information on the basics of this type of work, please go to this link for a PDF (Links to an external site.) from the University of Maryland’s Art Department that explains in more depth those things that a curator does to make the exhibition a success. 4. Discussion of Selected Works: What do they reveal individually? What do they reveal collectively about the artist(s)? about the medium? about the style? About ourselves and our world? [Very important information to include.] Your analysis of the exhibition as a whole, and individual works of art, should conform to the standards of artistic criticism: Desсrіptive, Interpretive, and Evaluative Criticism. Sample Review Sheet: Museum Special Exhibition* Exhibit Title: Artist(s): Form of art: (i.e., painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, etc.) Showing at: (Name of Museum) until: (Date exhibit ends) General desсrіption of themes revealed in the art: How the art is displayed–curatorial elements: Supporting Materials: (guides and commentary, video, etc.) Specific work(s) of art of special significance: Content (Issues the art and exhibition address and reveal): So those students choosing the Online Option for the Museum Review will utilize the online offerings of either The Smithsonian′s American Art Museum, or its counterpart The Smithsonian′s African Art Museum, to complete their review. The collections of these museums include a number of different exhibitions of painting, photography, sculpture, works in clay and works on paper, and even some online exhibitions of the decorative arts. Any of the exhibitions on the https://americanart.si.edu/art (Links to an external site.) website are acceptable for this assignment, as are the exhibitions of the Smithsonian′s National Museum of African Art found at this link: https://africa.si.edu/ (Links to an external site.). 4. Pick the works you choose to review from just one (1) exhibition, and not individual works from multiple exhibitions. Neither should you choose works that are from the permanent collection of the museum. These are the ones that are in storage, or just hung on the walls, and are not part of a specific exhibition. They can, however, still be found through an online search. There is a reason for this, and it has to do with the theme that is chosen when an exhibition is set-up. This is true whether the exhibition is of the works of one artist, or those of multiple artists. Evaluating the exhibition and how well it all works together is a part of the process for successfully completing this review. Please keep in mind, however, that the depth of thought given to your analysis of the chosen works is more important than the number of them in the review. But, I do expect to see no less than 3 works, and no more than 4 total discussed in your paper. Your focus should also be on reviewing the works you have chosen, and not on the museum itself, though feel free to comment on the museum if there is something about it that you feel your audience would like or need to know.
