· 2020· Book chapter
Behind the Scenes at the Science Museum
- 252citations
- 2020year
Short summary
This book reveals how Science Museum exhibitions are created, influenced by curators, visitor interpretations, and broader political shifts.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Examines the behind-the-scenes processes of exhibition creation at the Science Museum.
- Details the roles of curators and the factors influencing object and display choices.
- Explains how visitor interpretations can diverge from exhibition makers' intentions.
- Connects exhibition production to broader national and global political influences on public knowledge.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
What goes on behind closed doors at museums? How are decisions about exhibitions made and who, or what, really makes them? Why are certain objects and styles of display chosen whilst others are rejected, and what factors influence how museum exhibitions are produced and experienced? This book answers these searching questions by giving a privileged look behind the scenes at the Science Museum in London. By tracking the history of a particular exhibition, Macdonald takes the reader into the world of the museum curator and shows in vivid detail how exhibitions are created and how public culture is produced. She reveals why exhibitions do not always reflect their makers original intentions and why visitors take home particular interpretations. Beyond this local context, however, the book also provides broad and far-reaching insights into how national and global political shifts influence the creation of public knowledge through exhibitions.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source., 2020 · DOI ↗
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Field: Museology
MuseologyArts and Humanities