Checklist for Exhibit Topics

Here is a checklist for use in winnowing down a list of possible exhibit topics. Nothing is set in stone, but this will give you some tools for evaluating a topic against what makes a good exhibit.

Topic:

Short exhibit description:

 

This section is important, and will help you clarify the exhibit idea. Not "The exhibit is about wind", but "Wind is made of air that is moving, and that moving air can make paper shapes move in interesting ways"

Will the subject be interesting to people of many ages, backgrounds, and development?

Will the exhibit invite exploration?

Will the exhibit will be "closed" (once you "do" the exhibit there's nothing left to explore or think about)? Or, will the exhibit allow for open-ended exploration?

Will the exhibit invite interactions among family members, peers, and older/ younger visitors?

An exhibit that is designed so that more than one person can interact with it and with each other is more successful than an exhibit that can be used by only one person at a time. One of the goals of this collaboration is to inspire family and peer interactions, and the exhibits can be created with that in mind.

Will a visitor be able to relate the topic to something in the real world, or to something in their own life?

Often a good exhibit doesn't actually impart any hard information, but instead lets the visitor make connections with other exhibits, other phenomena, (in our case) books, and past experiences

Will you be able to use real objects, or show real phenomena, in this exhibit?

Will you be able to connect this topic with children and adult literature?