The Art of the Archivist: Mary Linn Wernet on Exhibition Design and Preservation

Last week’s column took a look at the new exhibit on NSU history at the Cammie G. Henry Research Center. This week, we’ll look at the thinking that goes into planning such an exhibit and how the artifacts are preserved for the long haul.

Mary Linn Wernet manages the research center’s activities. According to her, one of the best parts of the job is learning something new about area history everyday, especially when planning an exhibit. Using the current exhibit on NSU history as an example, she told me about five considerations that go into putting together a successful exhibit.

Five Questions for Exhibition Design

1. What works? The point of an exhibit is for it to be seen. The subject matter should be compelling and be able to resonate with a significant portion of you audience. Moreover, the materials available should be abundant enough to create a display worth seeing once people make the effort to get there. This requires an excellent knowledge of the contents of the archive and quite a bit of thinking to fit the pieces together into a coherent “story.”

2. What will be the theme(s)? NSU anniversary celebrations of the past is the theme for the material now on display. But the current exhibit is just the first in a four-part rotating exhibit complementing a year-long theme recognizing the university’s 125th anniversary. Even within the current exhibit, each display case has its own theme. This both breaks the material up, and gives it context to engage viewers without overwhelming them.

3. How well will the materials stand up? Archivists follow a stringent code for preserving the materials in their possession. But sometimes those materials arrive at the archives in a deteriorated state. And, let’s face it, everything degrades over time, no matter how well cared for. The fragility of the materials is always considered before deciding whether to place them, how to place them and for how long. For example, the old panoramic photographs being used to illustrate NSU’s past anniversary celebrations were picked for their sturdiness and their ability to lie flat in the display case. They will only be displayed for a limited time to minimize fading from light.

4. How will the display be designed? A successful experience for most exhibit-goers means that the material is presented in a visually appealing way and flows naturally from one display to the next. When designing the exhibit, Mary Linn initially faced a lot of black and white photographs and paper documents. Since NSU’s budget is in dire straits these days, her solution was to use lengths of purple ribbon as accents throughout the display cases. It turned out to be a classy, low-cost solution to both add color and direct the viewer’s attention.

5. What’s the exit strategy? To safeguard the materials for future generations, they must be stored in a protected archival setting. All the materials are marked and counted to ensure that they end up back in their proper containers and in their proper places so that they can be easily found for researchers or future exhibits.

The exhibit on NSU anniversary celebrations of the past will run through March. Three exhibits exploring other facets of NSU history will follow throughout 2009. Find more details under “events” at www.natchitochespreservation.ning.com.