Exhibit Proposal Form

Where do ideas for new exhibitions come from? One obvious answer is the museum planning team. Normally composed of administrators, designers, educators, and subject specialists (curators), they would be the logical group to generate ideas about how the collections should be interpreted. Ideas for exhibition may also come about in other ways. Growth in the collections or anticipation of future growth, can suggest exhibit topics. New discoveries through research or archaeological excavations may suggest ideas. An individual’s inspiration or even visitor suggestions may be found worth pursuing. In fact, it’s not important where the exhibition ideas come from. Take advantage of any and all inspired ideas no matter how they are generated. The important thing is that museums apply some form of criteria to assess the feasibility of the idea. Many museums use an exhibit proposal form as an initial screening device and as a way to prioritize a number of exhibit ideas. I have developed the following exhibit proposal form based on publications and examples from various museums. The criteria are relevant to most museums and types of exhibitions. Feel free to use it for your institution or rework it for your particular situation.

Exhibit Proposal Form

© Riccio Exhibit Services, LLC 2013