the distinctions bwteen plans and the Programs for exhibition halls

The terms “exhibition plans” ( also was referred as exhibition design and exhibition hall planning ) and “exhibition programs” have the same meaning and are sometimes used interchangeably within one organization.  Sometimes, “program” includes activities related to exhibitions such as public lectures, films, workshops and tours.  In this paper, we use the term “plan” and restrict the discussion to exhibitions.

The bridge between missions and actual exhibitions is generally an exhibition plan


Most halls have five-year exhibition plans.  Some, especially those with plans for major reinstallation of permanent exhibitions, project 10 years out.  The 5-10 year timeframe is partly because of the lead-time required to develop and fund projects.  The plans are, however, flexible enough to allow for both serendipity and a response to unanticipated events. 

The exhibition plans of collection-based halls have a number of common elements


They specify the annual number of temporary loan exhibitions and broad criteria for their selection (e.g., in an art hall, to ensure a variety of media and historical periods).  They specify the number of temporary exhibitions to be developed by the hall.  And they plan for exhibitions that will travel and for the reinstallation of permanent galleries. 

Some exhibition plans consciously peg specific exhibitions to distinct audiences, and a few follow a “something for everybody” approach

The audience segments most frequently identified are members of racial/ethnic minority groups.  A few plans, as part of the need to increase hall income, regularly include exhibitions that will draw high attendance (“blockbusters”). Although the programs and materials associated with exhibitions are frequently targeted to school groups, it is the rare exhibition that is targeted to schools. 

One useful way to categorize exhibition plans is to see them on a continuum.  At one end are those that derive largely from the hall’s collections or the research of individual curators and focus on the public presentation of such objects or knowledge.

At the other end are the plans that arise largely from halls’ interpretations of the public interest, that is, that are market- driven. Presently, as halls shift their focus from objects and subject matter to audiences, they find an accommodation between these two positions.