Developing Exhibitions : There Is a Method in This Madness

"This book immediately becomes the reference on how to create exhibitions in modern museums and how to work through the complexities of the exhibition development process, and it does so with humour, flair, and great understanding of the hard work involved." - Russell Briggs, Director Engagement, Exhibitions & Cultural Connection, Australian Museum

"This method is an indispensable tool for all museum professionals: from director and curator to project manager and marketeer." - Wim van der Weiden Founder of EMA

Developing Exhibitions describes an extensive in-depth methodology and practical framework on the development and production of exhibitions. It is a manual, with schemes and systems and a focus on the processes, and on the practice of developing content and storylines. As there is no other such clear-cut manual at present, it is already clear it will be used by several courses and programmes.

Dirk Houtgraaf, The Netherlands. He worked for many years as leader of the exhibit development team of the Naturalis museum, together with general director Wim van der Weiden, later becoming director of Public Services, Vice-president and an interim President. He worked too for the public libraries, the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency and (still) as an examiner in a strategic management educational institute. He is a biologist and strategic marketeer by training, and nowadays focused on (IT) information strategies and on positioning and branding in not-profit organizations. He is author and co-author of books including ‘Businessmodellen’ (Dutch) and ‘Mastering a Museum Plan: Strategies for Exhibit Development’ (English).

Massimo Negri, Italy. (EMA Scientific Director): Scientific Director of the Executive Master in European Museology at the IULM University of Milan; also teaches Museography at the Post Graduate Master Course in Industrial Heritage as well as in the Erasmus Mundus Course on Industrial Heritage within the Course of History, Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, of the State University of Padua. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Museum of the Duomo of Milan. Former Director of the European Museum Forum (1999-2009) and member of the Jury of the European Museum of the Year Award from 1983 to 2009. In 1993 he was awarded by the King of Spain the Cross of Officer of the Orden de Isabel la Catòlica.