Another potential title for Beverly Serrell’s Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach could have been Exhibit Labels: An Exhaustive Approach in Finding the Commonest Common Denominator and Then Proving They Don’t Exist. In her preface, Serrell notes that her publisher said Exhibit Labels was the book most frequently stolen from their display. This leaves me wondering… what other books was it up against? With that being said, Serrell’s impressive second edition truly showcases the importance of exhibit labels and the multifaceted approaches that go into creating them.
The main takeaway that I got from Exhibit Labels was the concept of the big idea. The prevalence of this question, which might sound as simple as “sharks are not what you think” takes hours of work to articulate and guides the curator at every turn. The big idea, Serrell argues, is more important for the curatorial team than it is for the audience. Without its clarity, everything else can become jumbled. The labels, the design, the layout, the choice of medium, the aim of meaningful experience and so forth, are all built in the shadow of the big idea.
Another large takeaway, that is connected to the Big Idea, is the concept of the common commonest denominator. I found it incredibly interesting, in chapter 4, “Who is the Audience (and what do they want)?” that Serrell advises curators to appeal to the big question, rather than seeking a primary audience. Rather than considering who is my audience, which Serrell argues is inherently alienating, the questions rather should be, what is the best way for me to communicate my big idea? In this, Serrell points out that you can appeal to the broadest audience possible. The common commonest denominator stretches across gender, age, education, race, class, sexuality, you name it, in order to center the exhibition on being accessible. By using non-exclusionary vocabulary, offering translations when appropriate, and by fostering a meaningful experience, Serrell seeks to appeal to commonality rather than difference. I am still dubious about the color-blind approach Serrell argues for, but maybe it works in museums when it fails to work elsewhere.
I was struck by the amount of time that a visitor typically spends in a single exhibit. Serrell works with roughly 20 minutes of attention, and in that time she manages to convey a Big Idea with concise, concentrated words that reach across difference. Serrell lists (and lists, and lists, and lists) the ways that learning styles differ from person to person, as well as between person and exhibit. Different material will elicit different levels of engagement. With this in mind, Serrell emphasizes utilizing other mediums such as digital interpretive devices, images and the real, all paired with labels. The labels are meant to serve a function: aiding in interpretation. They are not to be too assertive, but not too general as to leave their reader confused. Labels ought to be accessible to most people, while not alienating the reader by assuming they know nothing. Ultimately, they need to be justified. Serrell’s book has many lessons imbedded in it, but one for sure is less is often more.
Ironic, is it not though? That less is more for Serrell across the board. She really works to get her reader to understand that information overload is a missed opportunity in the exhibit world. I would honestly argue that this book is an example of just that. At the same time, I don’t think anyone who focuses on writing exhibit labels in their career would need to buy another book on exhibit labels. Maybe it was that niche group stealing her book from the exhibit she mentions in the preface.
I found that this text spoke directly to Creating Exhibits, not only in content, but in structure. It reads at times like a textbook, but is also imbued with emotion. They are supplementary to each other because Creating Exhibits functions more in a physical space, while Serrell is in the mental space of her visitor. I also found myself thinking about the podcast “Tribal Historic Preservation office Helps Students Map Seminole Life for the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum,” and their students use of iPads in the museum. This book, while beckoning to me for critique, has inherent value. Her concepts of label hierarchy, her case studies, thoughtful consideration of the visitor, and emphasis on evaluation are important in this world. This book is packed with lessons and I look forward to pulling more of them apart when we meet to discuss Exhibit Labels.
Serrell, Beverly. Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Lanham, Maryland: Roman & Littlefield. 2015.
Image from https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/museum-worker-adjusts-the-captions-to-a-modigliani-painting-news-photo/1180485733
Really enjoyed this reflection on this week’s reading – not just for your voice coming through the text but also with what you chose to prioritize out of this extensive book! Reflecting on the Big Idea is something that struck me in Serrell’s work as well – especially noting the time divides you emphasized here in the hours of brainstorming and dialogue to what can be 20 minutes of visitor attention. I too had similar questions regarding applications of her insight – I am excited and inspired to see you connect this work with the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum and their work – especially with the thought provided in catering to children.
Hey Gwen! I appreciated your thoughts on “the big idea” as this is something many museum goers would think to conjure up is an easy task. Many components in the museum field, label writing included, are unfortunately not given enough credit because those not apart of the process to create these exhibits do not understand the effort label writers take to present their labels to the public.
I also want to shine light on your critique of the book in which you state “less is more”; I too agree that some concepts in Exhibit Labels could have been placed in shorter excerpts then what was provided and that someone of who spends time writing labels (especially if they’ve done it for years) would need extensive learning on the topic. I will give credit where it is due, however, that no matter what your skill-level for writing labels, the book has some helpful ways to go about it!
Gwen, I love your focus on this post. Breaking down how the big ideas are often what we must come back to for labels, but also for the understanding of this book with the “less is more.” I am glad you also question the nature of a “color-blind” approach, it seems to me that only positives can be gained from recognition of positionality. I look forward to discussing this tomorrow with you and seeing what everyone else thinks of the “common commonest denominator” approach.
Gwen, first of all, I wish you had “shared with the class” a bit more re your feelings about the book: it kind of seemed like you wanted to say more than you did, and your proposed alternate title here hilariously sums up what that was. (And your question about the stolen book competition? Ha. You said what I said about the market for books like this…but…much funnier.)
Your defense of Serrell’s notion of the big idea is strong. I (too) had suspected that it really meant “simplify this. repeat.” but as you point out the goal is to put distractions (including, initially, intended audiences) aside and home in ruthlessly on the central idea, discarding everything that doesn’t express, clarify, or possibly support (‘cuz if you’re doing the first two right, she seems to imply, you won’t need support) that idea.
The conceptual relationship that you identify between this book and the one on exhibitions— mental space and physical space — is obvious ONCE YOU SAY IT: that’s a fine piece of analysis that really helped me clarify for myself how these two modes intersect with one another. It also helped me make some sense of the exhibitions book, frankly: your reference midway through your post to Serrell’s discussion of integrating all manner of media together as well as your ideas toward the end of your post about hierarchy, case studies, visitor issues, and evaluation helped me go back through that much more complicated exhibition book and see that a lot of its material can indeed be considered in those helpfully straightforward categories.