1. Engagement
  2. Learning resources
  3. Culture and Society

Culture and Society

This resource has been created in collaboration with BA (Hons) Creative Events Management.

The aim of this resource is to help you to consider objects which have become iconic designs, reflect changes in culture, or have had an impact on society, in the context of museum collections, and in doing so, gain an understanding of why they have been collected.

Consider one of the objects below in detail:

  • Why is this artefact important?
  • What does it tell us?
  • Why should it be collected?
  • Within what historical contexts would you place the object?
  • Within what kinds of exhibitions or events could this object feature?
  • What other objects could you select to support your chosen object within this exhibition or event?
  • How would you communicate this object’s story? How could you make that come alive?
  • What audiences could this exhibition/event attract
Front view of a blouse showing the colourful fabric.
Side view of a lamp showing the cable, stande and shade.

Suggested outcomes:

  1. Write an object biography of your chosen artefact from the collection. In the biography you should ensure research reveals what the artefact tell us about its development and design; include if it has had an impact on society, reflected changes in culture, or why it has become an iconic design. Within what historical contexts would you place the object?
  1. Develop an exhibition / event.  In what contexts could your chosen artefact feature?  Are there other artefacts similar to your chosen artefact within the MoDiP collection that could support an exhibition / event? How would you communicate the artefact’s story? How could you make that come alive? What audiences could the exhibition / event attract?
  1. Write an exhibition panel. Ensure that the panel has a title, theme or topic, use of relevant images and text that will engage an audience. Think about why the artefact is important? What does it tell us?

 

Further reading

Books:

Pearce, S., 1994. Interpreting Objects and Collections. 1st ed. London: Routledge. ISBN-10: 0415112893.

Bogle, E., 2013. Museum Exhibition Planning and Design. 1st ed. Lanham, Maryland: AltaMira Press. ISBN-10: 075912230X.

Serrel, B., 2015. Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. 2nd ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN-10: 144224903X.

 

Online resources:

Museums Association, Collections for the Future. https://www.museumsassociation.org/download?id=11121

Gallery text at the V&A, A Ten Point Guide http://www.vam.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/238077/Gallery-Text-at-the-V-and-A-Ten-Point-Guide-Aug-2013.pdf

Introduction: Text and labels Text and labels, Museums Association https://www.museumsassociation.org/museum-practice/text-and-labels