REPORT BACK FROM THE EXHIBITION DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP Planning Successfully & Designing with Purpose with Tim Willis, Agassiz, B.C.
Lindsay Foreman Managing Editor, Roundup Magazine On February 12 and 13, 2020, a group of passionate museum, gallery, and heritage enthusiasts from across southern B.C., gathered at the AgassizHarrison Museum in the eastern Fraser River Valley.
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Their Purpose: To absorb as much as they could about planning, designing, interpreting, and writing exhibits from expert Tim Willis. Their Shared Goal: Honing their skills to produce the best exhibits and interpretive programs for their communities. Participants hailed from Hope to the Sunshine Coast. Discussions on the first day of the workshop identified that everyone faced the same exhibit and interpretive program development challenges: small budgets, limited staff time, limited experience and expertise, and competing community/ organizational interests. The facilities and communities we represented had ample stories, object, and archival collection items to share. Our main concerns surrounded which stories to prioritize, how to plan and execute exhibits, and determining the most effective methods of designing and writing to engage our visitors.
