Degree Programs

The temporary exhibition, where objects are grouped together for a limited time and with a particular purpose, has become a key component of the contemporary museum experience. Exhibitions present objects and ideas in a variety of ways, and interpretation is always mediated by design. This course looks at the way exhibitions tell stories, communicate meaning, and establish values. Using as a case study the upcoming Bard Graduate Center/New-York Historical Society collaborative exhibition Dutch New York Between East and West: The World of Margrieta van Varick, scheduled to open at the BGC in September 2009, this course will examine the construction of narratives, the role of design, and the relationship between objects, texts, and digital images in the mounting of exhibitions. The BGC exhibition has been timed to coincide with a number of local exhibitions celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in what would become New York. Classes will be led by Deborah Krohn, co-curator of the exhibition, with guest appearances by other BGC staff involved in the show. Students will also visit several of the exhibitions taking place at the Museum of the City of New York, South Street Seaport, and others. Assignments will include exhibition critiques and the preparation of a “mock exhibition,” including text components through conventional or digital media addressing issues parallel to those identified as central to the group of “Hudson 400” exhibitions, to be determined by mid-semester. 3 credits.