WEEK III

Art History

Artistic styling is an undeservingly overlooked aspect of Public History. A good Public Historian must have an eye for design as much as a head for history. 

As an artist, I rarely consider this struggle consciously, as I feel I have internalized good design practices. I was initially drawn to the Exhibit Design field of Public History as a way to combine my love of history with my passion for art.

When I started this blog, I always knew it would be both educational, per assignment requirements, and entertaining, visually appealing, and stylistically consistent per my own standards.

My attention to detail meant much of the information read in the textbook this week struck me as glaringly self-evident. When it comes to designing labels, I assumed common sense dictated the use of contrasting colors, readable fonts, and proper grammar, yet it is easy to recall instances of bad design practices when this has not been the case. It is precisely the assumption that good design is obvious that makes design faux paus so unmistakable, and why its practice is so important.

Though the textbook presents it as such, proper design is not a simple set of rules, and if it were, the list would be wrought with contradictions. Design is best developed by trial and error. This prompted me to think about my own history of design experience, taking me back to the Journalism classroom. 

Back in high school, I worked as a TA for the Beginning Journalism class I had taken several years prior. Beginning Journalism covered the art of page design, article writing, and (most importantly) a short section on cartooning. It was not until I helped teach this class that I truly appreciated the skills I had learned, skills that make running this blog possible. Reflective practice helped me come to value the origin of proficiencies I now consider central to my character.

The textbook mentions the importance of source identification by referencing statistics attributing the highest level of confidence in historical accuracy, to information learned at a museum. Exhibits can hold such veracity by engaging all the senses, as well-designed exhibits give visitors the opportunity not only to read and look, but to experience history through the eyes of witnesses. 

It is obvious to visitors whether they fully experienced a museum regardless their level of understanding of design practices. It must be the top priority of museums to offer exhibits which present opportunities for engagement, and this starts with design basics.

The Journalism classroom was not the only place I developed writing and design skills, but it was a noteworthy time of extensive improvement for me. Similarly, museums are not the only place visitors will learn about persons or events, but the goal of the exhibit designer is to make it their most memorable encounter. When the visitor recalls a fact, historical figure, or artifact, they should think of the exhibit in the same way I think of Beginning Journalism whenever I create content for this blog.