Museums and Exhibitions in Motion: Their Transient Functions and Methods

Undergraduate course, a part of UIC’s MUSE: Museum and Exhibition Studies program
Taught at University of Illinois, Chicago in Spring 2017

This undergraduate course introduces students to the most current issues discussed in the professional museum world today as well as best museum practices in the field of art and beyond. Through readings, conversations, interactions with museum professionals, and close analysis of specific exhibitions and programs, students explore the transient role of museums and galleries in contemporary life. We discuss various museum missions, their changing functions and an array of methods and strategies used for communication, education, collection formation and exhibition making. We investigate institutional budgets and forms of sponsorship, look into the significance of museum architecture and examine the ethics behind both funding and building new museums. Finally, we learn how to read an exhibition, write a press release and operate social media networks in a museum setting. Students will shadow museum staff, and learn about traditional and leading-edge exhibition craft through example and practice. A particular focus is on the programs and exhibitions of UIC’s Gallery 400, a leading edge contemporary art space on campus.