New methods of analysing archival exhibitions

摘要

Archival material is increasingly included in exhibitions. Although exhibition design literature exists, it mainly advises curators, provides technical information or reviews exhibitions. However, after an exhibition's creation, its creators must know how successful it was. There is limited research on analysing exhibition success and less on archival exhibitions. This article aims to redress that lack by assessing existing literature and creating a methodology for assessing the success of an exhibition that was both physical and online. Physical and online exhibitions differ greatly in format and requirements and need different methods of analysis so the author created a suite of methods, covering aesthetic analysis, visitor observation, task evaluation and interviews. The methodology was intended to be easily repeatable and adaptable.