There are some aspects of exhibition planning and execution that fall under the umbrella of HRI's Communications Office or Events staff. The Project Manager is the point person for facilitating communication and cooperation between the exhibition committee and these other stakeholders.
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- Creation of the exhibition website/digital exhibition
- Creation of event pages for the exhibition opening and any other public programming
- Design of exhibition poster and branding (sounds like this might change going forward, though?)
- Design (and production?) of any exhibition swag including stickers, postcards, etc.
- Inclusion of exhibition in HRI email blasts
- Press release and media relations
- Inclusion of exhibition in HRI social media (in tandem with new Schlesinger IG posts on Schlesinger's own Instagram account)
b. Working with Radcliffe Events
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I'm not sure I know enough about this part of the process to speak to it; hopefully someone who has acted as curator could provide more details
Online opening panel event
In-person gallery receptions
Exhibitions tours (formal and informal)
/AV&E (Academic Ventures & Engagement)
Online opening panel event
- Radcliffe AV&E will ask the exhibition curator to provide names of suggested speakers who could potentially be invited for the online opening panel event.
- Usually the curator suggests several and AV&E will select two to approach.
- When considering who to suggest, think about people who would have a deep understanding of the relevant collections alongside individuals who may be experts in the topic at hand but come from outside of libraries/archives/academia.
- This could include community advocates, grassroots organizers, political figures, creative artists, entrepreneurs, etc.
- The panel should aim to capture both the life of the materials as well as the context of the library/archive.
- Radcliffe AV&E will arrange a planning meeting on Zoom for the curator and panelists ahead of time to discuss the event and review the run-of-show. They will also request copies of all the curator's questions in advance.
- The curator may need to do addition pre-work with the panelists, particularly if they are not local to the area/able to visit the exhibition or if they are less familiar with the Schlesinger/the collections in the exhibit/the archival context more broadly.
In-person gallery receptions
- Logistics and catering for in-person receptions are coordinated through Radcliffe Events (including set up/take down and security for after hours).
- When forming an invitation list for in-person receptions, curators should remember to include Radcliffe administrators (Dean, Executive Dean, Associate Dean for Academic Programs, etc.), as these are a great opportunity to showcase the Library's work.
- Consider including a hand-on activity for attendees as part of the event (e.g. button making, postcard writing); this is a best practice both for accessibility and for programming variety.
- Someone at the Library should document the reception; photo or video can be useful for social media.
Exhibitions tours (formal and informal)
- The curator will create a script for exhibition tours.
- This is best practices even if the curator feels comfortable giving tours extemporaneously; the script helps provide consistency between all the people who may end up presenting tours and serves as documentation of past practices for tours.
- Formal presentations may include tours for Radcliffe VIPs such as the Dean's Advisory Council and the Schlesinger Library Council. Requests for these will come in through External Relations or the Schlesinger Executive Assistant.
- Radcliffe will also contract student tour guides to offer regularly scheduled tours that are open to the public. The students will work from the curator's script.
c. Other promotion and collaboration opportunities
There are many other ways to get the word out about our exhibitions. Some key tactics that have been used in the past include:
Harvard Library promotional sites:
- Submit Schlesinger exhibitions to be featured on the Harvard Library Exhibits page. Here are instructions for adding an exhibition to the Harvard Library Webpage.
- Harvard Library also has an events page to post the opening event and any other event. Here are the instructions.
- Add promotional poster to Lamont Library and Widener Library digital display screens in their lobbies. To add contact: harvard_library@harvard.edu
Bringing in classes and teaching with exhibitions
Classes from Harvard and beyond may request to come visit/tour the exhibitions, and Library instruction staff may also use the exhibitions in their teaching when the themes are relevant. Outline best practices for approaching these situations and any tips/ideas for supporting and facilitating this type of visitThis may include classes that have already established relationships with the Schlesinger, such as embedded courses or those who have visited the Schlesinger for a one-off instruction session; local high school classes, particularly those involved in ELP (Emerging Leaders Program) activities; classes studying archives or library programming at Simmons or elsewhere.
- The curator should work closely with the Head of Education and Outreach to identify potential teaching opportunities that align with the exhibition themes and ongoing Library initiatives/relationships with local educators.