Beth Kaminsky is a storyteller… a storyteller who gets to use a lot of props… “It’s a bit like a theater stage set” she says. Beth sets the stage with just the right words, headlines, furniture and artifacts and then gets out of the way. What she does encourages museum audiences to participate in the play, so to speak. Her work helps make the message of the exhibit, and the institution and its mission understandable, so that people get what they want out of their visit, which usually includes some learning along the way.

Why do museums spend time creating exhibits in the first place? As some background, in 2002 The Smithsonian Institution released a study: The Making of Exhibitions: Purpose, Structure, Roles and Process, that explored how the making of exhibitions is one of the most important functions of a museums. Defined quite simply, “…at their core exhibitions are learning opportunities…”

So how does an exhibit become an exhibit? The early work comes not in the generation of ideas – because in principle, there are endless sources for exhibition ideas and, according to Beth, at any given moment “there are at least 10,000.” The work comes in advancing the best ideas…

So you’ve got a great idea… Now what? At the History Colorado Center, planning and implementing an exhibition includes representatives from curatorial staff, collections staff, exhibits, education, visitor services, marketing, and development, as well as publications, photography and retail sales. Yep, it’s a highly collaborative process.

The History Colorado Center was designed to host traveling exhibitions from other museums. Such is the case with Food: Our Global Kitchen organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York. The exhibit takes you on a journey through time while exploring the global food system that brings what we eat from farm to fork. Watch for a couple more national traveling exhibits headed to the History Colorado Center, including Race: Are We So Different? (Sept. 20, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015), developed by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota), and The 1968 Exhibit, (Feb. 7 to May 10, 2015), organized by the Minnesota History Center in association with the Atlanta History Center, the Chicago History Museum and the Oakland Museum of California, and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Beth says there are formulas “sort of” for exhibits, but no two are alike. Each exhibit requires a very different coordination and implementation process. What makes this work both challenging and rewarding is that each exhibit brings with it a host of new opportunities to explore and new questions to ask.

Before becoming project manager at the History Colorado Center Beth worked as an Exhibit Developer. She collaborated with community committees and external contractors to define target audiences, articulate exhibit goals, shape messages, and create experiences. She researched content and worked with subject matter experts, ensuring that the appropriate balance of experiences within the exhibit was achieved. She had her “fingers in the sticky, fun stuff” of creating the exhibit experience.

Now as Exhibits Project Manager, Beth has the nuts and bolts role of oversight of schedule and budget. Whether it’s a traveling exhibition, or an entirely new project, she is central to the communications and coordination of every aspect making sure each exhibit meets the financial, educational, aesthetic, philanthropic, and institutional goals. No easy feat… but when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work … and Beth loves what she does!

So now you know just a little bit more about Beth’s collaborative and creative world of exhibit development and realization. Come hear her this Friday, June 6th at the History Colorado Center. She’s going to tell us more about her thoughts on this month’s international theme of Minimal. It’s going to be great!