YOU ARE HERE: EXHIBITIONS AND PLACEMAKING

PROPOSALS DUE JANUARY 4, 2023

We've all had that feeling: you arrive at a place, perhaps somewhere you've been a thousand times or somewhere you find yourself for the very first time, and you instantly feel inspired, happier, calmer, more alive. Sadly, we've all experienced the inverse, too: How many times have you found yourself in a place that feels hostile, exclusionary, uncomfortable, or even unsafe?

Museums are themselves contested places. As integral parts of the cities and towns where they are located, museums contribute to the cultural and architectural landscapes that surround them. They may also be seen as islands, isolated from and out of touch with the experiences and expectations of today's audiences. As institutions strive to become relevant in and beyond their local communities, many are turning to placemaking-the process of designing and building places people feel comfortable, empowered, and want to be-as one way of becoming more visitor-centered.

For this issue, we seek articles that explore the processes and possibilities of placemaking in museum exhibitions. Proposals for this issue might explore or propose potential answers to any of the following questions: What power do exhibitions have as places in and of themselves? How can we, as museum practitioners, deliberately incorporate the tenets of placemaking into the exhibition-development process? How might the voices and needs of audiences become integral to institutional processes, helping to move exhibitions from places of exclusion to places of inclusion? How might design-physical, graphic, lighting, sound, etc.-create meaningful exhibition environments that encourage exploration, reflection, interaction, and more? What power do museum exhibitions have to shape our understandings of a place? How can exhibitions help us reconsider the past, present, and possible futures of a beloved or unknown place, to see it anew and to reconsider our connections and obligations to it? How might exhibitions foster a sense of community, belonging, or civic engagement? How might the physical location of an exhibition present unique opportunities and/or challenges to how certain topics are discussed or framed? Or, something else…

Proposals can focus on a specific exhibition or provide an overview of exhibitions and practices. The exhibitions and/or elements discussed can be created by or for museums of all disciplines, historical sites, galleries, institutions that collect and display living collections, or others. Proposals might come from designers, exhibit developers, interpretive planners, curators, writers, educators, or others who create and contribute to exhibitions. In all cases, accepted authors will be expected to write articles that illuminate larger issues; are descriptive and critical and analytical; and evaluation, even if informal, must evidence arguments for the strengths and weaknesses of a project.

HOW TO WRITE AND SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

There are two parts to a proposal (which must be submitted as a Word document):

Part 1: Description (250 words max)

The description must:

• Include a proposed title for the article
• Clearly and succinctly convey what the article's thesis will be
• Indicate the approaches, strategies, or knowledge that readers will take away from the article
• Convey how the article would raise questions or illuminate larger issues that are widely applicable (especially if the proposal focuses on a single project)

Please note that accepted articles will be expected to provide critical, candid discussions about issues and challenges, successes and failures, and to provide some level of evaluation, even if informal.

Part 2: Brief Bio

Please provide a brief bio (no more than one paragraph) for each author that describes their background and qualifications for writing the article (please do not include resumes or CVs).

PLEASE SEND ALL PROPOSALS AS WORD DOCUMENTS VIA EMAIL TO:
Jeanne Normand Goswami, Editor, Exhibition, at: jeanne.goswami@gmail.com.
Submissions from colleagues and students around the world are welcomed and encouraged.

DEADLINES

Proposals are due January 4, 2023. Our editorial advisory board will vet proposals in a blind review process, and you will be notified of acceptance or non-acceptance by early February 2023. Articles of 2,000 words maximum, along with high-resolution images, will be due in early April 2023.

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Jeanne Normand Goswami
Editor, Exhibition
jeanne.goswami@gmail.com

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