Curation is mostly choosing
Digital screens can hold thousands of images, so it is tempting to include everything. The skill of curation, though, is not accumulation. It is selecting a small amount of material so that it adds up to something a visitor can follow. The real constraint on a gallery screen is not storage but time and attention: a visitor may give an exhibit a minute or two.
A useful reminder is that a screen does not have to hold the whole collection. An online collection portal can offer depth for those who want it. The gallery exhibit can offer a way in.
Start from the message
Before choosing items, write the point of the exhibit in a sentence or two. Then ask of each candidate object, image or story: does this help make the point? If a lovely item does not, it may belong in a different exhibit or in an online archive. This filter is uncomfortable, and it is the most important step, because it keeps the final selection coherent.
Think too about who the content is for. A selection for school groups may favor striking objects and a clear story. A selection for specialist users may need more detail and more examples, perhaps in a separate layer.
Criteria for choosing items
Teams use many criteria, and which matter depends on the exhibit. Common questions include:
- Relevance. Does it support the central message?
- Visual or emotional strength. Does it show well on a screen, or does it need to be seen in person?
- Variety. Does the set include different types of object, voice and period, rather than many similar items?
- Quality of material. Is there a good image, scan or recording, and is the information about it reliable?
- Rights. Can you show it? Image permissions and unknown rights holders can rule out otherwise ideal items.
- Sensitivity. Some content needs particular care, and some may need consultation with source communities before it appears.
- Representation. Whose stories are included, and whose are missing? Reviewing a draft for collection bias is easier before the selection is locked.
An object that is physically on display nearby may not need to be shown again on screen; the screen can show what the case cannot, such as the back, the inside, or the object in use.
How much to show at once
There is no fixed number, but a few principles hold up well.
- One idea per screen. If a screen needs a paragraph of explanation to hold together, it probably has more than one idea.
- Layers, not piles. Show a small front layer: an image, a short caption, a few options. Let curious visitors reach more detail by choosing it. Most people will not, and that is acceptable.
- A limit on choices. A menu with a handful of options is easier to take in than a grid of fifty thumbnails, though a browsable grid can suit an audience who want to explore.
- Room to breathe. Empty space is part of the display. Crowded screens look like a database, not an exhibit.
If you are unsure, test it. Show a rough layout to a few visitors and see whether they look at the main item or get lost in the surroundings.
Arranging the content
The order and grouping of content tell a story even when no one writes it down. Common structures include:
- Chronological, which works when time is the point and is easy to follow.
- Thematic, grouping items by idea, which can make connections visible.
- Journey or path, a guided sequence with a beginning and an end, helpful for short visits.
- Open exploration, where visitors choose their own route, suited to people who want to browse and to repeat visits.
Many exhibits combine a short guided path with optional exploration. Whatever the structure, make the starting point obvious and the way back easy.
Writing and supporting information
Selected items need clear descriptions, and the information should be accurate and consistently recorded. Good collection metadata makes content easier to sort, search and reuse. For on-screen words, short captions and plain language serve visitors who are standing. Each item should say what it is, why it matters here, and perhaps one thing worth noticing.
Letting go
Curation means leaving out good material, and the team may feel it as a loss. A few habits help: keep a list of items that did not make it for a future exhibit, link to an online collection for those who want more, and agree on the selection criteria before arguments about individual items begin. When people disagree, return to the stated message and audience.
Revisiting the selection
Content is not final at launch. Watching which items attract attention and which are skipped, and asking staff what visitors say, can show where the selection misses. A small refresh, such as rotating a few objects, can keep a long-running exhibit alive without a full rebuild, provided the system has been designed so that staff can update content without a developer.