Creating Multisensory Exhibitions

When I went to the New England Museum Conference in 2011, I attended a presentation about making exhibitions “multisensory”. The presentation defined multisensory as a way of processing information through more than one of our senses. The presenters mentioned that combining senses gives a person a more powerful, overall experience. During the session, we explored different ways on how museums can make the information in their exhibitions appeal to other senses besides just “sight”.

Here are some ways we make our exhibits multisensory here at CHS:

The Value of Gallery Tours

I have had, in the past few weeks, the opportunity to lead gallery tours of our temporary exhibition, Through a Different Lens. I spent so much time with the photographs on display when we were preparing the exhibition and I was writing the publication that I’ve sort of forgotten what it’s like to see them through new eyes. Every tour I lead gives me the chance to see the material afresh.

Tiny precious objects

One of the things that I’ve been working on here at CHS is selecting images for the upcoming photography show, Through A Different Lens. We’ll be showing photographs by three different Connecticut photographers, all women, and in telling their stories, we’ll also be telling the story of the history of photography. I wanted to share this little gem* of a tinype, a portrait of Emily C. Brainard, handcolored and presented in a brass mat on a paper mount.