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Be the Critic: Evaluate Museum Exhibitions

Experience art museum exhibitions to the fullest by recognizing the messages they share with their viewers.

Understand the messages that art exhibitions share with their viewers.

With stories to tell and ideas to propose, good exhibitions can make you see art in completely new ways. Be the Critic: Learn to Evaluate Museum Exhibitions helps you experience them to the fullest by teaching you to judge them for yourself. This handbook introduces you to the major components of art exhibitions – the choices that together add up to an exhibition with a point of view – then guides you to confidently and thoughtfully evaluate what you observe.

This handbook is designed for art enthusiasts who are comfortable thinking critically about what they see in museums and are looking to get better understand the themes and messages within art exhibitions.

What You’ll Learn

Ideas

Learn to identify exhibitions’ main themes, ideas and viewpoints.

Components

Recognize how exhibitions develop their ideas through design, texts, objects, and more.

Judge for Yourself

Consider suggested questions and topics, then try your hand at critiquing exhibitions for yourself.

Details

Be the Critic is a 14-page pdf handbook. Your purchase (off-site via Etsy) allows unlimited downloads and prints for one user only. If you’re interested in licensing this handbook for a group, contact me for more information. Your purchase and use of this handbook are governed by my Terms of Service.

Up Your Art Museum Game

Buy Be the Critic and The Art Museum Insider together and save 15%. The discount will automatically be applied when you add both handbooks to your Etsy cart.

Accolades

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Belinda O.

Longtime reader

“I’ve followed [Alexandra Kiely’s] blog for years now, and I can tell you, she knows what she’s talking about.”

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Erika Gaffney

Art books editor and Art Herstory founder

“I love the way that you wear your knowledge lightly, and emphasize the accessibility (and relevance) of art to everyone.”

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