Writing

Books

Co-edited by Kathleen McLean and Barbara Henry (Chief Curator of Education and Founding Director of The Lab at OMCA), This book covers the early conceptual development, iterative prototyping, and final design and installation of the renovation of the Gallery of California Art. Essays from a variety of staff who participated in the renovation provide an insight into the struggles and successes of incorporating visitors into the process of redesigning of this 30,000 square foot space.

The Convivial Museum. 2010

Convivial museums are welcoming public places that connect us with our common heritage and with each other. Convivial museums, at their best, make people feel welcomed, comfortable, open to new experiences, and eager to engage. This book offers reflections about key dimensions of conviviality and the practices that nurture and sustain a spirit of conviviality in our museums. Co-authored by Kathleen McLean and Wendy Pollock.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen, and Wendy Pollock. The Convivial Museum. Washington, D.C.: Association of Science-Technology Centers, 2010.

Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions. 2007

Co-edited by Kathleen McLean and Wendy Pollock, this book is a timely survey of the ways museums are incorporating user-contributed content in exhibitions and other media. Overview articles by the editors plus 29 other articles describe a variety of experiments dating from the 1970s to the present—from comment books to sticky notes, video kiosks to blogs.

Link: ASTC - Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen, and Wendy Pollock, eds. Visitor Voices in Museum Exhibitions. Washington, D.C.: Association of Science-Technology Centers Inc., 2007.

Are We There Yet? Conversations About Best Practices in Science Exhibition Development. 2004

What goes into planning a successful exhibition, and how do we know one when we see it? Co-edited by Kathleen McLean and Catherine McEver, this book gathers the thinking of leading exhibition professionals in a point-counterpoint format that grew out of a 2003 invitational conference at the Exploratorium.

Featured in the 132-page book are descriptions of “Twelve Noteworthy Science Exhibitions,” including budgets and timelines, project goals, participants, and narratives of the exhibition development process. A CD augments these descriptions with color images and several video walkthroughs. The concluding section, ”In the Vernacular” suggests strategies for keeping creativity alive while learning from past practice, using dour novel formats—a “Creativity Killers” poster to hang by your desk, a “Muzine” full of irreverent ideas, tear- out “Weed Seeds” cards with tips for encouraging innovation, and a strand-up card with 2 quotes from people who don’t visit museums.

Two essays written by McLean in the book: Embracing Ideas and Best Practices Should Be a Tool, Not a Rule

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen, and Catherine McEver, eds. Are We There Yet? Conversations about Best Practices in Science Exhibition Development. San Francisco: Exploratorium, 2004.

Planning for People in Museums. 1993

This bestseller provides a broad understanding of the many disciplines needed to produce effective exhibitions—from industrial, graphic, and interior design, to writing, editing, psychology, and management. Appendices lay out an approach to exhibition critique and provide guidelines for using environmentally friendly materials.

Link: ASTC - Planning for People in Museum Exhibitions
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. Planning for People in Museum Exhibitions. Washington, D.C.: Association of Science-Technology Centers Inc., 1993.

Recent and Recommended: A Museum Exhibition Bibliography with Notes from the Field. 1991

This annotated bibliography, a compilation of submittals from a variety of museum exhibition professionals, was published by the National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME), a standing professional committee of the American Association of Museums.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. Recent and Recommended: A Museum Exhibition Bibliography with Notes from the Field. Washington, D.C.: National Association for Museum Exhibition, 1991.

Interviews

“Last Word: An Interview with Kathleen McLean”

Bibliographic Information: Museum. September/October (2018) : 47.

Essays

“Examining Process in Museum Exhibitions: A Case for Experimenting and Prototyping.” 2018

McLean makes an argument for revolutionizing museum design through the prototyping process. She critiques linear design development processes, and describes strategies, methods, and examples of prototyping whole body experiences from the earliest stages of exhibition creation.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. “Examining Process in Museum Exhibitions: A Case for Experimenting and Prototyping.” in The Future of Museum and Gallery Design. MacLeod, Suzanne, Tricia Austin, Jonathan Hale, and Oscar Ho Hing-Kay, eds. London and New York: Rutledge, (2018) : 119 – 129

“Learning to Be Nimble: Museum Incubators for Exhibition Practice.” 2015

McLean describes a variety of valuable new processes museums are implementing as they attempt to improve exhibition practice. Included are simple steps that museum professionals can take to get started in their own museums.

Bibliographic Information: 3 McLean, Kathleen. “Learning to Be Nimble: Museum Incubators for Exhibition Practice.” Exhibition. Spring (2015) : 8 – 13.

“Creating ExhibitFiles.” 2012

Wendy Pollock and Kathleen McLean describe the process of creating the online community ExhibitFiles.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen, and Wendy Pollock. “Creating ExhibitFiles.” ASTC Dimensions. 14.1 January/February (2012) : 26 – 28.

“Whose Questions, Whose Conversations.” 2011

Why is it that the most interesting and meaningful conversations among museum staff take place without the presence of visitors? This essay challenges our assumptions about the authority of the "expert" and, urges museum professionals to consider themselves members of learning communities that incorporate visitors as well.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen, "Whose Questions, Whose Conversations?" in Letting Go? Sharing Historical Authority in a User-Generated World. Adair, Bill, Benjamin Filene, and Laura Koloski, eds. Philadelphia: Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, 2011.

“Manifesto for the (r)Evolution of Museum Exhibitions.” 2010

Kathleen McLean describes the resistance from colleagues when she published her Manifesto, for the “Exhibition Frictions” issue of Exhibition magazine.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. “Manifesto for the (r)Evolution of Museum Exhibitions.” Exhibition. 29.1 (2010) : 40 – 50.

“Forces of Change—The People’s Exhibit.” 2009

A description of the development process for “Forces of Change,” a popular exhibit section of the Oakland Museum of California’s Gallery of California History.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen, and Adam Nilsen. “Forces of Change—The People’s Exhibit.” Exhibition. Fall (2009) : 41 – 44.

“Do Museum Exhibitions Have a Future?” 2007

Are exhibitions an obsolete medium? Can museums keep pace with the interactions available elsewhere: virtual games, video arcades, jazz clubs, even a good Chinese restaurant? This article sounds a wake-up call: Museum professionals need to consider museums within the larger context of major social, political, and cultural changes. In reviewing museum discourse in Curator magazine from 50 years ago, there is an alarming similarity between then and now.

Download: McLean.Curator.Exhibitions Have a Future?.pdf (2.1mb)
Link: Curator: The Museum Journal
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "Do Museum Exhibitions Have a Future?" Curator. 50.1 (2007) : 109 – 122.

“We Still Need Criticism.” 2006

An encore to her 1998 article “We Need Criticism,” McLean once again argues for increased support for critical analysis of the results of museum exhibition work. This includes reflections on the growing body of exhibition critiques in professional journals and at conferences.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. “We Still Need Criticism.” Exhibitionist. 25.1. (Spring 2006) : 54 – 55.

“Research Questions Asked by Informal Learning Practitioners: A Seriously Informal Survey.” 2006

This forum article was adapted from a White Paper presented in 2005 at the National Academies in Washington D.C., by VSA President-Elect Kathleen McLean. This provocative article suggests that there is a gap between the world-views of museum practitioners and those of visitor studies professionals and academic researchers. Although many of the questions being asked by practitioners appear similar to research with which we are familiar, it is suggested that these results are not always accessible to practitioners in a form that can be easily applied.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. “Research Questions Asked by Informal Learning Practitioners: A Seriously Informal Survey.” Visitor Studies Today. 9.1 (2006) : 18 – 22.

“The Science of Marketing and the Marketing of Science.” 2005

Originally presented as a talk at the 2004 Association of Science-Technology Centers annual conference, this article considers the assumptions museums make in marketing their exhibitions and programs to a broad audience. It looks specifically at the false assumption commonly held by marketing professionals that mission-driven content will not attract broad audiences.

Download: Science of Marketing.pdf (5.8mb)
Link: ASTC Dimensions
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "The Science of Marketing and the Marketing of Science." ASTC Dimensions. July/August (2005) : 6 - 8.

Introduction to Finding Significance. 2004

McLean wrote the introduction to the summary publication of the Finding Significance visitor research project at the Exploratorium, which compared different techniques of exhibit interpretation to try and deepen and personalize visitors' experiences. Sue Allen, Director of Visitor Research and Evaluation at the Exploratorium, led a broad group of researchers and practitioners in this effort.

Download: Finding Significance Intro.pdf (1.7mb)
Link: Finding Significance
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "Introduction." Finding Significance. Ed. Sue Allen. San Francisco: Exploratorium, 2004.

“Opening Up the Exploratorium.” 2000

Describes the initial efforts of rethinking and redesigning the public spaces of the Exploratorium in the mid-1990s. During her 11-year tenure as Director of the Center for Public Exhibition and Public Programs at the Exploratorium, McLean was responsible for rethinking the public spaces and public programs of the organization. This article documents part of that process. For more information, see the project Refocusing on the Floor.

Download: Opening Up The Exploratorium.pdf (5.2mb)
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "Opening up the Exploratorium." Transforming Practice: Selections from the Journal of Museum Education, 1992-1999. Ed.  Joanne S Hirsch and Lois H Silverman. Washington, D.C.: Museum Education Roundtable, 2000. 322 - 330.

“Museum Exhibitions and the Dynamics of Dialogue. ”1999

In this special Museum issue of Daedalus, this essay focuses on museum exhibitions as the soul of a museum experience. Whether within the context of “ancient temple” or “contemporary forum,” the unique medium of exhibition shares a long history and set of practices.

Download: Dynamics of Dialogue.pdf (32mb)
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "Museum Exhibitions and the Dynamics of Dialogue." Daedalus. 128.3 (1999) : 83 - 107.

“We Need Criticism.” 1998

A proposal to the museum community that we should be embracing some form of critical review of our work by professional colleagues.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. “We Need Criticism.” Exhibitionist. 17.2 (Fall 1998) : 50 – 53.

“Remaking the Museum: The Brooklyn Children’s Museum.” 1995

Using the reorganization process at The Brooklyn Children’s Museum as a case study, Kathleen McLean and Suzanne LaBlanc describe their sequential leadership roles over a seven-year period. As the new Director of Exhibitions and Publications, McLean was responsible for creating an exhibitions department, overseeing initial visioning and strategic planning, and implementing the ongoing creation of exhibitions. After McLean left the museum, LaBlanc was hired as Assistant Director responsible for overseeing all program departments, including exhibitions. Their perspectives describe the transition from envisioning and experimentation to stabilizing and cohering.

Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen, and Suzanne LaBlanc. “Remaking the Museum: The Brooklyn Children’s Museum,” in Gurian, E.H., ed., Institutional Trauma. Washington D.C.: American Association of Museums, 1995. pp.167-181.

“The Trouble with Exhibit Development Teams.” 1994

An early and critical analysis of the notion of the “team approach” to exhibition development and creation in museums, this essay is still relevant today.

Bibliographic Information: “The Trouble with Exhibit Development Teams.” MAAM Courier.14.1 January/February  (1994) : 8 - 12.

“A Case for Evaluation: The Brooklyn Children's Museum.” 1987

One of the first exhibition designers to promote visitor research in museums and exhibitions, McLean argues that exhibit developers and museum professionals need to listen to visitors and pay attention to their behavior when designing museum spaces and exhibitions. Designers and architects would do well to incorporate formative testing with visitors and other end-users as part of any exhibition and museum design process. This essay explores how the Brooklyn Children's Museum began using evaluation to better understand visitors’ experiences in its unusual building and set of exhibits, giving rise to some questions about the architects’ and designers’ assumptions.

Link: Children's Environments Quarterly
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "A Case for Evaluation: the Brooklyn Children's Museum."  Children's Environments Quarterly. 4.1 (1987) : 24 - 29.

Book Reviews

McLean, Kathleen. “Book Review of The Art of Museum Exhibitions: How Story and Imagination Create Aesthetic Experiences,” by Leslie Bedford. Exhibition. 33.2 Fall (2014) : 84 – 86.

Kathleen McLean. “Book Review of On Display: A Design Grammar for Museum Exhibitions,” by Margaret Hall. Design Book Review 16 (Summer 1989): 50.

McLean, Kathleen. “Book Review of Hot Topics, Public Culture, and Museums,” by Fiona Cameron, and Lynda Kelly, eds. Museums & Social Issues. 6.2 Fall (2011) : 236 – 238.

Exhibition Case Studies and Reviews

Case Study of Darkened Waters: Profile of an Oil Spill at the Pratt Museum, Homer, Alaska. 2008

ExhibitFiles Case Study of the 1991 traveling exhibition about the Exxon Valdez oil spill, developed with the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska.

Link: ExhibitFiles.org - Darkened Waters: Profile of an Oil Spill
Bibliographic Information: Kathleen McLean. “Darkened Waters: Profile of an Oil Spill”. Exhibitfiles.org. 9 January 2008.

Case Study of the Preview Center: Center for Creative Connections at the Dallas Museum of Art. 2007

ExhibitFiles Case Study of a temporary installation developed to give funders and visitors a “preview” of the Dallas Museum of Art’s new Center for Creative Connections.

Link: ExhibitFiles.org - Preview Center: Center for Creative Connections
Bibliographic Information: Kathleen McLean. “Preview Center: Center for Creative Connections”. Exhibitfiles.org. 1 August 2007.

Review of The Edge: Where California Culture, Critters and Environment Collide at the Oakland Museum of California. 2007

The exhibition explores tensions and synergies between nature and culture by juxtaposing artworks, history artifacts, and natural science specimens.

Link: ExhibitFiles.org - The Edge: Where California Culture, Critters and Environment Collide

Review of Massive Change at the Art Gallery of Ontario. 2007

ExhibitFiles review of the traveling exhibition, Massive Change, originated at the Vancouver Gallery of Art. Designed by Bruce Mau, the exhibition explored design as a tool for change in all aspects of society. 2007

Link: ExhibitFiles.org Review of Massive Change
Bibliographic Information: Kathleen McLean. “Massive Change”. ExhibitFiles.org. 12 April 2007.

Review of Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen at the Getty Museum. 2007

ExhibitFiles review of the 2001 exhibition Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Link: ExhibitFiles.org - Devices of Wonder: from The World in A Box to Images on A Screen
Bibliographic Information: Kathleen McLean. “Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen”. ExhibitFiles.org. 12 April 2007.

Exhibition Review of “Here is New York: Images from the Frontline of History.” 2000

A review of an exhibition of photographs of September 11, 2001 and the World Trade Center collapse. The review covers two exhibitions of the same photographs, one at a storefront in New York City, and the other at the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Photography. 2000

Download: Here is NY Review.pdf (2.4mb)
Link: Curator: The Museum Journal
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "Exhibition Review of Here Is New York. Images from the Frontline of History: A Democracy of Photographs." Curator. 43.4 (2000) : 370 - 372.

Exhibition Review of “The Museum as Muse: Artists Reflect at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.” 1999

Download: Museum as Muse Review.pdf (3.1mb)
Link: The Museum as Muse: Artists Reflect
Bibliographic Information: McLean, Kathleen. "Exhibition Review of The Museum as Muse: Artists Reflect." Curator. 42.3 (1999) : 253 - 255.