Gwendolyn Taylor

Exhibit Label Assignments

7/13/2022
Museum Collection Management

What makes a good label?

A “good” exhibit label for an object would be a clear and prompt description of the history and
information of the object. It should be engaging by bringing up comparisons to current day things, if
possible, while giving context for the object's existence. If the label is trying to explain a piece of
history as an event with the object being associated with the label for a visual aid, then the object
should at least be mentioned in some form. Unless of course the object is something that can be
exchanged out with a different object. Then it would be a better idea to have a separate label for the
history and then one that gives details on the history of the object. Combining the object and the label
on a historical fact or event is something which helps give a sensory input on that piece of history.
Seeing something physically there can help settle the idea that history is not merely something written
down in books with dates to memorize.

However, adding sounds or onomatopoeia, words that mean what they sound like, can add
another sense to the mix which can make the history be just a bit more real to the visitor. Touch and
taste are two senses which are not as feasible to trigger when dealing with artifacts. Although having
some artifacts or replicas for people to mess with would be very nice for any exhibit, a collection or
budget easily can shut down those ideas so interaction can only be limited to sight and hearing. The
sense of hearing might not be able to be triggered by actually providing sounds, so the use of
onomatopoeia can possibly stimulate that sense instead. Even if it does not actually trigger a sense of
sound to a visitor, the use of it might will at the very least catch the eye and interest of the person
reading the label. This of course can only be done if the object in question is associated with sounds
that can be emulated by onomatopoeia, or has known sounds associated with it. If not then context
should bring up comparisons or bits of information that can hopefully assist in painting a mental picture
of life in the past with the object in question.

A label should be informative and engaging which is not the easiest thing to do at the same
time. So an attempt to trigger at least more than one sense if possible, and if not then connections or
comparisons to the current events or more recent events can be helpful in engaging the visitor. If
possible, bringing up questions for the visitor to think about regarding the topic of the label can
potentially bring interaction with the object in another way. Questions have the possibility of having the
visitor thinking about what they saw and read after they leave the exhibit.

Label rewrite:

“Atlantan William J. Simmons was inspired by the Leo Frank Trial and the popular film, The
Birth of a Nation, to re-establish the Ku Klux Klan. This revival of the white supremacist group added
anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, and anti-immigrant onto their list of people to hate to the extent of assault.
This version of the Klan is still around today. Some members are not as out in your face with their
connection to the organization, however there were some who went out of their way to show their
loyalty. This can be seen in the drum head depicting prominent Klan imagery. Drums are not the largest
sign of the Klan's rebirth on Stone Mountain on that Thanksgiving night in 1915. However, it is
something that can be heard booming out a person's harsh ideals when struck. Be it on top of Stone
Mountain when the Klan gathers there or through the streets of a neighborhood.”
 How is this more “active”?

This label brings up the fact that the Klan revived in 1915 is the same Klan we are dealing with
today, thus connecting to the visitor through current events and ideas. It also brings up the drum which
is being used as the object for this label. The word “booming” brings in an auditory response and a
feeling of forewarning regarding the sound as it is connected to such hate and violence.