When learning about exhibition design for art museums, students must understand the basics of art terminology, art history and important artists and their works.  If the museum studies student does not have a degree in art or art history, this may be challenging.  The following list of guides and dictionaries includes basic reference resources for information about these art related topics, as well as sources for special design issues and basic museum studies information.

The Dictionary of Art. New York: Grove’s Dictionaries, 1996.

Sloane Ref ~ N31.D5 1996 (34 volumes) ~ 1^st floor Reference

UNC E Indexes and Databases (Grove Dictinary of Art Online) ~ http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/

The most comprehensive source for art reference exists in print and online.  The print set, which has 34 volumes, covers every aspect of the visual arts -- painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts and photography-- from prehistory to the present day.  It abounds with maps, photographs, biographies and detailed bibliographies.  The online version exists as The Grove Dictionary of Art, and contains 45,000 articles on the above mentioned topics, and compiled over a period of 15 years, it represents the work of more than 6,800 scholars from around the world, each writing on his or her own specialist field of study.  The art museum studies student will find this dictionary indispensable when reviewing basic art history and learning art and design concepts and terminology.

Gealt, Adelheid M. Looking at Art: A Visitor’s Guide to Museum Collections. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1983.

Davis Ref N5200.G4 1983 ~ 1^st floor Reference

Sloane Ref N5200.G4 1983 ~ 1^st floor Reference

This guide provides basic information that would aid museum-goers (general visitors or students) in understanding what they see.  Included is a history of collecting and growth of art museums, how museums build collections and the functions and organization of an art museum.  This guide also helps the reader better understand the context within which the artists worked. 

McLanathan, Richard B.K. World Art in American Museums: A Personal Guide. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press, 1983.

Sloane Ref N510.M34 1983 ~ 1^st floor Reference

Part I is a directory of art museums by state, with detailed entries (each is about a paragraph long).  Part II is broken down into time periods throughout art history, with lists of specific museums that have collections in each time period; these are shorter entries, but the details exist in Part I.  Throughout the guide are symbols that refer to a museum either being an author’s pick (with a star) or a museum that is of particular artistic importance (with a hand).  There is also a glossary of art terms at the end.

The Museum: A Reference Guide. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.

Davis Z5052.M93 1990 ~ 8^th floor

This book was compiled to introduce general readers, museum studies students, and beginning professionals to the history and functions of museums.  Chapters include The Art Museum, Museum Collections, Museum Education, Museum Exhibition, The Public and the Museum, Biography and the Museum, Professionalism and the Museum, Directories, Periodicals and Museum Archives and Special Collections. Each chapter consists of an introductory historic narrative, a survey of sources and a bibliographic checklist that contains cited and additional sources.  An excellent, comprehensive source.

Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design

http://www.si.edu/opa/accessibility/exdesign/start.htm

This web site is the online version of a Smithsonian Institution publication about access for disabled people in museums. It gives extensive guidelines and examples, with illustrations, covering all aspects of museum exhibition design. Exhibition designers, curators, registrars, conservators, collections managers, designers, editors, developers, educators, and other exhibition team members each offer particular insights into the exhibition medium. The Smithsonian challenges its exhibition teams to invent such solutions and to share those findings with colleagues through this document. This site includes a resource list and glossary.

Walker, John Albert. Glossary of Art, Architecture and Design since 1945. 3^rd ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1992.

Sloane Ref N34.W34 1997 ~ 1^st floor Reference

This glossary gives insight into art by defining specific art terms, ideas and movements with detailed examples and thought provoking entries.  It is arranged like a dictionary, alphabetically by topic, it is easy to read with a multitude of photos and illustrations.  There is also a large, comprehensive index.