Museum Label for KidsAjeng Ayu Arainikasih, S. Hum., M. Arts
Departemen Arkeologi FIB Universitas Indonesia
Workshop “How to Write Good Museum Label” 13 Mei 2015
What do you think about
Kids Label?
what is the
content?
how is the
vocab?how is
the
design?
why it is
important?
who write it?
why it is important for museums
to have kids label?
Museum should become inclusive institution, thus it should accommodate the needs of its
diverse audience!
what is the content?
how is the
vocab?
Interpretive LabelInterpretive labels tells stories; they are narratives, not lists of facts. Any label that serves to explain, guide, question, inform, or provoke – in a way that invites participation by the reader – is
interpretive (Serrell, 1996).
Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
Hyde Park Barrack Museum, Sydney
Question LabelThree basic reasons to ask visitors questions in exhibitions: 1. Toencourage visitors to engage deeply and personally with a specificobject; 2. To motivate interpersonal dialogue among visitors around aparticular object or idea; 3. To provide feedback or useful informationto staff about the object or exhibition (Simon, 2010).
Question LabelTwo basic types of questions that are most successful at eliciting authentic,
confident, diverse responses: personal questions and speculative questions.
Personal questions help visitors connect their own experience to the objectson display. Speculative questions ask visitors to imagine scenarios involvingobjects or ideas that are foreign to their experience (Simon, 2010).
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
how is the
design?
Musee du Choco-Story,
Paris
Peranakan Museum, Singapore
So, museum label for kids should…• be written interpretively; telling stories in a simple way • be written in short sentences and paragraphs, using kids friendly
vocabulary• provoke participatory - make kids engage with the exhibits• be designed attractively, easy to spot, easy to read, and its placement is
easily accessible
who write the kids label?
It is now your honor to write the kids label
Pssssttt….
Don’t forget to always perform evaluation during
the writing process!
Bibliography
Serrell, Beverly. 1996. Exhibit Labels: An InterpretiveApproach. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press.
Simon, Nina. 2010. The Participatory Museum. Santa Cruz:Museum 2.0.
Photo courtesy: Ajeng Ayu Arainikasih, 2012-2015
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