EXHIBITING AT ANA
by Bob Fritsch
PART 2 - Presentation
Last installment, we discussed the beginnings of an award-winning numismatic exhibit: assembling the materials and data. This time we will talk about organizing your exhibit and presenting it. I am sure by now that you have already done the first part and are anxiously awaiting these pointers on how to put your stuff together.
First some bad news. In order to exhibit at an ANA Convention, you must be an ANA member. Dues are $36 per year. You can sign up online at http://www.money.org. The ANA is well worth joining with numerous member benefits including a monthly subscription to Numismatist, the club’s magazine.
How you present your exhibit is completely up to you. The field is wide open, and each exhibit I have seen is unique to the person who created it. There are no hard and fast rules on how to do your presentation, but there are several guidelines that must be followed. Most of these are plain common sense and bear listing here. The intent of this installment is to remind you of them.
Your exhibit is housed in standard display cases which measure 32-3/4 x 20-3/4 inches inside. You may use up to six cases and ANA will provide them for you. The standard format is horizontal, but there is nothing preventing you from having your cases aligned vertically. Do not be stingy with the space. If an exhibit looks to cramped, points will be deducted. You may work on a single case display then find out that you really need two cases. This is OK. Make the adjustment and continue. I have seen exhibits contain but a single coin with the supporting data and graphics taking up most of the space. I have also seen fifty coins crammed into one case and the effect was a hard-to-follow exhibit.
When you are creating your layout, I find it is easiest to use a work board. I generally use a full sheet of foam board 20x30 inches which is close to the inside dimensions of the display case. Foam board is rigid so you can carry it around from place to place without upsetting what is on it. It is readily available in your local art store for a couple of dollars per sheet.
Next you must decide how to present your material. You have two major components in the display: coins and data. They must be presented in such a way that the overall effect is pleasing and the information you are providing enhances the coins being shown. There should be a flow to the layout so the viewer is led from point to point in a logical flow. Here is where your personal style kicks in. If you are lucky enough to attend a coin show that has exhibits, by all means examine and study how the exhibitor presented the material. Take a good look at advertising layouts in your favorite magazine and see how each element is positioned and presented.
Last installment talked about the importance of numismatic information -- a full 30 points of the score. Start your layout by writing up the data. Don’t do it in one big chunk. Use small pieces of data to present a subgroup of your coins. Last year I separated my Alaska exhibit into the three geographical areas where the coins were found. Use the writeups to balance out the coins shown. Maybe you want to explain each coin individually, or maybe you want to describe a group of them. Do you have any supporting graphics like pictures or maps? I used both in my Alaska display. Don’t forget the Title and Statement of Scope. You must also cite your references in standard bibliographic format, which you can get out of any book. Most of your work will come from manipulating these elements.
Presentation points are broken down into three elements of 10 points each: Creativity and Originality; Attractiveness; and Balance. Each is described as:
Creativity and Originality - The exhibit should be novel and imaginative.
Attractiveness - The exhibit should be neat, well-designed, and eye-catching; the color scheme should be pleasing and effective. The title and text should be easy to read and not faded or dingy from repeated display.
Balance - The numismatic items, the information, and the related materials in the exhibit should be balanced and related to the exhibit’s scope.
These criteria define what the judge is looking for. Usually points are deducted for mistakes rather than points assigned for merit. Let’s look at some specific items:
Color - Your data and coins have to be on some sort of paper. The color of that paper should be pleasing. Don’t use garish colors like Neon Pink or dull colors like dark purple. Light colors that are easy to look at are best. Use a color that contrasts the coins. Red backing for copper coins is not a great choice. You may use several colors in your display but they must complement each other.
Backing - This is another individual choice. Backings are many and varied, from a simple “frame” of cover stock (or construction paper) to pedestals to raise the display up to the level of the glass. I prefer foamboard cutouts to give a feeling of depth in the display. Another method is to take a piece of contrasting cover stock cut slightly larger than the writeup as the backing. One friend of mine prints his writeups on a cover stock then lacquers it front and back so it won’t curl and gives it an illusion of depth.. Matte board also works well. The glue you use is very important because the ultimate disaster is to have stuff curl up in the display case.
Case Lining - I always have a hard time with this piece of the puzzle. The case lining should again enhance and not detract from your display. It is one of those things where it is not noticed if it is OK but loses points if not. I have found that wrapping paper works well, but care must be exercised to ensure that it is anchored in the case so it will not curl. The case will be closed for four days and you will not be able to make any corrections to such a disaster. Do not use metallic paper as it is a big time distraction. I have also used a sheet of colored foamboard as the liner but it is not quite large enough to cover the entire geography.
If you have further questions about this phase of exhibit creation, I will be glad to try to help. You may send me an email at bobfritsch@earthlink.net. I can give general help only so please do not get specific about what you are creating. Next issue we will tie everything together and give pointers about getting your display to the convention and physically laying it down.
Click here for PART 3
