Writing Assignment
You have been asked by a museum to create an exhibit that explains the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain.They have given you a display case that is 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep, and 7 feet tall. Your task is to select objects, and write short text descriptions to create an exhibit on the Industrial Revolution.
Your exhibit should have a thesis just like an essay, that is--a general argument or explanation (such as why the IR happened, or whom it affected, or what was most important in it). The Industrial Revolution is a big topic, and you have a limited amount of space, so you must make choices to limit the scope of your exhibit. Remember there were people in the IR and since their lives were directly affected, they mattered (it's not just a collection of machinery).
The objects should work together to make a point (your thesis). Do not rely solely on text to explain what the objects mean and how you are using them.
You can assume that you have an unlimited budget and any museum will lend an object to you. That means you can look in online museum catalogs to help you find potential objects. The Smithsonian's online database can be found at www.collections.si.edu.
Each object should have a label of approximately 35 words, saying what it is and something very brief about it that helps show why you've chosen it. Additionally, you may have one introductory label of up to 150 words, which will set up your thesis.
Every object needs a citation of where it came from (which would include both the URL where you discovered it and a description of who own the actual object which would be important for borrowing it for such an exhibit. In some cases you won't be able to figure out who owns such a thing and if so, just write "Provenance unknown", but if I can figure out who owns it you'll be docked for that inaccurate label.)Any material object may be used-except objects that are themselves images, so no paintings, drawings, engravings, photographs (which are really from a period later than the IR itself, incidentally) or other visual art.
Your finished assignment should start with your introductory label (again <150 words), then include an image of every item you selected along with its label (<35 words per object). This can be done in a linear fashion (simply a Word Doc) or if you have design skills you can mock up the actual exhibit. Each essay should include a map of how you want to lay the case out and prove that your stuff will all fit the display. You can simply draw this and take a picture of it and include that image in your word document.
You will be penalized if the dimensions of your objects exceed the dimensions of the case (36"x36"x84"). That means you could not include a steam engine, but you could include a patent model of a steam engine or a piece of a steam engine. This is a chance for you to think creatively.