Exhibiting Mesoamerican Archaeology in the Early 21st Century

In the first decade and a half of the 21st Century, Mesoamerican archaeology remains in the Museum spotlight—most conspicuously in a proliferation of highly-touted traveling exhibits, but also featured in permanent galleries. This popularity suggests that the museum-going public has not yet satisfied its great curiosity and interest in the history and culture of Mesoamerica. For archaeologists, this presents a uniquely valuable opportunity to communicate new discoveries and understandings directly with the public through a dynamic medium. Yet assembling high quality exhibits continues to be challenging for a host of reasons. In particular, many cash-strapped museums are unable to fund the development of large exhibits and are employing fewer and fewer curators. In fact, many of today’s "blockbuster" exhibits are put together by for-profit entities. This symposium assembles a group of researchers who will share their experiences curating recent traveling and permanent exhibits featuring Mesoamerican archaeology. Presenters will touch on a number of issues, including the business-side of mounting exhibitions, strategies in communicating research effectively, ethical considerations, the politics of representation, collaboration with native communities, how exhibits may create new knowledge and spur the development of new research trajectories, and the future of exhibiting Mesoamerica.