Taking it To The Streets: A Manitoban Process For Gallery Development

This paper describes a complex process being undertaken by a major Canadian institution, the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature. The evaluation process is systematic, multi-faceted and demonstrates the fruitful interaction between evaluation and gallery development. The front-end phase is the focus of the paper. Discussion concentrates on the elements of the process which are unique to the Canadian experience, specifically the whole community aspect of this process (wherein input was from sources distant from the physical setting of the institution), and the mix of novel and "traditional" approaches used within the museum setting itself. Because of its unique features and its potential generalizability to a variety of settings, process aspects rather than institution-specific results are presented.