Select objects with a role
See this course’s project requirements
A six-object exhibition storyboard with an interpretive question, evidence notes, original labels, an accessible reading order, and a revision log.
Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.
What to include
- A visitor brief with title, question, scope and intended experience.
- An evidence ledger for the collection with special notes on uncertain provenance.
- A six-object selection matrix with section, role, evidence and exclusion notes.
- Six original object labels with identifiers, concise interpretation and evidence limits.
- A six-object storyboard with headings, descriptions and a complete text reading version.
- A complete exhibition packet with corrected labels, rights note and revision evidence.
Review and revise
Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.
- Every required section is present and traceable to the supplied case facts.
- Decisions separate known facts, assumptions, and unresolved questions.
- Records, calculations, and instructions agree with each other and the stated rules.
- The final revision addresses a changed case and explains what someone should do next.
Want more background?
The idea in everyday life
Original fictional North Quay collection cards: O1 weekly school timetable, 1980, printed by North Quay School, weekday subject grid; no individual owner recorded. O2 paper bus pass, 1992, Route 4 printed on it; holder and actual trips unknown. O3 cloth pencil case, 2001 in a donor note, visible stitched repair; note says used at college, but that claim is unverified. O4 three handwritten Spanish-verb revision cards, 2010 in the collection register; writer unknown. O5 printed calendar, 2024, fictional contributor Mina’s record: Tuesday work shift 17:00–21:00 and Wednesday seminar 10:00; permission for this invented text is included. O6 study-group note, 2016 in the register: “Bring chapter 3 notes”; author and group members unknown. O7 decorative vase, 1970 in the register, no recorded connection to learning. O8 unmarked key, date and use unknown. All descriptions and records are invented for this course; no real collection images are needed. Question: how do ordinary objects help people make room for learning? Choose six. Working sections: Organize time; Carry and practice; Routes and shared preparation. O7 has no documented learning link; O8 has no documented date or use. You can exclude objects without declaring them unimportant.
Selection works when each object earns its place through evidence and purpose.
Select objects with a role — guided practice
Choose six objects that each contribute to the exhibition question.
Use a text editor, a free document editor, or paper. Start from the following fictional records; they reset this lesson even if your earlier answer differed. Original fictional North Quay collection cards: O1 weekly school timetable, 1980, printed by North Quay School, weekday subject grid; no individual owner recorded. O2 paper bus pass, 1992, Route 4 printed on it; holder and actual trips unknown. O3 cloth pencil case, 2001 in a donor note, visible stitched repair; note says used at college, but that claim is unverified. O4 three handwritten Spanish-verb revision cards, 2010 in the collection register; writer unknown. O5 printed calendar, 2024, fictional contributor Mina’s record: Tuesday work shift 17:00–21:00 and Wednesday seminar 10:00; permission for this invented text is included. O6 study-group note, 2016 in the register: “Bring chapter 3 notes”; author and group members unknown. O7 decorative vase, 1970 in the register, no recorded connection to learning. O8 unmarked key, date and use unknown. All descriptions and records are invented for this course; no real collection images are needed. Question: how do ordinary objects help people make room for learning? Choose six. Working sections: Organize time; Carry and practice; Routes and shared preparation. O7 has no documented learning link; O8 has no documented date or use. You can exclude objects without declaring them unimportant.
1. Assign strong connections
Place the clearest objects in the first two sections.
You should see: Time: O1/O5. Carry and practice: O3/O4.
Pairs make comparison possible across different object types.
2. Add a qualified connection
Use O2/O6 for the third section and state O2’s uncertainty.
You should see: Routes and shared preparation: O2/O6; pass use is unknown.
A connection can be exploratory if its evidence limit is explicit.
3. Record exclusions
Explain why O7 and O8 do not support this small brief strongly enough.
You should see: Vase lacks learning connection; key lacks usable context.
Exclusion is a scope decision rather than a value judgment.
4. Check each role
Give every selected ID a one-sentence contribution to the question.
You should see: Six distinct roles across three sections, with no unsupported owner story.
A role statement prevents decorative padding.
What to finish
A six-object selection matrix with section, role, evidence and exclusion notes.
Watch for this
Keeping a striking object solely for appearance and inventing the missing link to the theme.
How can I tell I understand it?
Check your result against the worked example, then explain the changed case without using an unstated assumption.
Quick knowledge check
Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.
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Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.
Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
What's a Curator? | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios
From The Art Assignment. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
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Sources and further reading
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Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Inspected planning and interpretive design stages; the course is a small text-only storyboard, not a physical exhibit specification.
Access: Public page inspected without an account.
Reuse: Reference link only. Course prose and practice data are original; no third-party text, figures, or templates are reproduced.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Inspected museum discussion of clear, visitor-oriented gallery text.
Access: Public museum article; no account.
Reuse: Reference only; no museum text, object photographs or example labels reproduced.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Inspected accessibility guidance index and interpretive-media considerations. No claim that a text storyboard certifies a physical installation.
Access: Public page inspected without an account.
Reuse: Reference link only. Course prose and practice data are original; no third-party text, figures, or templates are reproduced.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Inspected CC0-marked collection assets and rights information; open access does not mean every object has identical rights.
Access: Public museum page; no account needed to read.
Reuse: No collection assets downloaded or copied. All practice object cards and labels are original.
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