International Literature Exhibitions in Theory and Practice

Literature exhibitions are playing an increasingly important role in the presentation and promotion of literature. Yet how can one design literature exhibitions that appeal to a wide variety of target groups of differing ages and levels of education? How can one make the leap from the written word to an exciting visual presentation? The Goethe House together with the Culture Board of Frankfurt/Main has organized a conference and workshop to address these questions. It invited curators and designers from several European countries who have staged highly popular literature exhibitions in recent years. The conference culminated in a meta-exhibition, i.e. an exhibition on literature exhibitions. Seven teams presented their own take on a common literary theme (Goethes novel "Wilhelm Meister") at the Goethe Museum in Frankfurt.

Research directors: Anne Bohnenkamp-Renken and Sonja Vandenrath
Curators / designers / experts: Luca Crispi (IE), Orna Hanly (IE), Heike Gfrereis, Andreas Hunkeler, Susanne Fischer, Roman Hess (CH), Nathalie Léger (FR), Nathalie Crinière (FR), Nicola Lepp, Evelyne Polt-Heinzl (AT), Peter Karlhuber (AT), Simone Schmaus, Bernhard Echte (CH) and Heinz Kriesi (CH)

Schedule and venue:
23 Oct. 2008 Panel discussion of experts at the Instituto Cervantes, Staufenstr. 1, Frankfurt am Main
29 Aug. - 1 Nov. 2010 Exhibition at the Goethe Museum, Frankfurt am Main