Reflections on Exhibition Programming by Reyahn King

I care passionately about exhibition programming, and have done ever since my time as Head of Interpretation and Exhibitions at Birmingham Museums, where I saw the potential to change the way whole communities viewed your institution (Thank you Vanley Burke for your challenge and your support). Your programme is unique to your organisation and your place – or should be!

Exhibition programming is both an art and a science. Too much science and your programme (and by extension your organisation) can look cynical, corporate, populist or stuffy. Too much art and you can look like you only care about your own satisfaction, are out of touch or elitist – or worst of all, no one notices the programme at all and your organisation loses relevance. 

Hitting the sweet spot is about balance and variety; being relevant to your communities and to your organisational values and priorities. There’s lots of ways to do this and it’s fantastic to see not just participatory practice but attempts at more participatory programming based on meaningful engagement about purpose and mission. As a programmer you have to recognise and nurture brilliance wherever it comes from, to enable people and communities with great ideas to make them real and at other times to know when bringing in the curated show is perfect for your venue’s agenda or need.

And then there’s the challenge of scheduling and budgeting – so much has to be shuffled about in museum calendars whilst thinking about how the season will impact audience behaviour and attendance. Fantastic loans get cut because of unreachable costs. It might be years before the right moment for a particular idea – it needs to be right at the right time for your audience and organisation, and not just a pet project. 

It’s all very exciting stuff, and yet it can also be a treadmill – and if so, something’s wrong.

At The Exhibitions Group we do a lot of ‘how to make exhibitions’ training but this is the first time we are looking at the overarching programming. If you are just starting programming or are interested in how to do it well, join me to think about the art, science and strategy of exhibition programming on February 11! 

‘Exhibition Programming for Impact’ takes place online on Wednesday 11 February 2026 – Read more and book here.