Walking the Tightrope: On the Balance of Digital Technology in Museum Exhibits and the UB Anderson Gallery Interactiv

This paper explores the history of exhibition design and how the introduction of the New Museology effected exhibitions. In particular, the focus is on how the shift in focus to the democratization on the museum knowledge base led to the development of the incorporation of technology into archaeological and anthropological museum exhibitions. Increasingly interactive in nature, museum exhibitions sometimes struggle to find a balance between authentic objects and technological additions. This paper seeks to explore the relationship between digital technology in archaeology exhibits with the displayed artifacts in order to identify a balance for a successful visitor experience.;The balance of technology and object is explored in a case study of the University at Buffalo's Anderson Gallery. A project with the Anderson Gallery will introduce an interactive screen to the Cravens Collections exhibition space. This paper proposes a design for the Cravens Collective interactive, taking into account the use of space, importance of interactivity with user experience, and the balance between useful technology and authentic artifacts. The design also considers the unique place of the university museum to engage in dialogue with the community and democratize the knowledge base of the collection.