2026 NAAM Conference - Reimagining the Road Ahead

Automotive museum curators may have the seemingly simple task of putting vehicles into a proper cultural and historical perspective, but cars are large, complex objects that require the specialized skill to expertly blend into exhibitions that will both attract and hold a visitor’s attention. As simple and populist as they might be, automobiles pose greater challenges to museum exhibit designers than virtually any other large object. And although they are elephantine in proportion compared to civil war swords and masterwork paintings, the temptation to crowd vehicles in a room so tightly that only their frontal aspects can be viewed is often irresistible. It has been said that if everything is important then nothing is important, rendering a “less is more” approach to presenting vehicles in engaging exhibitions well worth considering. This session will explore this and other opportunities open to exhibit designers and managers, who are mandated to present vehicles in a context that invites both casual study by enthusiasts and detailed analysis by scholars in all realms.