Refresh of the Indigenous American Art Galleries

Exhibition Design

Community Feedback on Interpretation

Graphic Design

Community Testing

On the IAA refresh, we had an opportunity to engage with community working groups in our design process. Using prototypes, post-it feedback, and pom-pom voting, guests helped us improve and inform designs for interpretive and interactive elements throughout the galleries.

These pictures show the before (process) and after of each station. The captions detail our directives for each element and theme throughout the exhibit.

Increase engagement with Head of a Rain Deity by adding video and audio components.
Help visitors recognize the physical qualities of a monumental object (by showing how art handlers moved it at the DMA).

Enlarged line drawing increases visibility and becomes a diagram of some of the work’s notable features.

Touchable glyph serves all ages and is paired with succinct explanation of the glyph’s meaning.

Give more information about objects as functional works. Offer a variety of media to expand audiences.
Audio bar for multiple users to hear different sounds produced by ancient works.

Provide examples of raw and polished materials to help demonstrate the transformation required for many of the works on view. Create a single station where multiple materials can be safely touched.

Touchable cylinder, printed in the round.

Graphic Design