Orientation & Children’s Galleries
Transforming a traditional museum into a welcoming community hub.
Overview
The Columbus Museum has a unique dual mission: it is a home for both American art and regional history. But like many historic institutions, it felt separated from its community. We partnered with architects Perkins+Will to break down the barriers—literally and figuratively. The goal was to replace the "hushed tones" of a traditional museum with the welcoming energy of a community hub. We redesigned the arrival experience to function less like a checkpoint and more like a conversation, giving visitors the tools to explore the collections on their own terms, whether they are art historians or toddlers.
Partners
Perkins+Will
Services
Concept Design, Design Development, Media Design, Media Production, Software Development
The Details
We reimagined the visitor journey to prioritize personal connection. Instead of a ticket counter, guests are greeted by the Guidebook Station, a 15-foot tactile library where they can pull physical "art cards" to curate their own custom tour—turning every visitor into a curator. For the Children's Gallery, we moved away from generic play spaces and rooted the design in the local landscape: the Chattahoochee River. Here, kids navigate sensory stations and digital interactives that let them "try on" the art, filling their silhouettes with patterns from the museum’s paintings. By blending low-tech touch with high-tech play, we ensured the museum feels alive, accessible, and distinctly local.
“I was a designer long before I was a mom, but this is the first project that has allowed me to explore how motherhood has influenced who I am as a designer.”
