VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages

Abstract

Traditionally, museums have collected objects and artifacts from across history. Physical interactions with these pieces have been limited, however, due to their delicate and valuable nature. Conveying information about these collections has generally been an organized, passive process, with viewers held at a distance. Even the admissions policy to conventional museums demonstrated favored access, with those of an educated or elite status being the primary guests. Contemporary museums, however, are expanding their role, preferring engagement with the local community over a more formal presence and selecting focuses that bring neighbors together to discuss complex issues that affect them directly. These modern institutions are leading through education, supporting the culture of the region and educating through active, immersive learning, becoming sources of interaction and more importantly . . . action. In a senior interior design studio, a hypothetical project was given to design a museum in the heart of Germantown, a diverse neighborhood in Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in the United States. The focus of the museum was determined by each student after geographic, historical and demographic research was conducted. Although an existing gymnasium was provided as the building shell, students were responsible for designing the space plan, all exhibits, and a comprehensive wayfinding strategy. The final designs included explorations into cultural and racial stereotypes, wealth distribution, psychological disorders, and drug addiction, to name but a few. This presentation would discuss recent trends in museum design and the methods students utilized to engage community members.