BRAND STRATEGY // EXHIBITION DESIGN
Revealing Works from the Conservation Vault
State of the Art:
Client: The Toledo Museum of Art
How do you create an exhibition for works of art that have virtually nothing in common, save for one overlap: they’re damaged, dirty, or in need of conservation? A challenge that you may think wouldn’t come around often, but it did arrive at the Toledo Museum of Art’s doorstep in 2022. Without a curator to develop extensive thematic content for this show, it fell to a few select people–myself included–to figure out not only how the art could live together in a gallery space, but also how to present these pieces, and their damage, in compelling narratives that might prompt visitors to donate money towards their conservation.
The title-less show needed a name fitting the quirkiness of the subject matter while alluding to the conservation aspects of the artworks. Many brainstorms and sprints led us to the dual-purposed State of the Art: not only a playful nod to the status of the works on display, but also reiterating TMA’s adept, innovative, and deeply technical conservation team. A strong and bold type treatment did a heavy visual lift in-gallery.
Another issue arose in trying to thoughtfully fill the large gallery space with graphics that would not only complement the artworks, but help to tell the stories of the pieces, too. Available images of these artworks was low-resolution at best. I turned those lemons into lemonade by applying electric moire patterns and halftones to less-than-stellar imagery, adding a crafted touch to the large scale images throughout the show.
I was asked to develop graphic language that could help clearly show visitors the conservation needs for each piece on display. This style utilized text, iconography, close-up images, and cost-based information working together to effectively illustrate the issues with the artworks. (As an unintended bonus, this methodology also helped to fill our large, open gallery wall spaces!)
TMA’s donor team also needed space in-gallery to pitch their artwork donation program, Adopt an Artwork. In an effort to help the team communicate artwork needs and costs quickly, I pitched and designed a companion printed brochure for visitors to take with them. Brochure information allowed visitors to consider donation options and “adopt” artworks even after their gallery visit.
One of the museum’s prized glass artworks is an 1890s period dress, bodice, and parasol made entirely from spun fiberglass. Only two complete dresses currently exist today. TMA’s dress, being in need of significant research, cleaning, and conservation, required a hefty price tag to be “adopted”; as such, I recommended the donor team treat this artwork as a crowd-funding opportunity. Rallying Toledoans around helping to preserve a piece of Toledo history was a logical opportunity. This crowdfunding project was a huge success, reaching full funding and even being matched in donation by a large benefactor.
