Materials at the Corcoran Contemporary An Exhibition Design Proposal Connecting Audience to Art through the Experience of Material

This thesis is an exhibition design proposal that gives emphasis to tactile and hands-on experiences to enhance visitors' engagement and understanding of art in an art museum setting. Materials is a contemporary art exhibition that proposes to connect audiences to art through the experience of materials to be held at the National Gallery of Art's Corcoran Contemporary. Via tactile interactions, compelling contemporary art, and opportunities to explore and create, visitors will experience and gain an understanding about various properties and possibilities of materials that inform artists' decisions to use them. By focusing on materials themselves supported by contemporary artworks and offering direct experiences with materials, we model an opportunity for visitors to gain a new connection to artworks and the art-making process and create an accessible, approachable and memorable experience. By taking cues from interpretation methods that science museums such as the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and the Exploratorium use to engage their audiences, it is proposed that an exhibition in an art museum can be created to encourage inquiry and foster an experience where "people think for themselves and can confidently ask questions, question answers, and understand the world around them" (from the Exploratorium website mission statement found at www.exploratorium.edu/about-us).