Abstract
Between 2013 and 2016, the Springfield Art Museum, a municipal institution in Springfield Missouri, collaborated with Art of Space, a participatory design practice now active in Northwest Ohio, on two temporary outdoor installations–the first large scale additions to the museum grounds in 40 years. The initial structure, called Rhizomatic Grotto, was a variation on means and methods popularized by Art of Space in the Center City districts of Springfield. Following the success of the Grotto, museum curator Sarah Buhr invited Art of Space to create a project inspired by objects in the museum’s vaults, a template currently utilized by Ms. Buhr “to connect disparate works in the Museum’s collection with a wide range of community members.” Instead of drawing from the formal or material qualities of a singular object, Art of Space seized on the curatorial role of the community Museum as the subject of the new installation. For over a year, the House of Art(S)—a 24 hour, participatory outdoor gallery–became an active site of rich exploration and inquiry into the role and purpose of the municipal museum, the role of the museum grounds as a field of discourse, and the identification of community members with the city itself. This paper correlates the design intent and execution of these two AoS/SAM collaborations to outcomes recorded in photographs, social media posts, and interviews with a full range of observers and participants, illuminating powerful techniques for building inclusivity through participatory installation, with implications radiating well beyond the space of the museum.
Presenters
Gerard NadeauAssistant Professor, School of the Built Environment/Architecture and Environmental Design, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Community, Engagement, Participation, Inclusivity, Installation, Curating, Collecting, Cultural Production
