Open Art Studio | Tacoma Art Museum | Tacoma, Washington:
I worked as part of the Tacoma Art Museum’s Education Department and had the honor of designing both the Art Classroom and the hands-on, art-making space, the Open Art Studio. The OAS was built in 2003 when the museum moved in the its new building. The OAS was open to the public and featured two key areas: The first were wall-mounted displays that had art lessons tailored to artwork on display in the galleries. The second were free access art materials and equipment, including painting supplies, drawing supplies, and jewelry-making supplies. Working to the museum’s branding standards and partnering with my education and curatorial colleagues, I designed the layout, curriculum, and display strategies, as well as all the pedagogical material. I commissioned outside craftspeople to create the toolkits and specialized furniture, and selected long lasting and scratch resistant furniture (still in use 20 years later). When the museum opened their newest wing in 2019, the OAS was converted to a second classroom space.
Art Classroom | Tacoma Art Museum | Tacoma, Washington:
The museum’s Art Classroom