How did these exhibits happen?
The exhibits are the product of the three-course Museum Sequence, the capstone group design project for Bachelor of Knowledge Integration (KI) students.
In second year, the KIX designers studied museum exhibit design and learned about ways people learn. Then they usually travel to a major European museum city for ten days to be immersed in the culture, and study museums and their visitors first-hand.
In the fall of third year, the students worked in small teams to identify a topic of interest, develop learning objectives for their visitors, and design information and activities to accomplish those objectives. Starting in January, they do prototyping, refining, and producing the exhibits.
We hope that your visit to the exhibits leaves you with new knowledge, new perspectives, and new inspiration.
How do the students build the exhibits?
Check out our exhibit building and installation page.
Why do we study museums in KI?
Museum exhibit designers need subject-matter expertise, an understanding of society and the way people learn, and the ability to communicate effectively. Museum exhibit design is a great example of applied knowledge integration.
Museum exhibits are designed to engage visitors, altering and expanding their understanding, maybe even transforming the way they think about the world. Effective exhibit design integrates discipline-specific knowledge of the topic with an awareness of the historical, educational and societal roles that museums fulfill.
Museum exhibit design requires project management, collaboration, the ability to design and make things, research & writing, and the ability to communicate specialized knowledge to the lay public in ways that are interactive and engaging. It takes a balanced combination of knowing and doing.
KIX -- the Knowledge Integration eXhibition -- is that public face of scholarship. It's an annual installation that represents the work of an entire class over the better part of two years. It's impressive stuff; we hope you'll join us, and agree.
What is the student experience?
Read about one group's exhibit design experience "More than a Museum".
Check out video tours of the exhibits including interviews with the student designers that we created in 2020.