Art for a New Understanding

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Contemporary Indigenous art comes front and center in Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now—a free exhibition organized by Crystal Bridges. Discover new stories as today’s Indigenous artists fill the gallery with exquisite colors, images of community and joy, and thought-provoking moments of reflection.

DESIGN GOALS
Art for a New Understanding was an internally curated exhibition. It was created with a priority to set aside the stereotypes and create an experience that was contemporary. I developed a gradient system that references the three main sections of the exhibition, and illustrates the fluid, complex, and unfinished story of Native American art.

Exhibition Wayfinding

Crystal Bridges is a complex set of buildings with architecture that is overwhelming when initially interacting with it. Over the years we have studied guests and developed a system that either stands in contrast to the architecture or blends into the forms but is set apart visually. “Floor-finding,” in particular, has been an essential staple for us.

We needed high impact for this exhibition in our main lobby, which is point-of-sale. I hung saturated banners from the lobby with acrylic that stood off the concrete pillar in the middle. We also placed floorfinding throughout the music as a promotion and wayfinding.