In developing this project, it is valuable to understand the basis of research and education science that backs interactive exhibition spaces. Interactive museums have started to gain popularity in contemporary art and children\u2019s art spaces. In the case of children’s museums, kids may be encouraged to touch or climb over objects, maneuvering the world around them in order to gain a vantage point to view the work of art. Contemporary exhibitions have also started to introduce works of art that are specifically intended to be interactive, based in digital spaces that visitors can manipulate or photograph. Interactivity improves visitors\u2019 accessibility and engagement by appealing to a range of senses and engaging the creativity of visitors. However, there has not yet been a widespread movement to bring interactivity into already established exhibitions, or exhibitions of art that do not have an inherent interactive aspect. By looking at the success of interactive children’s museums and adult workshops, as well as studies in support of multi-sensory and reciprocal learning, museums may begin to think about interactivity as a viable use of resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children’s Museums<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In museums for children, the value of allowing mutual acts of expression is widespread. With a focus on play, exploration, and interactivity, museums like Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore allow kids to explore using their bodies, interacting with art studios and musical exhibits. The museum is fun and interactive for kids, but still intended to help children connect with art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Exhibitions at Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Children’s Exhibition One Tree One World <\/em>from the China Millennium Monument in Beijing, an interactive exhibition which aims to inspire “perception, exploration, communication, vision, and action” in visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sensory learning skills are one of the most valuable ways to engage with and retain information for visitors of all ages. Without a range of sensory stimuli, visitors become passive recipients of information without any real interest or engagement with exhibits. This passive reception remains a problem for museums intended for adults, with museum experts recommending a transition towards exhibitions that highlight \u201cexploration, physical manipulation, and experimentation.\u201d In a research project that developed and integrated interactive educational components into the Boise Art Museum, researchers found that respondents who used interactive components found them memorable and highlighted the interactive exhibits more. This is supported when the curation and educational teams are integrated, as carefully planned free-choice interactive components open doors for visitors to learn more deeply and leave with a more rewarding museum experience. In creating interactive spaces in museums intended for people of all ages, museum-goers can learn and grow in a way that sparks their creativity and inspires them to take charge within a museum to create something of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Selections from Spectrum: Color and Light<\/em>, interactive exhibition at the Boise Art Museum<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Workshops<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Workshops that build off of exhibitions to help visitors explore the ideas and mediums worked with by artists in galleries already exist. For example, the exhibition Platform<\/em> at The Design Museum was accompanied by a lamp-making workshop to help visitors explore key themes such as adornment, desire, and modernity. By creating a functional lamp, participants incorporated personal narratives and storytelling. This interaction allows visitors to think deeply about ideas presented in a gallery space, relating those ideas to their own experiences. This combination of workshop and exhibition shares similarities with the idea of a creative interactive exhibition. However, the physical separation between the gallery and workshop spaces eliminates the opportunity to take direct inspiration from the source work, disengaging the act of looking from the act of making. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"port](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/port-discovery-34.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"port](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/Exhibits0-efb6bfdfa7e9225-1024x683.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"port](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/Port-Discovery-private-events-\u2013-4.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/IMG_202312183632_1767x1210-1024x701.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/One-Tree-One-World22-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/\u5c55\u98796-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"BAM](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/spectrum_emotions.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"BAM](\"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/reimaginingdisplay\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1216\/2025\/05\/spectrum_experiment.png\")
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