EXHIBIT DESIGN

About

I have an M.F.A. in Museum Exhibition Design from the University of California, Davis, and a B.A. in American Studies from Occidental College. I love my work because I am always learning more about the exhibition topic, and enjoy the process of finding creative ways to educate and engage visitors through physical environments and strategic design.

Services

  • Interpretive planning
  • Spatial design 
  • Graphic design 
  • Gallery furniture and prop design/sourcing
  • Interactive and participatory design
  • Project management and installation oversight

Mediums

  • Museum exhibitions
  • Environmental graphics
  • Wayfinding
  • Donor recognition walls
  • Informal learning environments
  • Immersive environments

​Museum Client List
  • Skirball Cultural Center​
  • The Broad​
  • Autry Museum of the American West
  • Corita Art Center
  • California Historical Society
  • LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
  • Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
  • Library Foundation of Los Angeles
  • Chinese American Museum​
  • Adoption Museum Project

Projects by Year

2019

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
traveling exhibition
Skirball Cultural Center
Los Angeles, CA
with Debi van Zyl
Harvest Festival Sukkah
​Skirball Cultural Center
​Los Angeles, CA
Environmental Design
Donor Recognition Wall
Heart of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Environmental Graphics Design

2018

¡Ya Basta! The East L.A. Walkouts and the Power of Protest
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
​Los Angeles, CA
Exhibition Design with Debi van Zyl
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Skirball Cultural Center
Los Angeles, CA
Exhibition Design with Debi van Zyl
Spotlight: Selections from Kehinde Wiley The World Stage Israel
​Skirball Cultural Center
​Los Angeles, CA
​Exhibition Design
Murales Rebeldes: L.A. Chicana/o Murals Under Siege
California Historical Society
San Francisco, CA
Exhibition Design with Debi van Zyl
Harvest Festival Sukkah
​Skirball Cultural Center
​Los Angeles, CA
Environmental Design

2017

Paul Simon: Words & Music
Skirball Cultural Center
Los Angeles, CA
Exhibition Design with Debi van Zyl
Summer Family Lounge
​Skirball Cultural Center
​Los Angeles, CA
Environmental and Experience Design
Circles and Circuits II: Contemporary Chinese Caribbean Art
Chinese American Museum
Los Angeles, CA
Exhibition Design with Annex Design Services
Harvest Festival Sukkah+ Stage
​Skirball Cultural Center
​Los Angeles, CA
Environmental and Stage Design 

2016

Pop for the People: Roy Lichtenstein in L.A.
Skirball Cultural Center
Los Angeles, CA
​Exhibition Design with Debi van Zyl
America's Shakespeare: The Bard Goes West
Los Angeles Public Library Central Branch
​Los Angeles, CA
Exhibition Design with Annex Design Services
Corita Kent: Somebody had to Break the Rules traveling exhibition
Corita Art Center
Los Angeles, CA
Exhibition Design
Gallery drawings for the Inaugural Exhibition
The Broad
​Los Angeles, CA
​Exhibition Design with Annex Design Services
Orange Roots
​Tomás Rivera Library, University of California Riverside
Riverside, CA
​Exhibition Design with Annex Design Services
Laughing Matters: The Experiences of Women in Stand-Up Comedy
Exhibits of Humanity, Nous Tous Gallery
Los Angeles, CA.
​Exhibition Design
Gallery drawings for the Browning Firearms Collection Proposal
C.M. Russell Museum
Great Falls, MT
​Exhibition Design with Annex Design Services
The History of the LGBTQ Civil Rights Movement
Tomás Rivera Library, University of California Riverside
Riverside, CA
​Exhibition Design with Annex Design Services
"The Stages of Business Disruption" short film for Deloitte Digital
​Production Design with Rustic Production

2013-2015

Quirky Tours for the Orientation Gallery
Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
San Marino, CA
Experience Design with Karina White
Tradeshow booths
Makerskit
Los Angeles, CA
Trade show Design
Route 66: The Road and the Romance
Autry Museum of the American West
Los Angeles, CA
Exhibition Design with Autry In-House Design Department
Filed Away: the undocumented experience
University of California Davis
Davis, CA
​Exhibition Design
Our Place at the Table: Honoring Birthmother Stories
Adoption Museum Project, Red Poppy Art House
San Francisco, CA 
​Exhibition Design
Floral Journey: Native North American Beadwork
Autry Museum of the American West
​Los Angeles, CA
​Exhibition Design with Autry In-House Design Department

2009-2012

Structures, Signifiers and Society: People and Textiles
Design Museum, University of California Davis
Davis, CA
​Exhibition Design
Voices theatrical production
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA
Theater Set Design
Future: Santa Cruz Studio Ceramics
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Santa Cruz, CA
​Exhibition Design
Eduardo Carillo: Within a Cultural Context
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Santa Cruz, CA
​Exhibition Design
Charles Griffin Farr
UC Santa Cruz Sesnon Art Gallery
Santa Cruz, CA
​Exhibition Design

Professional Development

Conference Organizer

Museum Community
Audience Research Learning Collaborative member. California Association of Museums, Fall 2015 - Winter 2016.

Speaking Engagements
"Visualizing the Exhibition." Autry Teacher Academy. July 2017. Los Angeles, CA.
"Work/Happy." UC Davis Design Department Graduate Seminar. May 2017. Davis, CA. 
"Making Space for the Public: Community Curators, Pop-Ups & Contemporary Issues." California Association of Museums Conference. March 2017. Sacramento, CA.
"Taxidermy as Museum Object." The Publics of Art and Design, Twenty-Third Annual Parsons/Cooper-Hewitt Graduate Student Symposium on the Decorative Arts and Design. April 2014. New York, NY. 
"Controversial Conversations: Engaging Visitors in Issues that Matter." California Association of Museums Conference. March 2014. Napa, CA.

Publications
"Anyone Gotta Game? Crowd Sourcing as Museum Tool." California Association of Museums. June 2013.

"The Role of Design in the Creation of Excellent Exhibitions." 
California Association of Museums. August 2013.​

"Activating Visitors: The Exhibition Development and Design Process of Exhibiting Challenging Material with a Call-to-Action Message." California Association of Museums. 
November 2013.

www.emmatc.com