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Page curated by Laura Brancati and Abby Riemer
About the Building
About the Building
The Arts and Industries building (AIB) opened in 1881 as America's first national museum. The purpose of this building was to host World Fairs, where items like train cars of wonders were displayed. The AIB also helped shaped our notion of a museum by introducing descriptive labels, ways of organizing displays as to tell a story, and even 'living animal' exhibits (igniting the emergence of zoo's). Although the building closed to the public in 2004 due to concerns about the state of the 120 year-old structure, its exteriors were renovated but the interiors were left in its original state, displaying various intricate ornamental designs. (Laura Brancati) Learn more here
FUTURE(S)
FUTURE(S)
The title of the exhibition is plural because it utilizes the entirety of the Arts and Industries building to depict three different facets of the the future (Inspire, Unite, Work) and uses the entrance hall for the fourth facet, the past. The "Past" does a great job of outlining the ways that previous accomplishments have profoundly impacted our present, but also explores the failure of some ideas that had the potential to be life changing. The "Inspire" hall encouraged creative thinking around what the future could be, especially in terms of inclusion and access or all. The "Work" hall focused on industrial advancements, especially as they relate to sustainability and carbon-neutral living. Finally, the "Unite" hall explored how AI can enhance our daily lives, bringing a sense of cooperation to a topic that is often framed as a threat to human capital. (Abby Riemer)
Photo by Abby Riemer
What was the visitor experience?
What was the visitor experience?
A Future in the Past
A Future in the Past
The AIB was a really interesting location for an exhibit on the future. Part of the oldest Smithsonian museum, this building was closed for the past two decades for extensive reconstruction. Looking up past the bright white walls decorated with neon graphics, it is easy to catch a glimpse of peeling paint exposing the original walls in an area of the building still closed for renovation. FUTURES is not the first time the AIB has held futuristic wonders-- the building was created as an exhibition space for notable parts of the Worlds Fairs and has long been a place where visitors come to marvel at the next big thing. (Abby Riemer)
Wall Decals
Wall Decals
Relevant quotes decorated the walls of each wing, but went relatively unnoticed by visitors. I only saw other visitors interacting with the wall installations once, pictured to the right. These quotes really brought a larger perspective to the FUTURES exhibit, contextualizing the importance of seemingly incremental change, but their placement and the overall use of the space left them out of the sight lines of the rest of the museum. The effect of the placement might be that visitors simply come and see cool futuristic exhibits but miss the big idea that the curators attempt to convey. (Abby Riemer)
Photo by Abby Riemer
The Grove
The Grove
"Pause and reflect with Devan Shimoyama’s The Grove, an imagined future monument to the year 2020. Created in response to the tumult and tragedy brought on by racial violence and the COVID-19 pandemic, Shimoyama invites you to enter a meditative forest-like space to forgive, breathe, pause, and heal. “DIY” utility poles, dangling shoes, and silk flowers reference community traditions of spontaneous memorials and will be adorned with thousands of Swarovski crystals to offer a sense of light, magic, and the divine in witness to lives lost.
Shimoyama’s mixed-media practice frequently imbues a sense of community, solidarity, commemoration and identity at the intersection of Blackness and queerness. The Grove will represent both a singular, internal mourning for collective trauma and the healing power of empathy and hope." (AIB Website)
Endless Opportunities to Interact
Endless Opportunities to Interact
The exhibits were all interactive and appealed to various age groups. Each section of the exhibit had questions relevant to the topic, such as "do you think in 10 years we will be more environmentally friendly?" or "would you eat lab-grown meat?", where people could input their opinions through touch-less screens. Each section also had different moving parts, like a robot that would mimic your body movements or a demonstration of how a washing machine can fill a watershed.
In my opinion, how interactive this museum was made it more appealing to the younger generation and demonstrated how close "the future" actually is. Whether we realize it or not, the future is here. (Laura Brancati)
Interactive robot that mimics your body movements
Young visitors play a video game
More Pictures!
More Pictures!
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