Two New Experiences Want to Change the Way Museums Talk about Climate Change

Five different concept drawings for an exhibition that show outdoor experiences such as a plant display, a food truck, a mood cloud, and a circular display of heat reflective products.

Early concept designs for Project Blue Marble. These designs may evolve and change as we continue to investigate possibilities.

Last year, we entered the Reimagining Tomorrow: Sustainable Climate Solutions design competition sponsored by the Pole Creek Foundation and The Panorama Group. We were lucky enough to be selected to proceed into a Concept Design phase, alongside our friends at Thinc Design. Both teams are developing potentially complementary experiences. Thinc’s exhibition will bring climate futures to life through the voices of scientists, social innovators, and speculative fiction creators. Learn more about their project.

Quatrefoil is designing a public, outdoor exhibition that could take place in any environment—on a rural Main street, in a suburban library parking lot, or in a busy urban plaza. Acknowledging a general sense of climate confusion and anxiety, Project Blue Marble will deliberately reframe climate change as a story that is still unfolding and not one that is fated to end in doom. The exhibition moves beyond political blame and debate to focus on practical insights, personal well-being, and the power of community building, no matter where those communities are.

It bases climate understanding in the places people know and the systems they rely on every day. Modular interactive displays (powered predominately by renewable energy) will draw directly from local climate conditions, making invisible forces tangible through easy-to-understand real-time data and fun, hands-on experiences. A dedicated local section will allow host venues to customize their stories and play a role in showcasing community content.

Project Blue Marble highlights little-known regional and global successes in everything from energy and food production to water quality and tech innovations. Visitors will leave more informed, more hopeful, and more connected—aware that meaningful progress can happen when we recognize our common goals and move forward together.

The Quatrefoil and Thinc teams would love your input in order to make these exhibitions a reality.