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.

• Please take a 15-minute survey to help us gauge how to develop these experiences.
• Follow this project’s progress on our LinkedIn Channel here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/549980/admin/page-posts/published/ or feel free to reach out with any questions!
• Download Concepts Flier

The post Two New Experiences Want to Change the Way Museums Talk about Climate Change appeared first on Quatrefoil.

We’ll also be speaking at a session with our partners at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. Join us for:

Interpreting Lynching in Maryland:
Immersive Approaches and Ethical Choices
Friday, May 22, 2026 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM EDT

How can museums present painful histories in ways that are honest but not overwhelming, that acknowledge trauma without sensationalizing it, and that invite visitors to see themselves as agents of change? This session examines the Lynching in Maryland exhibition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum as a case study in designing immersive, multisensory experiences that convey the gravity of racial terror while fostering dialogue and a sense of hope.

The exhibition confronts a little-known chapter in Maryland’s past through a multimodal strategy designed to present this history with sensitivity. Visitors touch engraved name plates on vessels filled with soil from lynching sites to call up details about the victims. A tactile map with braille ensures access for blind and low-vision visitors. A projection behind the vessels reveals historic headlines, silhouetted figures, and imagery that evokes anxiety without resorting to graphic detail. Spatialized “sound spots” create intimate listening experiences, while layered soundscapes combine historic recordings with poetry by a contemporary Baltimore griot. Together, these elements form a textured environment that is both visceral and personal.

Immersive experiences at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Equally important, the exhibition connects lynching to present-day issues such as redlining, mass incarceration, the racial wealth gap, voter suppression, and extremist recruitment online. By drawing parallels between newspapers that once incited violence and today’s social media that rewards inflammatory content, the exhibition underscores that social justice requires ongoing action. It culminates with opportunities for visitor feedback and connections to organizations working for Civil Rights.

The panel, with speakers from the museum and the design firm behind the exhibition, will address ethical questions museums face when interpreting traumatic histories. How do you avoid traumatization without whitewashing the truth? How do you decide which images, words, or headlines to show and which to omit? How do you balance the horror of injustice with opportunities for empowerment and action? Presenters will discuss the museum’s interpretive/content choices and the tangible design strategies used to achieve a balanced vision.

Attendees leave with practical ideas for selecting content, integrating multisensory storytelling, and adopting inclusive design approaches that make history accessible to all. They will hear about ways to make history relevant for contemporary audiences by employing both digital and analog methods of storytelling.

The post See You at the American Alliance of Museums Conference appeared first on Quatrefoil.

Roula received her degree in Architecture from the University of Maryland. For more than 15 years, she was a Senior Design Architect with the global firm RTKL Associates. Switching gears in the early 2000s, Roula focused her attention on early childhood education in museums through a pilot Head Start initiative. She remembers going to a conference at the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Museum that brought teachers, artists, and designers together to discuss the impact of creative project-based activities on learning. The whole approach was personalized and led to profound, tangible impacts in classrooms and beyond. Roula was inspired by the idea that design could shape a student’s educational journey and that museums could help play a part in making information and ideas more accessible. Complex stories could be presented in multimodal ways to connect with different types of learners.

Roula brought that education-first mentality to Quatrefoil in 2002, stepping into a full-time design role a few years later. The transition from architect to exhibit designer wasn’t necessarily easy, however. While the two professions speak similar languages, their design solutions can look incredibly different.

Roula’s new colleagues at Quatrefoil came from truly eclectic backgrounds, rather than having the same academic degrees and training. “It was uncomfortable at first,” she admits, “but I really grew to appreciate those multiple and very valid viewpoints—from the graphic designers to the writers. It felt messy in the beginning.” And yet, somehow out of an organic soup of ideas, the best designers visualize a cohesive plan that accommodates a wide range of needs, preferences, and learning styles for diverse audiences.

Within a few years, Roula would go on to help design exhibitions for dozens of museums, cultural sites, and nature centers, including the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, the National University, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Birch Aquarium, Discovery Place, the Go For Broke National Education Center, the Museum of Boulder, the Champion’s Club at Washington Nationals Park, and Johnny Cash’s boyhood home, among many others.

In 2019, Roula became a Quatrefoil partner, directing internal and external project teams while also mentoring staff members—skills that required emotional intelligence as well as adaptability and honesty. We asked Roula what lessons she learned in her 24 years with Quatrefoil.

Museum of Boulder installation and launch party

1. Give people agency.

“In working with our various teams, there was always complexity—personalities, roles. I enjoy that part, but it’s not straightforward. How do you make sure everyone is working well together? How do you really encourage someone?”

“I think the key is knowing how much to step back and let it happen. I would always observe the dynamic of the entire team first and then think about being able to guide the group but not take over. People should feel like they have agency. It’s a balancing act. I gravitate less to being the one with all the answers. I don’t have all the answers,” but we can get there.

2. Lead by stepping back and reassessing.

“If I were to do it all again, I’d step back even more. I wouldn’t be the first one to talk. See if somebody else comes up with the big idea…”

“I’m still learning about what helps people. Being a good teacher is about the process, not the product, and helping everyone grow—helping them figure it out, not telling them the answers. It’s not about completely driving the project, just supporting.”

“Animal Connections: Our Journey Together,” a mobile truck exhibition Quatrefoil created for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

3. Be mindful of when to let things go.

If you have too many things on your plate, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. “It takes discipline to say no to things. If your focus is stretched, scheduling your time wisely and understanding how long things actually take,” is so important. “Design can feel like it’s never quite done,” but you have to find an end point and move on to the next opportunity.

4. Be holistic.

“Over the years, I worked really closely with clients. I learned a lot about what works [in exhibition design], developing insights and knowledge about what successful museums look like, in general, not just when it comes to exhibits but also their programming, fundraising, and community engagement. I like those strategic challenges and love to think about the big picture. . . Evaluation and feasibility studies are also so important. Develop a strategy that’s about more than just the exhibition experience. . . You’ve got to lift your head up from the day to day to evaluate things from a more global perspective.”

5. Really listen.

“Listen to people and what they need. Don’t just default to the way you’ve always done something. There are best practices, of course, but listen to where a client or colleague is. They all come from different places and have different needs. Don’t just put people into buckets. Sometimes, you’re the one that needs to adapt or change,” so that they feel comfortable and ready to trust you.

6. Be open and honest.

“People have asked me how they can be a good client. Two things—trust us but also question us. Tell us when you don’t understand. They should ask us, ‘what’s next?’ and ‘what should I be doing now?’ Generally, people really appreciate that open communication. Meet them where they are, explain and listen to build trust.”

Roula visits a fabrication shop to see Quatrefoil’s exhibitions being built.

Roula’s years of leadership changed people’s lives. Here’s what some of her colleagues said, in their own words:

Elva, Junior Designer
“Roula has been a large part of my growth as a designer during my time at Quatrefoil. From sketching to site visits, and even to a picnic while out in the field, Roula was a key part of my experience working here. I hope that she finds joy and happiness in the many years following Quatrefoil and knows how integral she is to helping so many institutions bring their dreams to life.”

Cole, Senior Graphic Designer
“Roula’s demeanor is so comfortable. I’ve worked on a lot of projects with her, and she doesn’t just jump out in front of everyone and take control; you don’t have to take a backseat.

She enables you, encourages you. It reminds me in a way of being back in college and having a professor who always finds the right words, inspiring you to figure something out and continuing to cheer you on once you’ve done it. If there was something she thought could be improved, it was always constructive. It always came together in the end.

She feels almost like family. She’s just so sweet, likeable, easy to work with and talk to. I’ve never looked at her like a boss. I just trust in what she knows and what she has to offer. It’s about trust.”

Paloma, Exhibit Designer
“Roula made an effort to stay in touch outside of work. She tried to make sure we were still connected even though I wasn’t in the [Maryland] office frequently.

We came from different design backgrounds; we were taught differently, but she never imposed that background on me. She was always very collaborative, always open to trying something new. She was a co-worker who made you feel you could be open with them. I’ve learned a lot from her—different expertise and examining how you think everything went” after a project was completed.

Auburn, Associate/Senior Experience Designer
“From the beginning of my time at Quatrefoil, Roula was a beacon guiding me into a new company and navigating the complexities of each project. Roula’s thoughtful and warm approach to client relationships modeled one of Quatrefoil’s core pillars—listening to our clients and being a partner in the creative process. She set an example for all staff to follow.

That warmth extends far beyond client relationships though. Often my sounding board for processing creative or client challenges, Roula always made herself available to talk. Even if there wasn’t an easy solution to a particular problem, I left those conversations feeling that there was a way forward.

One afternoon after a client meeting in Washington, DC, we had some time to kill so we popped into the National Building Museum to see the Building Stories exhibit. It’s a great exhibit, and in my mind, perfectly captures Roula’s design language—environmental graphics that gave a nod to the fine arts. They were imaginative, immersive, and with a touch of playfulness.

I deeply appreciate my time working with Roula—thank you for being a teacher and an overall delight to work with!”

Roula speaks at the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Maryland.

Even though Roula has stepped away from Quatrefoil’s Studio, we continue to try to embody what she taught us all: be open, be mindful, be respectful. Our next generation of thinkers and makers is stepping into Roula’s shoes with these principles in mind. In a culture that’s seemingly obsessed with mindless AI outputs and endless productivity, the quiet benefits of listening can’t be overstated. Thank you, Roula, for reminding us what makes good design such a human endeavor. We all look forward to hearing about your next adventure!

The post Congratulations to Roula Tsapalas! appeared first on Quatrefoil.

What’s the first thing you notice about a work of art, a piece of clothing, a room in a house? Many see color before anything else, and reactions can be visceral! Color can make or break a design. We sat down with Auburn, Cole, and Paloma, three of our expert graphic and experiential designers, to get tips on picking the perfect hue for your new exhibition space. One of the most important tips? Beware of trends. Of-the-moment colors are rarely appropriate unless they relate to your content and your story. More on that to come later in the article . . .

Starting with a “Safe” Palette

When coming up with an initial palette, Paloma says, “I take a lot from what the topic is and then pull from the existing space . . . I start with a theme rather than a color base, so it originates with the content. I also ask what colors a client has gravitated toward in the past. It sounds a bit strange today, but back in school, we learned that a traditional ‘boy color palette’ was always safe—cool colors, blues, grays, greens.”

“I do find myself starting in that area and then thinking, ‘How can we expand this?’ Every room in my house is a different color! I like lots of patterns and colors. . .. Just remember, when you paint something, it’s not permanent.”

Using Content and Context

The sepia-tones in the Reginald F. Lewis Museum’s exhibition about the history of lynching were—in part—inspired by newspapers and archival photos.

While Paloma often builds from a cool palette, Cole has another approach. “For somebody who lives in color, I go with something that’s more instinctual—this or that just feels right. Color for designers is a very personal endeavor,” he explains. “I’ve had a hard time picking colors before I know about the content. I make decisions based on whatever themes are being discussed or a central image, pulling colors from the photos.”

For his recent Quartrefoil work at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, Cole had a tall order—to create a color palette and designs for an exhibition about the history of lynching in the state of Maryland. It was a project that required sensitivity and a tempered approach that didn’t whitewash the history nor sensationalize it. “I thought of old photos and of fire. These colors spoke of violence to me—charcoal grays, deep reds.”

“Color has a lot of power,” he adds. “There’s a responsibility to treat it the way it’s intended for the audience. Bolder colors often force you to pay more attention, but you don’t want it to overpower the content,” Cole notes. “You don’t want it to compete but to complement, and sometimes, you want the color to disappear.” “Maybe most importantly,” he adds, “You need time to sit with it so you can be certain.” Ask yourself, can you paint the gallery, and let it rest for an ample amount of time? Aside from conservation concerns like the off gassing of paints, you need space to absorb how the color plays in the gallery.

For Auburn, harkening back to the content is critical as are historical references. She says, “I research colors keyed to an era or timeframe . . . but it’s different for a publication than it is for a built environment. The graphics and the environment have to work together.” She often starts with a largely neutral palette, building in one or two accent colors. There are also considerations related to overall proportions, daylight in a gallery, and the reflection that comes from various finishes, especially if you’re working within a space that already has built-in features. It all has to play together. And, there are practical considerations: is this a high-traffic area? How long will the exhibition be up? What is the space actually used for? What’s the vibe?

Accessibility

High contrast colors make content easier to read in this example.

Over the last few years, a much-needed shift toward accessibility has changed the way we approach colors. “It can limit the value range,” Auburn adds. “It’s important to check that your color combinations (used in a gallery or online) are high contrast—that text is readable against the background” and that the use of text over an images is used judiciously. The Smithsonian and AAM have helpful guidelines for design accessibility.

Following Trends

Earlier in the article, we mentioned trendy colors. It seems like dark, earthy tones are everywhere now. (Have you seen charcoal-black color schemes on buildings and houses lately?) Applying trendy colors to a room or personal project is easy enough, but using the same color scheme in a gallery might be ill-advised. “Trends are only appropriate if it relates to the content,” Auburn says. “It has to have some meaning.”

At the Oakland Museum in California, for example, Auburn coupled vibrant terracotta (a Benjamin Moore paint color called Egyptian Clay) with more muted yellows and blues in an exhibition she designed about ceramic artist Edith Heath. The hues were evocative of the Northern California landscape that inspired Heath’s glazes and the mid-century era when she developed her work.

The color palette for the “The “Edith Heath: A Life in Clay” exhibition at the Oakland Museum.

The color must match your intended goal. If you want to create an inviting, warm space where people could sit and rest—something minimal, soft, and muted might be best. But, it’s a balance; you don’t want the space to be overly clinical, which can also be a trigger. Finding the right color is a matter of intent and identifying the needs of the audience first.

White vs. White

White walls allow hands-on and text elements to pop. More importantly, the wall color doesn’t detract from the building’s impressive cedar interior. US Park Police Horse Stables and Education Center in Washington, DC.

Remember the controversy about the 2026 Color of the Year, “Cloud Dancer”? Introduced by Pantone, the color is a billowy, lackluster white (personal opinion here). Some people consider it indicative of our dystopian times; others think it represents harmony, peace, and contentment. Whatever your thoughts, whites can be effective when used intentionally.

“There’s a big difference between the color white and white being used for negative space,” Auburn notes. “It’s really a tool. Minimalism has its place, in fine art exhibitions, for example . . .. If you’re displaying a bold painting, white is fine. It’s how you use the color in relationship to other things.” Or, conversely, “you could go with a dark space and have the objects in the middle.”

“Color is emotional for clients,” Auburn confesses. “I try to unpack it with them and explain my rationale.”

Tools that can help

Looking for a place to start? Paloma sometimes consults Adobe Color, a web-based service that helps you pair hues. “It can give you a sense of what would go best with a base color. It will give you shades, tones, and contrasts. You can save palettes into your libraries and extract colors from a photo. I’ve found this tool to be very helpful,” she says.

For accessibility, we often consult with digital tools like WebAim, which requires the user to input background and foreground colors to assess contrast levels. Of course, differences in color profiles on individual monitors don’t always give you the truest sense of color, but it’s close. Pulling from WAIG’s guidelines, AccessibleColors.com is another reliable source, and there are undoubtedly many AI tools out there that deliver color palettes in seconds, but at this stage, we still prefer an expert human approach. 😊

Have questions about colors or accessible design, ping us on LinkedIn.

The post Expert Tips: How to Select the Perfect Colors for Your Exhibition appeared first on Quatrefoil.

Simona moved to Baltimore in 2006 to study art and design at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Early in her career, she worked on hospitality interiors for major American hotel brands as well as local architectural projects, where she developed a strong interest in interdisciplinary collaboration. Seeking a broader social and environmental impact, Simona pursued graduate studies in community planning and ecological architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Design.

For more than 15 years, Simona has worked as an exhibition designer and project manager on major museum and cultural projects across the United States. She regularly leads multidisciplinary teams through the full project lifecycle—from concept development and strategic planning to fabrication and installation—coordinating designers, curators, engineers, vendors, and volunteers.

During her tenure at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, she played a key role in planning and delivering major exhibitions while navigating the operational complexities of a large federal institution. She helped establish efficient workflows for project teams, contributed to improvements in internal digital operations, and guided the evolution of design and project management processes. A certified Project Management Professional, Simona has extensive experience managing large-scale exhibitions and multi-million-dollar cultural events.

Uniquely qualified in federal contracting, site master planning, zoning, environmental land use, and project management, Simona collaborates effectively with city planners, zoning officials, and other public stakeholders. Her knowledge of architectural standards, building codes, and accessibility requirements supports the creation of inclusive, well-integrated public spaces.

In 2017, she founded ColorAngle, Benefit LLC, a design and planning consultancy focused on collaborative projects with local businesses and community initiatives, exploring the intersection of design, sustainability, and placemaking.

Fluent in Lithuanian and Russian, Simona often collaborates with international partners and clients. Outside of work, she enjoys travel, design and craft projects, reformer Pilates, tennis, and outdoor hikes with her energetic pup. A longtime jazz enthusiast, she has also been learning jazz tunes on the ukulele.

The post Welcome Simona Uzaite, Senior Exhibit Designer appeared first on Quatrefoil.

Creating a truly multimodal exhibition is often seen as the holy grail of design. Budgets may dictate what’s possible, but they don’t have to break the bank. (We can attest to the fact that small museums with modest resources have done this beautifully.) The trick is to think of the exhibition as a circle. Ask yourself, does one element lead naturally back to another? And don’t forget the marketing (social mentions, web banners, cookie crumbs on those rack cards!) Marketing is a critical piece that helps close the circle by connecting audiences across formats. We are proud to showcase St. Johns Black Heritage Trail in Florida as one such example, tying together web, print, and on-site experiences.

Here’s a checklist of guiding questions to help plan a multimodal approach:

• Audiences
  • Who are the core audiences, and what modes of engagement will serve them best?
  • Are there underserved audiences who could be reached through a different format? Make a list of random formats (Don’t limit yourself to “safe” ideas.)
• Online Access
  • Is there a dedicated web portal that complements the physical experience? (This doesn’t have to be a full-fledged website, but make sure that in-depth content is available for exploration.)
  • Can visitors preview stories/the exhibition online, then be guided to on-site locations, social media, or other places?
  • Once digital resources are created, are they accessible (e.g., closed captioning, screen reader compatibility)?
• Print Connections (No, it’s not dead.)
  • Is there a printed guidebook or brochure to accompany the exhibition or trail?
  • How does print direct people to web resources, social media, or in-person experiences? This is both the pre-visit experience and a post-visit experience.
  • Is print designed with accessibility in mind (font size, contrast, braille options)?
• In-Person Experience
  • How do the physical elements tie into digital and print resources?
  • Are there tactile components or touch-based interactives for all ages and abilities that can lead users back to digital? (Back in the day, some museums would post event photos on Flickr and encourage folks to check in to see if they made it in the album. Still a strong way of making connections!)
  • Do other on-site elements point back to the web, print, or social media? (The classic selfie station is a good example of this.)
• Learning Styles & Accessibility
  • Are options available for visual learners (graphics, maps, illustrations)?
  • Are auditory experiences supported with transcripts or captions?
  • Do tactile and sensory options allow visitors with different abilities to engage fully?
• Integration & Marketing
  • How do these pieces work together to create a “cookie trail” from one mode to another?
  • Is marketing—social media, PR, community outreach—used to link audiences back into the circle? Most importantly, do you think of PR/Marketing as an add-on, post-launch. This could be a missed opportunity.
  • Does the visitor journey feel continuous—online to print to in-person, and back again?

These are just a few things to think about to make your content truly multi-modal, multi-platform. Have examples of where this was done exceptionally well? Ping us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/quatrefoil-associates or on Instagram @Quatrefoil_Design.

This project was produced by the St. Johns Cultural Council with funding from the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, Florida Division of Historical Resources, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The post A Multimodal Checklist for Exhibitions, Design, and Online Experiences appeared first on Quatrefoil.

Attending the annual AAM Conference in LA this year? Join us for a thought-provoking workshop exploring how Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) inspires multicultural and multigenerational audiences to embody the Japanese American WWII soldiers’ core values of courage, sacrifice, equality, humility, tolerance, and patriotism.

When: Tuesday, May 06, 2025 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT
Where: 355 E. 1st St., Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Go For Broke National Education Center

Description: Led by Mitch Maki, the executive director at GFBNEC and Quatrefoil’s direct of design strategies Michael Burns, participants will learn about this important chapter in American history and how GFBNEC has evolved its programming and outreach through its engaging permanent and traveling exhibitions, innovative NextGen programming and unparalleled resources such as the Hanashi Oral History & Special Collections. Hear how to keep history alive and relevant by connecting historical facts, personal stories, and community anecdotes with today’s social dynamics of social justice, civil liberties, and democracy. The workshop includes an opportunity to explore GFBNEC’s permanent, interactive Defining Courage exhibition housed in a former Buddhist temple in historic Little Tokyo. Participants are also invited to join GFBNEC and Quatrefoil staff at the iconic Far Bar restaurant for continued informal conversations (lunch is not provided).

Know Before You Go: Transportation is not provided for this workshop.

Learn more at https://goforbroke.org/.

See the event notification.

The post Check Out Michael Burns’ Session at AAM 2025 appeared first on Quatrefoil.

Creating inclusive environments in museums isn’t just a matter of compliance—it’s about ensuring every visitor, regardless of their abilities, has an opportunity to connect with the content. At Quatrefoil, we see accessibility as a central element of meaningful design, one that enhances the experience for everyone. Check out a few practical, actionable strategies for improving accessibility in your museum exhibitions:

1. Create Clear Navigation: Visitors should never feel lost in an exhibition space or in the museum at large. Confusing layouts or inaccessible pathways create obstacles, particularly for those with mobility, visual, or cognitive impairments.

What You Can Do:

• Incorporate bold, high-contrast signs that are easy to read, even from a distance.
• Ensure pathways are wide and clear of obstacles, with sufficient space for wheelchairs or strollers. If not, consider rerouting visitors to other areas.
• Offer maps in both printed and digital formats, with tactile or braille options for people with visual impairments.
• Talk to visitor services or front-of-house staff about addressing the needs of the visitors, making sure everyone is aware of accessibility options.

2. Provide Diverse Formats for Engagement: Each person interacts with information differently. Offering various formats allows everyone to engage with your content in a way that works for them.

What You Can Do:

• Add braille labels and audio guides to exhibit panels. Check out this review of braille printers. Many audio guide platforms provide space for full transcriptions, but that doesn’t mean they are fully accessible. We’re in the process of investigating this more.
• Include subtitles and offer sign language interpretation for multimedia content, including videos and live events. AI-generated captions for video can save time, but they need to be edited by a human to check for incorrect words, fix punctuation, spellings of names, and add atmospheric sounds.
• Provide easy-read versions of dense text, catering to those with cognitive disabilities. Better yet, make the main text in an exhibition short and easy to understand. Easier said than done, we know! At the very least, have an educator review your copy early on in your process. Tell them to use their red pen liberally, making notes if the text is too complex. We generally shoot for an 8^th-grade reading level. Check out this resource from the Autism Self Advocacy Network: https://autisticadvocacy.org/resources/accessibility/easyread/

3. Mobility Considerations Matter: Ensuring that visitors using wheelchairs, walkers, or strollers can fully access exhibits ensures equal opportunity for all to engage with your museum.

What You Can Do:

• Include accessible features such as ramps, elevators, and appropriately marked restrooms. For historic buildings that were built long before ADA standards, accessibility can be a challenge, but there are resources available to help you get there.
• Place seating areas strategically throughout the exhibit for visitors who may need to rest. While hygienic seating is important, consider comfort as well, especially if people are spending longer periods of time in the space, attending programs or doing research.
• Position touchscreens and interactive displays at accessible heights for both standing and seated visitors. The reach range for touchscreens and interactives is also legally required. Find more information: https://www.access-board.gov/ada/guides/chapter-3-operable-parts/

4. Empower Staff Through Training: Friendly, well-trained staff are vital in making sure visitors feel comfortable and supported throughout their experience. A knowledgeable team makes a big difference.

What You Can Do:

• Provide staff with regular accessibility-focused training to enhance their understanding and responsiveness.
• Teach staff simple phrases and tools to assist guests with disabilities.
• Cultivate an atmosphere where visitors feel encouraged to ask for help when they need it.

5. Create Sensory-Friendly Options: Museums can be sensory overload for some visitors, particularly those with sensory sensitivities. Creating calm, controlled spaces helps these visitors enjoy their time without discomfort.

What You Can Do:

• Offer designated sensory-friendly hours, with reduced noise levels and more subdued lighting. Include details on our website about when the museum is particularly busy, if events are likely to be crowded, etc.
• Designate quiet zones where visitors can go to relax if they feel overwhelmed. These would be great spots for those comfortable chairs. Quiter zones and sensory-friendly events are not just for children; we recently heard from visitors that they were excited to find a sensory-friendly event that was for people 18 and up. The museum had a separate event for families with children.
• Clearly mark exhibits that involve loud sounds, flashing lights, or strong smells, so visitors can choose to engage on their own terms.

6. Engage with the Community

Why It’s Important: The voices of individuals with disabilities are invaluable when it comes to understanding real barriers and crafting effective solutions. Listening to the community ensures you’re meeting their needs.

What You Can Do:

• Partner with disability experts during the planning process to gather critical feedback.
• Host focus groups to engage with a variety of perspectives and adjust your plans accordingly.
• Stay flexible and continually improve your accessibility practices based on ongoing feedback and evolving standards.

These strategies serve as a starting point for creating exhibitions that are accessible to as many people as possible. Accessibility is not a one-size-fits-all solution—it’s an ongoing process, and it does have real-world implications for budgets. But it’s worth the effort.

Which of these ideas can your team begin implementing today to make your next exhibition more accessible? For additional examples, check out this list of accessible museum experiences.

More thoughtful experiences: https://www.euansguide.com/campaigns/top-tips-for-museums-and-galleries/#:~:text=Space,get%20close%20to%20the%20display

Principles of Accessible Exhibition Design from Smithsonian: https://www.sifacilities.si.edu/sites/default/files/Files/Accessibility/accessible-exhibition-design1.pdf

The post Designing Accessible Museum Experiences appeared first on Quatrefoil.

Quatrefoil just turned 35. We were born in the late ‘80s. If you were around during that time, you’ll remember the leg warmers, big hair, and iconic performers like Tina Turner and Prince, not to mention the rock bands Duran Duran and Tears for Fears. Rock-n-roll is in our staff’s DNA!

When Michael Adams joined Quatrefoil Associates as a freelancer in 1994, he was a long-haired drummer in a band, fresh off a corporate layoff and unsure of his next move. “I was at a crossroads,” he recalls. At first, the job was straightforward—answering phones, running errands, delivering packages. But it wasn’t long before Michael started taking on more. He drove a 26-foot truck, helped with transportation and installations, and began learning the ins and outs of museum work.

“I’ve never limited myself to one thing,” Michael says. “If someone asks me to do something, I’m not going to say it’s not part of my job.”

That willingness to jump in wherever needed has defined Michael’s nearly 30-year career at Quatrefoil. Back in the days when the company operated out of Abbie Chessler’s basement, it was a scrappy setup—simple furniture, a single telephone, and a printer that seemed to take hours to spit out proposals. But Michael thrived in the environment, learning new skills on the fly.

While traveling for installations, he bonded with fellow crew members over long stretches on the road, sometimes gone for 4 to 5 weeks at a time. He fondly remembers spending Thanksgiving in Boulder, Colorado, while on an install, and afterward taking his dogs to hike the Grand Canyon. “I always made sure we stayed in pet-friendly hotels,” he laughs.

Through it all, Michael never stopped learning. While managing his band, East is East—a progressive rock group he’s played with since the late ’80s—he discovered a knack for handling sales, tickets, and merchandise. That interest in numbers translated to Quatrefoil, where he realized he had a passion for accounting. Michael took classes in business, statistics, and accounting, sharpening the skills he now uses daily. “Math and music go hand in hand,” Michael says. “It helps me stay organized, keep things running smoothly, and spot potential issues—which I’ve caught early more than once.”

Michael’s love of music has also been a unique asset to Quatrefoil. He helped develop musical interactives for the Experience Music Project (now the Museum of Pop Culture), drawing on his years as a drummer to imagine how to teach someone to pick up sticks for the first time. He even lent his voice to a blues exhibition, recording audio to bring the experience to life.

“Multiple talents and multiple skills have come in handy over the years,” Michael says. That versatility extends to his side business, where he installs art—a skill he picked up working with talented colleagues at Quatrefoil. Most recently, he installed the Moss Kendrix: Reframing the Black Image exhibition at the Alexandria Black History Museum.

“Ever since that fateful day when I got laid off, I had to reinvent myself,” Michael reflects. “And it actually just opened more doors. It did for me.”

Today, Michael starts every morning at 6:00 a.m., checking Quatrefoil’s records and accounts with the same meticulous care that’s defined his career. Whether he’s balancing the books, installing art, or brainstorming ideas for an exhibition, Michael brings creativity, precision, and an endless willingness to learn. “It’s been quite a ride,” he says, “and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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“It all started at the barn,” artist and designer Abbie Chessler likes to say, recounting Quatrefoil’s humble beginnings in 1989. Abbie and her future colleague, Paula Schuman, both loved horses. The equestrian group met for pizza every Wednesday night after riding. At the time, Abbie was deep into a project for Johns Hopkins Hospital and was mulling over some design challenges one night at dinner. The discussion piqued Paula’s interest immediately. “Paula said, ‘we can help you build that,’ and everything just clicked,” Abbie recalls. Paula was an experienced welder and painter, and her husband, Steve Schuman, was a mechanical engineer who could build just about anything. Abbie’s own husband, Ernie Falcone, was a visionary tech guru with serious electronics, hardware, and software chops. Together, they realized they had everything needed to offer turn-key exhibits and interactive solutions for everyone from hospitals to museums. Soon, those casual conversations over pizza turned into a company that would change the landscape for interactive museum experiences.

Groundbreakers

Quatrefoil Associates was a bold venture by two women in a time when leadership roles for women at museums were rare. Abbie and Paula often found themselves the only women decision makers at conferences, their ideas met with indifference or outright dismissal. “We lived that reality,” she says.

“It was an uphill battle to land big jobs.”

In the 1990’s, with grit and determination, they climbed into Abbie’s Dodge Caravan and kept going on the conference circuit, carving out their place in a male-dominated field and laying the foundation for what would become a well-known woman-owned business.

For almost a decade, Quatrefoil’s design team operated out of Abbie’s Silver Spring basement, and a shop outbuilding on the Schumann property for fabrication. They named the company “Quatrefoil” to symbolize the four partners as well as a certain universal design approach. It didn’t hurt that the quatrefoil design looked like a 4-leaf clover—they needed a bit of luck to kick things off. Science museums were a natural fit in the beginning because they were interested in something beyond static collections. They understood the value of interactivity, Abbie recalls. Those first designs were simple but effective tactiles, mechanicals, and even a “high-tech” interactive with a fish eating its prey. (Picture an 8-bit video game). The team soon wondered how they might parlay interactive design into history-focused museums. “It just wasn’t done at the time and history museums were searching for ways to expand their audience,” Abbie muses.

The Experience Music Project

Their big break came in 2000 with the groundbreaking Sound Lab at the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle, now the Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP. This interactive gallery, designed by Quatrefoil in collaboration with the EMP in-house team, allowed visitors to live out their rock-and-roll fantasies. Whether playing solo or jamming with others, visitors explored the joys of music creation in a way that had never been done before. Quatrefoil and EMP designed, developed, and produced 18 custom musical instrument stations and 34 multimedia programs that made the experience unforgettable.

In a June 2000 review, The New York Times described the museum’s “strongest point” as the Sound Lab, where visitors could “learn in just a few technology-aided minutes how to play guitar, keyboard or drums.” The opening itself was a big deal. Abbie recalls meeting ‘80s music icon Herbie Hancock, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and famed architect Frank Gehry. More than two decades later, the Sound Lab experience is still a billboard hit with visitors—a testament to Quatrefoil’s innovative spirit.

“It was a showcase of everything we loved—fun, music, and making learning immersive,” Abbie beams.

Interactive experience at Experience Music Project, now Museum of Pop Culture

Memorable Moments

At the same time, Quatrefoil was reaching out to other types of museums. They designed the Visitor Center at Little Rock’s Central High School, working with history-makers to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine, and 10 years later designed the National Park Service’s Museum at Central High School. For Abbie, it was a pivotal moment. “How lucky am I to get to work with Civil Rights heroes; it was an honor.”

She remembers other moments that made the work worthwhile. At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, for example, Quatrefoil designed the first Hands-on History Lab, opening the door to more interactive learning at the Smithsonian and beyond. Abbie laughs when she remembers another Smithsonian first, at least for her. When they were working on the Elephant Trails exhibit at the National Zoo, she found herself stepping behind the scenes for a day as an elephant keeper. “Giving an elephant a bath isn’t something you forget,” she says. But it wasn’t just the big names or unusual perks that stayed with her. One of the most meaningful projects was designing a space for children with terminal illnesses, giving them a place to relax, play, and just be kids.

Through it all, the heart of Quatrefoil has remained the same: a commitment to creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning.

“The rest is history.” Abbie says.

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