MCN 2026

In March 2026, the RISD Museum opened Ways of Looking, an introductory gallery that orients visitors to the museum while offering tools for engaging with artwork (https://risdmuseum.org/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/ways-looking). This project departs from standard museum practice: it was led by interpretation and education staff rather than curators; it spans two galleries but presents only three artworks, prioritizing close engagement; and it positions the visitor’s response as not only valid, but essential. Works of art, collection research, and visitors’ contributions are presented with equal weight in the space, creating a collaborative experience. 

This session explores how power is constructed and distributed in museum collections, curation, and interpretation. Using Ways of Looking as a case study, participants will examine practical strategies for sharing authority with visitors. Attendees will learn how interpretation and technological interventions can disrupt traditional narratives and create more inclusive museum experiences.

In one gallery, we created a drawing space with projections, drawing prompts, and a pegboard for displaying visitor responses. In another, two audio pieces introduced perspectives from an artist and a security guard. Presented through spatial audio and a landline phone turned into an audio player/recorder, these works created a communal listening experience while inviting visitors to record their questions. We made explicit what museum professionals often leave implicit, including how to read labels and how to interpret works of art. We presented four key ideas as springboards for interpretation: process, meanings, origins, and connections. Curiosity and play were embedded throughout the design, encouraging engagement across ages and levels of familiarity.

Visitors often enter museums unsure how to look at art, what questions to ask, or how to do a museum “right,” leading to a lack of confidence or connection. The RISD Museum is one of the few publicly accessible spaces within a larger academic institution. We aim to share knowledge rather than gatekeep it. Visitors should understand that a museum is a network of people with varied skills and perspectives, not a monolith. Through this space, we aim to build trust between the institution and its visitors.

Trust is a two-way exchange: museum professionals must build credibility through accessible, transparent experiences, and Ways of Looking includes resources visitors can carry beyond the galleries. At the same time, institutions must demonstrate trust in visitors’ experiences, questions, and creative insight. This reciprocity is expressed through tools like the landline message system, as well as more formal feedback that directly informs future experiences.

This space operationalizes the values laid out in our strategic plan: becoming more welcoming, curious, collaborative, and bold. A strategic plan should not sit on a shelf; it should be felt in practice.