ALPHAWOOD GALLERY
Project Details
Client: Alphawood Foundation
Role: Exhibitions assistant
Tools: SketchUp, Indesign, Photoshop, Word, Excel, Airtable
Timeframe: 9 months, Fall 2016- 2017
Location: 2401 N Halsted St., Chicago IL
Architect: Sparc Architects, Chicago
Graphic Design: Michael Garzel Graphic Design + Photography
Director of Exhibitions: Anthony Hirschel
Exhibitions Assistant: Destiny Williams
Exhibition Coordination and Installation: JWSC LLC, Terry Dowd Inc., Artex Fine Art Services
Exhibition Website: http://artaidsamericachicago.org/
Foundation Website: http://www.alphawoodfoundation.org/
Project Overview
About Alphawood Gallery
The Alphawood Gallery was created by the Alphawood Foundation a Chicago-based, grant-making private foundation working for an equitable, just, and humane society by awarding grants to organizations, primarily in the areas of advocacy, architecture and preservation, the arts and arts education, promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT citizens and people living with HIV/AIDS, and other human and civil rights. located in the Foundation’s headquarters building, the gallery space was renovated specifcally to provide a space to display the Art aids america exhibition in Chicago.
As the assistant to the director of exhibitions, I was tasked with creating the exhibition renders, way-finding graphics, and assisting with experience design and web design. Through connecting with advocacy partners and developing immersive programming and art installations, the exhibit not only informed viewers but gave them an experience that gives action on how to move forward as a community beyond the exhibit.
About Art AIDS America in Chicago exhibition
Art AIDS America was organized by Tacoma Art Museum in partnership with The Bronx Museum of the Arts. The exhibition is co-curated by Jonathan David Katz, Dir ector, Visual Studies Doctoral Program at the University at Bufalo (The State University of New York), and Rock Hushka, Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary and Northwest Art at Tacoma Art Museum. The national tour is supported by the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art and Gilead Sciences, Inc. The exhibition and catalogue have been made possible by support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Unique to the major institutions the exhibition toured, the Alphawood Gallery was designed specifally for this exhibition. The new space allowed for more engagement design and programing opportunities creating an exclusive museum experience for the visitors. The exhibition in Chicago had features such as free HIV testing and information space, a media room, interactive artworks and special performance art incorporating the space, a reading and refection space, as well as the story corps room designed for the Story Corps organization collaborating with the Alphawood foundation. Being that the space was part of the Alphawood foundation, it provided a great opportunity for art and public health organiztions to create enriching programing in the Chicago Community. More inclusive designs of the space include visitor comment sections, gender neutral bathrooms, and interactive graphics to direct the exhibition space.
Exhibition Planning
The director wanted to visualize a variety of ways to install around 180 paintings and objects in time for the installation date. My role as the Exhibition Assistant consisted of providing exhibition renders, managing artwork inventory and exhibition databases, editing labels and press materials, and other research and development tasks as assigned. Using the floor plans developed by SPARC Architects in Chicago, I was able to focus on the gallery levels individually and created a render that can be easily manipulated by the director in order to create a variety of plans. I also created a gallery map for the exhibition brochure by converting the floor plans into a wayfnding map.
I arranged the render so the artworks can be easily rearranged and sized according to scale. Several arrangements were made to assist with installing the works quickly and accurately.
The space had engaging design features such as video displays, inclusive signage, and graphics. The design provided space for seamless collaborations between the gallery, foundation, artist, and organizations creating a uniquley captivating experience for visitors and the Chicago community.
Community involvement was a core focus for the design of the exhibition. The reading and refectingarea also provided a great space for programs that bring people together and share stories to raise awareness and to provide information and health resources. The HIV testing area was designed in a way that made the space feel part of the exhibition and not intimidating.
Please contact me for more information about this project.