The Wild Center | Portfolio

THE WILD CENTER
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS EXHIBIT

Exhibit Developer November 2021- July 2022

Exhibit Design Fellow June 2021- November 2021

Tupper Lake, NY

I worked with a small team at The Wild Center to design and build a 3,000 square foot exhibit on climate change solutions that opened in July 2022. I was involved in all aspects of the exhibit design process, from conceptualization to fabrication. This exhibit tells the story of climate change solutions through a local lens, focusing on telling the stories of local Adirondack Park climate leaders working to build and grow solutions in their communities. Centered around hope, action, and climate justice, the exhibit features interactives, stories, and a tinkering studio.

The brainstorming phase of the design process focused on taking an assessment of visitor knowledge of climate change science and solutions coupled with research on climate communication and translating that into an exhibit framework. We landed on a hopeful, storytelling approach that features local leaders and their work to talk about four different categories of climate solutions: energy, nature-based solutions, food, and action.

We spent the next few months in the ideation phase, brainstorming and sketching ideas for interactive exhibits and researching a myriad of climate solutions like carbon sequestration and storage, access to nature, seed saving, food sovereignty, local building materials, and climate change education. I sketched out my ideas and presented them to the team. I lead team design meetings and used my knowledge of creating 3D renderings to build out the exhibit space digitally to test ideas. During this process, we came together with an outside designer for design sprints, built relationships, and had conversations with advisors and local climate leaders.

Once we outlined the exhibit concepts, we began the prototyping phase where I built many models, researched and wrote the text for signage, and tested ideas with visitors. We also began collecting content and I assisted with photoshoots and videography work and conducted interviews with exhibit participants. During this phase, I also edited videos and tackled coding and wiring an exhibit interactive retrofitting old phones to play interview clips.

I also built an exhibit on carbon storage in the Adirondack Park with a small team. Using a map of carbon storage in the Adirondack Park and beyond, we sustainably harvested and preserved moss and created a large artistic rendering of the map with moss.

We then moved into the fabrication phase where we are worked with designers and fabricators to construct the exhibit. We created signage and interactives and made design decisions about the physical space (paint colors, carpet, furniture, etc.). We also helped build and finish exhibit furniture, interactives, and displays.

As part of this exhibit work, I also helped create makerspace activities, brainstorming, designing, and testing hands-on activities for kids to learn about climate solutions.

Here are some pictures of the final exhibit. You can learn more on The Wild Center's website here.

Outside of the 3,000 square foot exhibit space, I continued the theme of climate solutions and designed a large display case talking about the impacts and solutions around the fast fashion industry. I started this exhibit from scratch, researching fast fashion and innovative solutions to make our clothing industry more sustainable. To write and fabricate this display I worked with a co-worker to create signs in house and salvage old items from the storage room and local thrift stores to create the display.