Client

Folger Shakespeare Library,
Washington D.C.

Visioning Phase

Spring 2021

Team

Visioning Lead by Cassandra Cortez Gerardo in collaboration with:
Studio Joseph (exhibition design), Bluecadet (media design), and Folger Shakespeare Library (audience research)

Background

Housing the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the Folger Shakespeare Library is a premier destination for viewing and studying Shakespeare’s works. In undertaking a major renovation of its 12,000-square-foot exhibition spaces, the Library sought to redefine visitor engagement and make Shakespeare’s legacy more accessible to diverse audiences, including D.C. locals and new demographic groups.

Challenge

Partnering with Studio Joseph, the project aimed to create an inclusive, dynamic, and multifaceted experience by addressing barriers such as perceptions of elitism, cultural underrepresentation, and the imposing nature of the space. Central to the effort was the challenge of designing exhibitions that allow average or inexperienced museumgoers to draw meaningful parallels between their lives and Shakespeare’s world while harmonizing historical content with contemporary relevance and fostering community connection.

Accomplishments

During this phase, I worked as the Visioning lead and collaborated with my team at Studio Joseph and BlueCadet. The primary objective was to develop a vision and strategy that would intentionally welcome diverse audiences, activate new and existing spaces, and create a cohesive interpretive framework. Specific goals included:

• Attracting more racially and economically diverse audiences from the D.C. area, especially underserved communities east of the Capitol.

• Designing interactive, multi-sensory experiences to immerse visitors in Shakespeare's world and its broader historical and cultural contexts.

• Building a sense of ownership and relevance for visitors through participatory activities and storytelling.

Research

Not only did our team need to understand what makes Shakespeare so special to Shakespeare aficionados, but also understand the ways Shakespeare can translate to novice museum goers with little to no Shakespeare exposure. 

The entire Visioning phase lasted 5 weeks and research consisted of:

• 11 group interviews of 35 interviewees total

• 2 deep dive informative content sessions on the FSL collections

• 3 workshops with the core FSL team and expanded FSL leadership

• as well as desktop research into the library’s collections, and internal audience and community focus research conducted by the library.

In addition to redefining new audiences, the library needed to determine who they were as an institution and understand how they could make their content relevant to new audiences through visitor engagement.

Kickoff:

The kickoff workshop established visioning goals and gathered initial insights into audience engagement and the desired Folger experience.

Using a metaphors exercise, participants were able to articulate how they wanted the space to feel. Themes highlighted inclusivity, diversity, and growth, with metaphors such as "garden," "backstage," and "community center" shaping the vision for a welcoming, varied, and engaging visitor experience.

Visioning I:

The first visioning session focused on 3 topics: first impressions, visitor participation, and tone.

When asking participants what it means for visitors to use their voice, real life precedents were shown to demonstrate the wide array of participation options.

Building upon the kickoff, which addressed the overall experience, this workshop focused on the tone of the content and exhibitions.

By the end of the workshop, we were able to craft the beginnings of a north star for the Folger experience.

Visioning II

Each workshop dove deeper into the Folger experience and its content. The final workshop explored the integration of content and visitor experience to envision how we could use experience design to weave storytelling throughout the library.

The workshop explored topics like race, gender, colonialism, and daily life to provide diverse entry points into Shakespeare’s works and historical artifacts.

In addition to Mural, the workshops utilized Slido to gather participant feedback, allowing our team time to prep the following exercise behind the scenes.

Part of the workshops consisted of education on experiential approaches and immersive experiences. Through precedents, participants learned about engagement through tactile elements, atmospheric soundscapes, and opportunities for storytelling and creative contributions. Our team also focused on various narrative techniques such as juxtaposing artifacts to highlight social and historical contexts to make exhibits more relatable and engaging.

Participants were then able to build upon what they learned through an activity that used experiential approach cards and thematic ideas to help physically map out how a narrative could move through a space.

Outcomes

The phase culminated in a report of synthesized findings and recommendations and laid the groundwork for a reimagined Folger experience that:

• Bridged the gap between scholarly rigor and popular accessibility, ensuring that Shakespeare’s work resonated with modern audiences.

• Attracted new audience segments, particularly underrepresented groups, by fostering a welcoming and engaging environment that included flexible spaces to host diverse programs, from workshops to community gatherings, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity.

• Enhanced the library's reputation as a dynamic cultural hub, both locally and internationally, through innovative programming and cross-institutional collaboration.

• Established sustainable practices for ongoing audience engagement, creating a model for other cultural institutions.

Designers were able to take these findings into the exhibition concept design phase as a north star throughout the process.