From Planning to Production

Hello again!

    Over the past week, my thesis exhibition has finally crossed the line from planning into production. After months of research, writing, and object selection, I've received approval to display loaned materials alongside objects from my personal collection and high-resolution surrogates, which means the exhibition is no longer theoretical. It's now something that has to physically exist in space, on a real timeline, with real constraints. With the object list finalized, I've been gathering high-resolution image files, confirming rights and permissions, and thinking through how these materials will actually be encountered by visitors. This stage has made something very clear to me, exhibitions are built as much through logistics and infrastructure as they are through ideas. Decisions about format, furniture, and layout are now just as important, and just as frustrating as the historical arguments and dead ends I found myself encountering throughout my research. One of the biggest challenges at this point has been learning how to design within a space that doesn't behave like a traditional gallery. The Bower Showcase Room is defined by floor to ceiling glass rather than solid walls, which has pushed me to rethink how two dimensional works, labels, and physical objects can be displayed without relying on wall-mounted solutions. While this has been incredibly frustrating and, quite frankly, terrifying it's also forced me to approach exhibition design more creatively and more realistically, considering freestanding elements and spatial zoning rather than linear wall text. As we get closer to the exhibition's opening day, the focus is shifting almost entirely to execution: preparing filed for print, drafting interpretive text, planning installation, and coordinating logistics. It's a demanding phase, but it's also the point at which the project starts to feel tangible in a way that research alone never quite does. With just a few weeks to go, the work is now less about asking what the exhibition could be, and more about realizing what it will be and making sure that is something visitors can actually walk through, experience, and enjoy that experience.