Rose Art Museum
Visual Identity, Exhibition, Architecture
Exhibition architecture and graphic design for leading museum of modern and contemporary art
The museum as a nexus for justice
In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University collaborated with Isometric to design two pathbreaking art exhibitions. re: collections is a three-year presentation that rethinks the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition asserts a radically inclusive approach to modern and contemporary art, foregrounding the narratives and perspectives of oppressed, minority artists to challenge the “master narrative.” Frida Kahlo: POSE, a six-month temporary exhibition, delicately unveils the life, work, and transgressive spirit of the iconic Mexican artist through her own artwork, as well as extensive photographic material, some of which has never been shown before. Spanning the Rose’s bi-level Modernist building, as well the expansive Foster Wing—13,000 sq. ft in all—the design gives spatial form to the transformative vision of the Rose Art Museum team. The exhibitions reenergize the museum’s teaching mission after a long closure necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subverting and Reconfiguring the Art Historical Canon
The new permanent collection exhibit, titled re: collections, neither ensconces itself within the traditional art historical canon nor protests injustice from outside the walls of the museum. Instead, it firmly leverages the institution's own power towards introspection, a recognition of inequities, and the making of amends. Recognizing the worth and dignity in each artwork showcased—whether it is an Andy Warhol or a Betye Saar—the exhibition fosters conversations among canonical and marginalized artists, uncovering narratives that allow the visitor to see the world differently. The exhibition architecture is monumental yet tentative: the 22-ft tall panels are solid yet hover above the ground; the sinuous walls are thick and grounded but curve as though they were liquid.
Frida Kahlo’s construction of identity
The Frida Kahlo: POSE exhibition is designed as a more intimate experience, where visitors are gently enclosed by curved architecture as they encounter small-scale artworks in five overlapping thematic sections—posing, composing, exposing, queering, and self-fashioning. Dramatic openings create visual connections between themes, and also provide opportunities for visitors to pose and compose their own posture in response to the stories and visuals they are immersed in. Delicate typography and pops of color evoke the trauma and passion of Frida Kahlo’s life.
A shimmering invitation to engage
On the exterior facades of the museum building, dichroic vinyl application creates an intriguing public moment, presenting bold reflections at certain moments and subtle shades of color at others. The installation changes as the visitor moves and also as the sun shifts throughout the day, filling the interior monumental stair of the Foster Wing with a beautiful, slow-moving performance of light, shade, and color. By contrast, the graphic design of the exhibitions themselves is restrained and dignified, placing focus squarely on the presentation of art through subtle typographic play. The temporary exhibition space, in particular, is configurable for future installations without repainting or deinstallation of the permanent collection artworks.
Installation view, re: collections, Six Decades at the Rose Art Museum, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, 2021. Photo by Mel Taing, 2021. Image courtesy of the Rose Art Museum.
Custom furniture to welcome visitors
Along with the Rose team, Isometric reimagined the museum’s entrance to signal an inclusive and welcoming institution. Evolving Isometric’s own bespoke furniture line, we designed custom millwork to match the red oak of the original architectural handrail, complementing it with a contemporary powder-coated steel structure. The new lobby area includes visitor seating, shelving for publications and retail, an accessible coat closet, and a welcome desk with security functionality.
