E8: Feminine Exhibit Design with Margaret Middleton, Independent Exhibit Designer

MuseumX: Designing Experiences for Good

I ran across the concept of Feminine Exhibit Design when doing some post-conference research - and it perked my ears right up! What is feminine exhibit design? And, why is it important? Margaret Middleton has been focusing on these questions for several years now, and spent a little time with me to discuss.

Margaret is a thought leader in the inclusive design space, designer of playful, enriching learning experiences, and speaker and consultant advocating for inclusive museum practices.

In this week’s episode, Margaret shares their thoughts on why Feminine Design principles are a critical aspect for inclusive design and how and when to use them. We discuss how acknowledging and resisting an andro-centric perspective is important in design work, and how difficult that can be considering the complexities of femininity. We also discuss what fem-phobia is and how it may present itself in our design work.

Margaret tells us how and when a focus on feminine design emerged from their work and how their thought exercise on this topic has developed since then - including how Cute came to be the 7th element in the emergent Feminine Exhibition Design structure.

Find Margaret on LinkedIn

Find Margaret on their website

Links to resources discussed in episode:

Margaret’s Family Inclusive Language Chart

Book: Feminist Designer

Book: Storytelling in Museums

Book: Welcoming Young Children into the Museum

Book: The Inclusive Museum Leader

Article: Feminine Exhibition Design - describing 6 elements of Feminine Exhibition Design, before the 7th - Cute - was added

Reader Guide for Feminine Exhibition Design article

Gaston Bachelard - ‘the curve is inhabited geometry’

Barbie gets with the program - exhibit Margaret designed, and inspired their focus on feminine design

Alok Vaid-Menon asks ‘What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy to be part of this world?’

Discovery Museum, Acton Massachusetts - Teddy Bear diner

Exhibit: Gender Bending Fashion - Museum Fine Arts Boston

EDGE - Exhibit Design for Girls Engagement research from Exploratorium

Guide from EDGE - recommended qualities regarding what works for girls in a science museum setting

Rhea Ashley Hoskin’s work on femininity and fem-phobia

Sapna Cheryan’s work on the concept of ambient belonging - she focuses on learning and educational spaces

Book: Extra Bold feminist-inclusive, anti-racist, nonbinary field guide for graphic designers

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