Museums are constantly exploring new ways to immerse visitors in their collections, allowing for richer, more personal experiences. Holosonics has become a key player in this evolution, using Audio Spotlight® focused sound technology to craft intimate, isolated soundscapes that enhance the visitor experience without overwhelming shared spaces. The following installations demonstrate how this innovation enhances visitor engagement, from cultural storytelling to sensory exploration and musical heritage.

Sound Beams Deliver Personal Stories of Latino Culture at the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino recently unveiled its inaugural gallery, the Molina Family Latino Gallery, within the National Museum of American History. Spanning 4,500 square feet, this gallery serves as a bridge to the forthcoming Latino Museum, weaving narratives of Latino history and culture. At the heart of this immersive experience is Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight sound beam technology, creating a personal listening environment for every visitor.

In collaboration with BBI Engineering, Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers were installed to accompany the gallery’s standout feature—“The Foro,” a central exhibit boasting eight video columns, each telling the stories of Latino leaders and trailblazers. Motion sensors activate the isolated audio beams as visitors approach each display, bringing the exhibit to life with a uniquely personalized auditory experience.

Mounted 1:1 above each display, Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers deliver focused sound beams to ensure that only those standing directly in front of the screens hear the narration, without sound bleeding into adjacent exhibits. This level of precision is crucial in a gallery where multiple displays share close quarters, ensuring a clear, undisturbed experience for every visitor. The result is an intimate, one-on-one engagement with history, delivered in crystal-clear sound.

Sasha Harris-Cronin, Principal at BBI Engineering, remarked on the challenges they faced in such a compact space, noting, “This was a project with a very tight exhibit space, and we needed speakers that prevented sound bleed between the exhibits. The Audio Spotlight was a solution that worked well, and visitor feedback has been excellent.”

Sloomoo Institute: Sensory Play Elevated by Focused Sound

Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology has also been deployed in unexpected and playful settings, such as the Sloomoo Institute—a slime-themed sensory experience designed to engage visitors through touch, sight, and now, sound. Sloomoo, already a colorful, interactive space, turned to Holosonics to elevate its sensory offerings by incorporating precise, directed audio into key parts of its “Synthesoothers” exhibits featured at all five US locations.

Suspended within giant color-illuminated domes, AS-24iX Audio Spotlight speakers enhance the immersive experience by adding soundscapes that feel tailor-made for each visitor. Whether they’re showered by the sounds of slime being stretched, liquids poured, and food crunched, or listening to Pei Pei Chung’s other whimsical ASMR soundtracks that accompany the exhibits, Holosonics ensures that the sound is isolated, immersive, and perfectly aligned with the individual visitor experience.

This dynamic use of Audio Spotlight speakers allows Sloomoo to maintain a balance between playful excitement and peaceful serenity, using focused sound to guide visitors through different interactive zones without overwhelming the space with noise. By adding an auditory layer to a primarily tactile experience, Holosonics has enriched Sloomoo’s offering, creating a multisensory environment where sight, sound, and touch come together in perfect harmony.

Horn Man Exhibit: Honoring a Jazz Legend with Directional Sound

A tribute to the legendary R&B and jazz musician Charlie “The Horn Man” Neville, the Horn Man Exhibit celebrates the life and legacy of one of the genre’s pioneers. Housed at the Wood Museum of Springfield History, this exhibit uses music and personal artifacts to capture the essence of Neville’s contributions to jazz. Holosonics was brought in to ensure that the audio experience would be as vibrant and compelling as the visuals of their curated collection.

The challenge with the Horn Man Exhibit was to create a deeply personal connection between the music and each visitor, while maintaining the acoustical integrity of the surrounding exhibits. By installing Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology, the museum succeeded in delivering Charles Neville’s music in a focused, intimate manner. Visitors can stand in front each of the five motion-activated displays and hear Neville’s legendary saxophone playing as if it were performed just for them.

The precise directionality of Holosonics’ AS-168iX speakers ensures that Neville’s music does not interfere with other exhibits, allowing the sound to remain isolated and personal to each listener. This focused approach not only preserves the integrity of the exhibit but also mirrors the spirit of Neville’s creative music itself—personal, intricate, and filled with nuance.

A Revolution in Museum Soundscapes

Across these three diverse exhibits, Holosonics has demonstrated the power of focused sound technology in creating meaningful, individualized experiences for museum visitors. By isolating sound to specific areas and preventing bleed into adjacent exhibits, Holosonics has helped transform the way museums craft visitor experiences, allowing them to tell more deeply personal, nuanced stories and deliver uniquely memorable interactions.

Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology ensures that each visitor is fully immersed in the audio content of an exhibit, without the distraction of surrounding noise. As museums continue to evolve in how they engage visitors, focused sound technology will remain at the forefront of this transformation, creating rich, immersive environments for generations to come.

To explore more about Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight solutions and their applications across the museum industry and beyond, visit our website or contact our team for further information.

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise. From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs.

When residents of Walworth County, Wisconsin, seek to uncover their lineage or learn about the heroic efforts of their ancestors, they turn to the Walworth County Historical Society (WCHS). This invaluable resource, now centralized in one location, offers a treasure trove of historical records and artifacts. But this wasn’t always the case. The transformation of WCHS into a major research and exhibition center is a story of strategic expansion and innovative storage solutions, made possible by Spacesaver.

Expanding Access to Revealing Records

The WCHS is dedicated to preserving the county’s history, providing free access to its extensive collection of artifacts and records. These items, primarily donated by county residents, ensure a continuous influx of historical treasures. However, the society’s multiple facilities across the county posed challenges for accessibility and storage. The solution came when the WCHS acquired the former Elkhorn City Hall building, a historic structure built in 1931. This acquisition, facilitated by a deal with the local government, allowed the WCHS to consolidate its collections under one roof.

Obtaining Opportunity for Expansion

Initially, the WCHS planned a modest 2,500-square-foot addition to its main building. However, the opportunity to purchase the Elkhorn City Hall building expanded this vision significantly. As Jim Boardman, President of the WCHS, noted, “We were going to put a 2,500-square-foot addition on it. Now, we’re going to gain over 10,000 square feet.” This expansion required a phased renovation approach, guided by a museum consultant to modernize the building for its new purpose.

Future Focused, Past Sustaining

With the newly acquired space, the WCHS faced the challenge of adequately storing its current collection while preserving room for future acquisitions. The diverse range of items, from maps and local artifacts to model airplanes and military memorabilia, required specialized storage solutions. WCHS staff collaborated with their local Spacesaver representative to assess the space and develop a plan that optimized the building’s layout and enhanced the society’s impact on the public.

Protecting Artifacts: Our Three Key Storage Solutions

1. Spacesaver’s High-Density Mobile Systems were integral to this plan. Unlike traditional static shelves, these systems eliminate wasted aisle space, optimizing the footprint and increasing capacity for more storage and workspace within the same square footage. This flexibility was crucial for the WCHS, allowing the team to store a large number of items efficiently while maintaining accessibility and security.

2. To display their growing collection of uniforms, weapons, images, and artifacts, WCHS staff turned to Spacesaver for a solution that would boost both capacity and security. The installation of the Modular Art Racks provided the perfect answer. These racks are designed to maximize storage capacity while ensuring the safety and security of valuable artifacts. Their modular design allows for easy customization, making them an ideal solution for museums with diverse collections.

3. Additionally, Spacesaver’s 4-Post and Case-Type Shelving solutions provided the versatility needed to accommodate the diverse collection. These reconfigurable, steel shelving systems are designed to boost efficiency, improve security, and save space. Manufactured in the USA, they can be customized to fit the specific needs of the WCHS, ensuring that every item, from small artifacts to larger pieces, is stored securely and accessibly.

Displaying Pride & Sacrifice

A key priority for the WCHS was relocating its Veterans Museum to the new facility. This museum, featuring artifacts from the Spanish-American War to the present day, showcases the significant contributions of Walworth County residents to the nation’s history. “Our Veterans Museum was opened from donations provided by county VA and families who wanted the items to be shared with the public,” said Boardman. “In this new space, we’ll have rotating exhibits displaying what we have to offer from individuals throughout the county who served.”

To display its growing collection of uniforms, weapons, images, and artifacts, the WCHS turned to Spacesaver for a solution that would boost both capacity and security. The installation of the Modular Art Racks provided the perfect answer. These racks are designed to maximize storage capacity while ensuring the safety and security of valuable artifacts. Their modular design allows for easy customization, making them an ideal solution for museums with diverse collections.

The Modular Art Racks allowed museum staff to efficiently rotate collections and offer visitors access to a larger number of pieces, creating a dynamic and engaging space. This innovative solution not only enhanced the visitor experience but also ensured the long-term preservation of these valuable artifacts.

Delivering Timeless Support

Renovating a space or constructing a new building can be a daunting task. Spacesaver’s expertise in creating custom storage systems ensures that collections are protected now and for future generations. As you consider designing a new or renovated collections area, contact Spacesaver for a free consultation. Our experts will help you explore your options and provide inspiration from similar projects we’ve completed.

Spacesaver’s commitment to quality and innovation is evident in every project they undertake. These solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of each client, providing tailored storage systems that enhance the functionality and accessibility of collections. Whether you’re looking to expand your current facility or build a new one, Spacesaver has the expertise and resources to help you achieve your goals.

Looking Ahead: Future-Proofing Collections 

As the WCHS continues to grow its collection, the need for efficient and secure storage solutions remains paramount. Spacesaver’s products are designed with future expansion in mind, offering scalable solutions that can adapt to the evolving needs of museums and historical societies. By investing in Spacesaver’s innovative storage systems, the WCHS is well-equipped to preserve the county’s history for generations to come.

In conclusion, the partnership between the Walworth County Historical Society and Spacesaver exemplifies how strategic planning and innovative storage solutions can elevate collections care. By consolidating its collections in a centralized location and utilizing Spacesaver’s High-Density Mobile Systems, 4-Post and Case-Type Shelving, and Modular Art Racks, the WCHS has created a dynamic and engaging space that honors the past while looking toward the future.

Contact Us

Spacesaver Corporation

1450 Janesville Avenue

Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-2798

1-800-492-3434

www.spacesaver.com

At Art Bridges, we believe everyone deserves access to American art, no matter where they live. Art connects us with cultures beyond our own, fostering vital community bonds that help us all thrive.

To achieve this, we collaborate with a growing network of nearly 250 museums of all sizes across the United States and its territories. We provide financial and strategic support to help arts and cultural institutions facilitate traveling exhibitions, coordinate collection loans, and develop programs that captivate and empower local audiences.

How it works

Art Bridges is dedicated to expanding access to American art so that everyone can engage with meaningful works that educate and inspire. Through initiatives like our Partner Loan Network, which enables museums nationwide to share their collections, and our Traveling Exhibitions program, which lowers barriers for smaller institutions, we work to bring art out of storage and into communities.

To achieve this, Art Bridges manages all logistical aspects of our loans and programming, including packaging, shipping, loan agreements, and insurance, all at no additional cost to the museum.

Our network is growing nationwide. Some of the remarkable works we’ve been able to loan from major institutions to museums across the country include:

• Memorial Art Gallery: With the help of Art Bridges, the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) at the University of Rochester received a loan of Clementine Hunter’s artworks from the American Folk Art Museum. The loan helped MAG fill a necessary gap in its programming, displaying more works by BIPOC artists and reflecting the demographics of the local community.
• Hudson River Museum: The Hudson River Museum introduced twelve artworks on loan from the Joslyn Art Museum to incorporate into its fourteen-month exhibition, Order/Reorder: Experiments with Collections. The exhibit aimed to examine past and present American identities through various media and was paired with a series of events and interactive experiences for its audiences.
• Huntsville Museum of Art: The Huntsville Museum of Art created a dedicated American gallery to increase the amount of its collection on view. Art Bridges supported it by loaning important works to contextualize further and expand the story of American Art in this new space.

Interested in learning more about what Art Bridges can do for your community? Contact us today!

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center has been involved in the preservation, study, and exhibition of artist-built environments for nearly fifty years. The Art Preserve was created to store and display these works. Designing solutions to house and display such a diverse collection required foresight, teamwork, and attention to detail.

“It felt like the right time to have all that work in one place where scholars and other people who have a love for this type of work could see it.”

Reflecting artists’ environments

Storing and displaying artist-built environments present unique challenges. “These are instances where artists go beyond one-off pieces to create large-scale environments that they intend to be experienced as a whole rather than piecemeal,” said Sam Gappmayer, director of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. The collection includes a house covered in glitter, a complex work of sculpture that the artist believed had healing properties, and an artist’s yard that was populated by sculptures made out of concrete and found objects.

Many of the objects now featured at the Art Preserve were formerly stored in the John Michael Kohler Art Center’s underground storage facility and in off-site warehouses. The purpose of the Art Preserve was to consolidate these works under one roof, make them more accessible, and display them in a way that would give scholars and casual visitors a more complete sense of the environments that these artists created.

Creative solutions for visible storage

Art racks form “walls” to create an immersive experience and allow staff to instantly change out works on exhibit. Spacesaver’s Art Racks offer museums easy operation, enhanced security, and increased storage capacity while keeping hanging art collections protected and organized. Spacesaver offers six types of art rack systems to provide compact storage solutions for your visual art collection. Read more about this product on our Art Racks Product Page.

The design team wanted the building itself to reflect the artists’ creativity. The building is constructed of materials that many of the artists used in their work, like stone, wood, and concrete, and sculptural timbers at the building’s entrance evoke a woodland setting.

The design team worked with Spacesaver’s engineers to design creative visible storage solutions throughout the facility including a small compactor system, designed to accommodate future acquisitions, along with oversized drawers and trays to securely store small items close to an artist’s other works.

Spacesaver’s Oversized Cabinets are designed to protect collections, save space, and provide enduring solutions for institutions of all sizes. Spacesaver’s line of museum cabinets represents the future of collections care. For museums with large specimens, the Model 395 cabinet offers a remarkable 181 cubic feet of storage, making preservation and protection of oversized items a reality.

As for the small compactor system, Spacesaver’s High-Density Mobile Systems can preserve decades of historic capacity. Statistically, only 3 percent of museum collections are visible at a given time, creating a strong need for solutions that provide increased access to and capacity for storing a wide variety of artifacts. Designed to work in static applications and seamlessly integrate with Spacesaver’s wide range of industry-leading high-density mobile systems allows you to build a custom art storage shelving system for all your collection storage needs.

“A lively space”

The end result is an engaging, dynamic facility with room to grow. “It’s a lively space,” Gappmeyer said. “There were lots of good reasons to go with Spacesaver,” Gappmayer said. “I’ve always had respect for the product Spacesaver makes and the brand is solid, with a good reputation. We were able to work with Spacesaver to create solutions that reflected a storage aesthetic, but that also protected the art in ways that it wouldn’t need to be protected in a back storage room.”

Making your vision a reality

Spacesaver’s robust engineering teams and custom manufacturing capabilities can help bring your design team’s vision to reality. Contact us to learn more about how our in-house teams partner with your nearby Spacesaver consultant to optimize space while also protecting collections for generations to come.

Contact Us

Spacesaver Corporation

1450 Janesville Avenue

Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-2798

1-800-492-3434

www.spacesaver.com

A Home for Harmonious Congregation

The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a historic church turned into a home office, archive, and recording studio with a star-studded guest register. Built in 1915 as Grace Methodist Episcopal Church and converted by renowned local musician Leon Russell to The Church Studio (home of Shelter Records) in 1972, the historic creative workshop found itself in need of an upgrade to both preserve its past and create space for its future.

Rebuilding the Church

Broken down and boarded up, The Church Studio was purchased by philanthropist, music lover, and Leon Russell fan Teresa Knox in 2016. Knox, a collector of all things music from a young age, knew the rich local and industry history and artifacts attained by music lovers like herself was too important to not share with the public. Her goal in purchasing the facility was to revive the space to not only operate as a functional recording space for artists of all musical concentrations, but also as a lasting memory for visitors of the professionals that set the tone for those to come. However, with limited knowledge of the best way to properly store, display, and preserve these items, she knew she needed help to ensure as many pieces could be conserved to be viewed by generations to come.

FUN FACT: Effective Sept. 8, 2017, The Church Studio earned a designation to the National Register of Historic Places—the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.

Composing the Right Arrangement

Focusing on their mission to support the understanding, appreciation, and advancement of music, the studio’s owners reached out to their local Spacesaver representative to provide support for the studio’s Archive project.

The studio’s owners knew they needed a local partner that had the experience and reputation to help with getting the space to showroom quality and support it during unknown growth and changes to come. Knox said they found Story through the work he had done with local museum projects, as well as real-world legitimate and accredited projects such as the work Spacesaver did with the Smithsonian.

“I liked the fact that they (Spacesaver) had an Oklahoma presence. Steve really learned a lot about our project, and he loves music and truly understood the significance of our building,” said Knox. “He would come and see us at a regular basis and was there throughout the whole process to help with any changes along the way.”

Setting the Tone for Longevity

When Knox took ownership of The Church Studio, it was boarded up and run down. There was only one safe access point and all paths needed to be lit by flashlight, which is how the Studio’s architect and Steve created the plan for what is now the remarkable showroom and display area within the Archive today.

Once the stage was set for renovation, our consultant went to work crafting the best possible arrangement for the wide array of artifacts Knox and other collectors had to share. First and foremost, the goal of creating the space—affectionately known as The Archive—was to allow permitted individuals to walk through the anthology of each artist on display, giving them a deeper understanding and appreciation of the artists’ work. To create the right mix of accessibility, adaptability, and preservation, our consultant utilized two versatile museum cabinets.

Needing to find the optimal solutions to adequately pair with the tremendous space transformation and securely preserve and display the Archive’s approximately five-thousand-piece collection, Story delivered several stationary 920 Series Cabinets with visual doors and 424 Series Showcase Flat Files with glass top drawers on casters. These versatile solutions not only allow staff to quickly and safely change out pieces and configure the space for the day’s need, but also provide fans, enthusiasts, and historians with an inside look at the church’s history, Leon Russell, Shelter Records, and Tulsa Sound musicians; all in one convenient location and with minimal handling. Each cabinet is outfitted with drawers and shelves that ensure historic items are properly stored and preserved for generations to come.

01. Producing a Top-Down View

The 920 Series: Preservation Cabinet, allows for customization of the storage accessories held within to support items from instruments to costumes and everything in between. Additionally, these units are equipped with visual doors that offer secure storage to all that’s inside without damage from overhandling or other agents of deterioration.

02. A Record-Settling Release

Our 424 Series Flat File is ideal for storing flat pieces, including records, posters, and other pieces of memorabilia. To increase access, visibility, and adaptability, The Church Studio’s cabinets are equipped with glass tops and casters—allowing curators to protect and present collections and situate the space in a manner that supports the day’s need.

A Space For You That Just Your Style

The space now displays artifacts, albums, and other pieces of history from musicians and musical eras. Hundreds of artists have been on display in the museum over the years, many of whom have also recorded in the studio space. Recording artists range from the local church group to tour musicians, to some of the highest grossing artists in history.

The aesthetic the systems brought to the space were a huge bonus. The cabinets offer flexibility to adjust the height of the shelves and drawers within the space and fit the room well.

“A lot of archival storage is in a back room and not many people get to look at it,” said Knox. “These systems allow the general public to engage with the items being stored within them, making the glass tops even more valuable.”

Not only does the space hold memories for artists and those in the music industry, but it also can be configured to host parties, receptions, and even weddings.

Your Museum Storage Specialists

At Spacesaver, we’re experts in creative solutions to museum collections storage challenges. Your local Spacesaver consultant can visit your facility, gain a thorough understanding of your collection’s needs, and work with our engineering and project management teams to design, manufacture, and install your new storage systems.

Reach out to a Spacesaver storage expert to learn more!

Everyone, no matter where they live, deserves access to art, and expanding arts access is critical to the development of our communities. That’s why at Art Bridges, we believe that by engaging with artworks that expose visitors to perspectives beyond their own, we can foster empathy and understanding for our patrons.

Unfortunately, significant obstacles prevent museums from achieving this goal. Right now, there is an unequal distribution of art across the United States, and many collections lack representations of the communities in which they sit.

To ensure that important artworks are getting out of storage, put on display, and experienced by audiences nationwide, we created the Art Bridges Partner Loan Network—an art-sharing model that allows museums to circulate their collections.

Not only does our lending model circulate important works of American art around the country, but it aims to fill a necessary gap in museum collections—by increasing the representation of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and women artists, which remain vastly underrepresented in most museums.

The program also allows smaller regional museums to show artworks they might otherwise not have the resources to acquire or borrow while allowing larger institutions to bring new life to pieces that would otherwise remain in storage. Additionally, our program helps institutions expand their collections and addresses a decline in museum attendance post-COVID by driving new and returning audiences by ensuring there is always something to see.

How it works

We partner with major institutions across the country that identify pieces from their collection to then prepare them for distribution to other museums in groups of five to seven artworks. Art Bridges then takes care of all logistical aspects, including packaging, shipping, loan agreements, and insurance, without any additional cost to the museum. Loans last between eighteen and twenty-four months, after which they travel to another borrowing museum.

Our network continues to grow nationwide. Take a look at some of the works that we’ve been able to loan from major institutions to museums all across the country:

• Memorial Art Gallery: With the help of Art Bridges Foundation, the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) at the University of Rochester received a loan of Clementine Hunter’s artworks from the American Folk Art Museum. The loan helped MAG fill a necessary gap in its programming, displaying more works by BIPOC artists and reflecting the demographic of the local community.
• Hudson River Museum: The Hudson River Museum was able to introduce twelve artworks on loan from the Joslyn Art Museum to incorporate into its fourteen-month exhibition, Order/Reorder: Experiments with Collections. The exhibition aimed to examine past and present American identities through various media and was paired with a series of events and interactive experiences for its audiences.
• Huntsville Museum of Art: The museum created a dedicated American gallery to increase the amount of its collection on view. Art Bridges supported it by loaning important works to further contextualize and expand the story of American art in its collection.

Art-sharing programs like the Partner Loan Network are critical for ensuring museums of all sizes, regardless of location, have the resources they need to increase their impact and attract new audiences. Art Bridges supports your efforts to share American art with communities everywhere. Learn more about our work.

“Art is hope, it’s opportunity, it’s education, it’s all of the things we all want.”

Ask someone working in the arts why they work in the arts. Often the answer lies in a formative experience in youth, when exposure to great art inspired and instilled a drive to share that experience with others.

At Art Bridges Foundation, our goal is to increase access to art such that those experiences can be had and shared by everyone, regardless of location, cultural background, or material conditions.

We partner with a growing network of over 220 museums nationwide to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges Permanent Collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local communities.

We offer support to our partners through the following programs:

• Art Bridges Permanent Collection Loans: We collect diverse works of American art to share with museums and communities across the country. To date, the Art Bridges Permanent Collection comprises over 200 objects that are available for loan. Borrowing partners make loans publicly accessible in a manner that sparks new conversations or ways of thinking, posing questions about what could or should make up the American artistic canon.
• Collection Loan Partnership: Our Collection Loan Partnership program brings American art out of museum storage to share with communities across the United States. Lending partners are institutions with deep holdings that identify artworks from their collections for loan in consultation with Art Bridges. Those artworks are prepared for borrowing partners in curated groups of five to seven objects and for loan periods of twelve to twenty-four months.
• Traveling Exhibitions: We support the creation and presentation of traveling exhibitions. Lending partners are generally museums with large or focused collections that work with Art Bridges to organize touring exhibitions from their collections. Borrowing partners are museums that are eager to engage their community with great American art and are committed to innovation, experimentation, and multidisciplinary approaches. We provide logistical support and cover direct costs involved with both artwork preparation and presentation.
• Learning & Engagement: Program funding is available to institutions presenting an Art-Bridges-supported exhibition of American art. The Art Bridges Learning & Engagement team works directly with presenting partners to design innovative programming that builds relationships with new audiences, engages current audiences in new ways, or emphasizes interdisciplinary elements.
• Cohort Program: The Cohort Program supports multi-institutional, multi-year exhibition partnership projects nationwide. For each project, an organizing museum and its regional partners form a cohort to collaboratively create a series of American art exhibitions that deepen engagement with local communities. Sharing collections and resources, cohort partners work together to generate exhibitions that are content-rich, include in-depth educational and interpretive materials, and are designed to meet a wide range of audience interests.

Art is for everyone. It challenges us, moves us, creates dialogue, and sparks ideas capable of changing the world. Art Bridges is here to support your efforts to share American art with communities nationwide.

Visit artbridgesfoundation.org to learn more about our programs!

At Art Bridges Foundation, we pride ourselves on making great American art accessible to museums across the country.

Your museum could be big or small. Near a metropolitan hub or in a small town. Art Bridges is here to get outstanding works of American art out of storage and into your community.

With a growing network of over 220 museums of all sizes and locations, Art Bridges provides financial and strategic support for traveling exhibitions, loans from the Art Bridges Collection and other institutions, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences.

The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the nineteenth century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices, including works from artists like Henry Ossawa Tanner, Barkley L. Hendricks, Cindy Sherman, Elizabeth Catlett, Kay WalkingStick, Ana Mendieta, and Mark Bradford, among others.

Our collection continues to grow, bringing in new artists and outstanding art.

Check out these works by Martin Wong, Helen Torr, George Morrison, Grace Hartigan, and Joan Mitchell, which are currently available for loan!

Martin Wong–Persuit (El Que Gane Pierde–He Who Wins Looses):

Painted while living in New York’s Lower East Side, Persuit (El Que Gane Pierde – He Who Wins Looses) reflects the artist’s affinity for the real and the imagined. Aged brick buildings and maps of the night sky often occupy Wong’s nocturnes. Obsessive detail of chain-link gates and illuminated windows meet sidewalk drama. A runaway figure darts to the street corner while looking back at their surroundings. A faux wood frame encases the scene, frozen in place by a night sky of charted stars.

Wong remarked, “Basically I am a Chinese landscape painter. If you look at the Chinese landscapes in the museum, they have writing in the sky. They write a poem in the sky and so do I.”

Joined by constellations in the sky, Wong’s landscapes exist as memories of a distant time and place. Let your visitors appreciate the beauty and power of his work, courtesy of Art Bridges.

Helen Torr–Self-Portrait:

Self-Portrait is one of three known self-portraits by painter Helen Torr. Of the three, the present work was the only one left undated. Painted in shades of green and blue, the artist’s face emotes a sense of subtle vulnerability. She stares directly at the viewer, emerging from a dark abstracted background.

Torr produced creative works such as paintings, charcoal drawings, and mixed media collage, beginning in the early 1900s. Her production ceased after the death of her husband and fellow artist Arthur Dove in 1946. And yet, through it all, Torr, Dove, and their friend Georgia O’Keeffe helped create what we think of as American Modernism, and we see that in Self-Portrait.

Uncompromisingly honest, Torr shows us the woman nicknamed “Reds” in her natural state, and all the turmoil within. Imagine that raw emotion on your museum walls.

George Morrison–Collage X: Landscape:

An Ojibwe artist from northern Minnesota, Morrison looked to make what he considered “paintings made from wood” with his collage series, as you can see with Collage X: Landscape.

A master of painting, carving, and woodwork, Morrison often combined the three to great effect.
He frequently used driftwood, or found wood, in his work because it carried a connection to both earth and water.

The first recipient of the Eiteljorg Museum’s Fellowship for Native American Fine Art Master Artist Award, Morrison’s work has appeared in venues from the Seattle Art Museum to the Whitney to the White House.

Grace Hartigan–Fantasy for Legs and Feet:

Bridging figuration and abstraction, Grace Hartigan’s Fantasy for Legs and Feet reflects a transition in the artist’s career. Hartigan wrote: “I want an art that is not ‘abstract’ and not ‘realistic.’”

While scholars often consider Hartigan part of the second generation of Abstract Expressionists, she embraced the rise of Pop Art in the early 1960s, and Fantasy for Legs and Feet is part of a larger series of works from this era that both replicate and oppose abstraction.

In this work, a mosaic of vivid jewel tones and textural shapes form detached human limbs while a face emerges from the composition.

This figurative imagery is embedded into hallmark techniques of line and color used by Abstract Expressionists. Hartigan refuses to be limited by the mid-century canon in this ironic disruption.

Partner with us to showcase this striking and important work at your museum!

Joan Mitchell–Allo, Amelie:

Inspired by the birth of a friend’s granddaughter, Allo, Amelie is a terrific example of Joan Mitchell’s love and commitment to light and color in her late 1960s and early 1970s work.

In the exhibition catalog for the Whitney Museum’s 2002 Mitchell exhibition, Jane Livingston proclaimed, “In terms of sheer largeness of vision, of solving painterly problems with an almost incredible audacity, these oversize pictures from the 1970s have few rivals in all of modern American painting. … These works mark Mitchell’s ascendancy to a level that few artists have attained, an achievement that would set the stage for her work to come.”

Mitchell’s embrace of clear form and figure, while still drawing attention to the painting’s negative space, gives her work a singular style. As she put it, “I don’t set out to achieve a specific thing, perhaps to catch a motion or to catch a feeling. Call it layer painting, gestural painting, easel painting or whatever you want. I paint oil on canvas – without an easel. … I try to eliminate clichés, extraneous material. I try to make it exact. My painting is not an allegory or a story. It is more of a poem.”

Bring this inspiring visual poem to your museum by partnering with Art Bridges today!

If you’d like to see these artists or others in your museum, please contact us through our website – artbridgesfoundation.org.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino unveiled its first gallery dedicated to Latino history and culture, the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History. The 4,500-square-foot gallery serves as a place where generations of rich narratives of Latino culture and heritage come to life, and as a precursor for the eventual Latino Museum. At the forefront of this immersive storytelling endeavor is the ingenious use of Holosonics’ focused sound technology, masterfully executed through a collaboration with BBI Engineering.

The Molina Family Latino Gallery’s distinctive central feature, known as “The Foro,” boasts eight video columns, each a portal into the lives of Latino and Latina entrepreneurs, educators, activists, community leaders, and artists. Activated by motion sensors as visitors approach, virtual hosts emerge on screen to warmly greet and share their stories in a lifelike interaction. Every one of the eight displays’ captivating audio narratives is delivered by Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers, which have been seamlessly integrated to provide as immersive an auditory journey as possible—a unique and intimate encounter for every visitor.

Positioned above each individual storyteller’s screen, the dedicated AS-16iX speakers employ Holosonics’ patented Audio Spotlight technology to channel the narration into an unbelievably precise and narrow beam, exclusively to its intended listener and no one else. A simple touch of the screens allows visitors to engage directly with the available oral histories, distinctly enveloping them in crystal-clear, compelling audio programs.  The unprecedented sound field control ensures that the audio remains isolated to “The Foro’s” columns specifically, and does not interfere with ambient sounds delivered throughout the larger gallery space.

The prowess of BBI Engineering shines through in the meticulous technical execution of this auditory marvel. Vertically oriented FHD LED displays by LG Electronics, enhanced with a Touch Overlay by PQ Labs, grace the gallery, enclosed in bespoke Cinnabar tower boxes—an exquisite blend of technology and craftsmanship. NUC Mini PCs serve as the video source, utilizing Soundblaster USB outputs to synchronize with the speakers seamlessly. The AS-16iX speakers, perched elegantly on pole mounts, conceal Extron shelves behind them, ingeniously camouflaging secured players and peripherals.

Sasha Harris-Cronin, Principal of BBI, shared her insights: “This was a project with a very tight exhibit space, and we needed speakers that prevented sound bleed between the exhibits. The Audio Spotlight was a solution that worked well, and visitor feedback has been excellent.”

A pioneer in the realm of directional sound technology, Holosonics has not only elevated the immersive nature of “The Foro” but has also succeeded in rendering historical and cultural narratives both accessible and captivating. This cutting-edge audio solution effortlessly aligns with the gallery’s commitment to inclusive design, offering content in both English and Spanish to cater to a diverse audience.

The AS-16iX speakers were an integral part of the exhibit’s design, purposefully chosen for their capacity to ensure an intimate listening experience, maintain sound field control, and mitigate sound bleed issues. Their installation, a fundamental element from the gallery’s inception, contributed significantly to realizing the concept of clustered exhibits sharing a common space.

The triumphant installation at the Molina Family Latino Gallery sets the stage for the forthcoming Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino—an imminent new home for these narratives, and the promise of even greater marvels. To delve deeper into Audio Spotlight focused sound solutions and their multifaceted applications, we invite you to explore our website or engage with our dedicated team.

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise. From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs.

The United Nations Technology Museum at UN Headquarters in New York City utilizes a tight row of Audio Spotlight directional speakers to provide immersive, focused sound fields at key positions along the audio-visual timeline display in the new permanent exhibit Delivering a Message of Peace. The installation, located in the Public Lobby of the General Assembly building, offers an in-depth view of how technology has been used within the organization to enable peace talks, from the original pens that signed the UN Charter to the advanced, modern technologies of today.

The goal of the exhibit is “to be as immersive as possible,” explains Mr. Phillip Mango of the Office of Information and Communication Technology (OICT). Fittingly, Audio Spotlight speakers were chosen for their uniquely captivating and highly focused sound qualities as part of a display that showcases technological milestones throughout the decades.

An impressive collection of video display presentations are incorporated along the ~25 ft exhibit wall—one for every decade since the 1940s. The corresponding audio from each screen is delivered by a dedicated AS-168iX speaker mounted overhead, creating an equal number of isolated listening zones, despite the extremely close proximity of every display and narrow sound beam.

Visitors engaged with the exhibit stand close enough to shake hands with those on either side, yet each listener is having their own unique and independent audio experience, without being disturbed by the others in line. Additionally, since the sound fields created by Audio Spotlight technology are so precise, the other exhibit areas throughout the museum and lobby also remain peacefully quiet.

The UN Technology Museum joins a long list of museums, galleries, and other public venues implementing the Audio Spotlight for not only its highly focused sound field capabilities, but also its inherently touchless nature. Increasingly after the COVID-19 pandemic, venues are updating antiquated tactile methods like headphones and handsets to Audio Spotlight’s touch-free technology for an added layer of safety while bringing immersive and intimate personal listening experiences to guests of their facilities.

The Delivering the Message of Peace exhibit opened in January 2020, so no doubt the decision to add Audio Spotlight speakers is seen as good decision for both sound and sanitary reasons.

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise. From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs.