Joseph Education Center

The Baltimore Museum of Art aims to become one of the most engaged museums in the US. This vision led to the creation of The Joseph Education Center (JEC), inaugurated in December 2023 to enhance this commitment.

Adjacent to the BMA lobby, the JEC serves as a primary entry point, spanning 6,700 square feet. Its centerpiece, the “Wall of Wonder,” unifies its various sections: an art gallery, two classrooms, and an Impact Lab for visitor feedback.

Following our rebranding of the BMA in 2021, the JEC’s design needed to extend the museum's identity while establishing its unique presence. Balancing visual continuity with distinctiveness within the building was crucial.

Architecture: Quinn Evans
Construction: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Photography by: Mitro Hood for the Baltimore Museum of Art, Karl Connolly, Erika Nizborski

BMA’s goal was to create an approachable, enjoyable space that fosters a deeper connection to artwork. The aim was to deconstruct the notion that museums are passive places and subvert the one-sidedness of art consumption. Instead of a viewing-only visitor experience, the JEC offers opportunities to contribute, influence, experiment, learn, and create. Thus, the curatorial team chose the theme of “play” as a vehicle to encourage this aim and expand the museum’s audience.

We utilized the BMA’s brand colors but inverted the hierarchy between primary and secondary palettes. As a result, bright and inviting oranges and purples help to demarcate the JEC within the context of the larger museum, where they are used more sparingly to avoid competing with artworks.

Chairs and power supply extension cords echo the primary orange color of the Center.

Quinn Evans chose perforated aluminum as the material for the Wall of Wonder, which lines the upper registers and the storage units.

To convey playfulness, surprise, and creativity, we rendered words from expressive letterforms derived from different typefaces. These words were then rendered using specially designed silicon plugs, which present as dots, inserted into the perforated aluminum holes. This provided a modular solution with limitless possibilities.

The dots are also an element unifying the various graphics in the center.

Dot lettering is translated onto the large intro wall into the exhibition gallery.

Because one of the objectives of this exhibition was to be welcoming and warm, we used sheer fabrics instead of solid walls, allowing spaces to be more free-flowing and inviting.

The dashed line, a key element for The BMA parent brand, is carried in as well. It encourages one to travel through the space with energy and engagement.