Museums are implementing sound in ways which make it critical to the visitor experience, notably the emotional and cognitive effects on those visitors. One objective of this investigation is to advocate for more rigorous and sculpted sound design and to create cognizance among designers with the considerations and evaluations in planning the environments of learning and entertainment which our museums and institutions embody, while also maintaining a sense of ritual, memory, and passion for attending these institutions.
This thesis investigation document was produced in satisfaction of thesis requirements for a Master of Fine Arts in the Museum Exhibition Planning + Design Program in the Department of Museum Studies at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA under the direction of Polly McKenna-Cress. The topic revolves around considerations for exhibition designers in dealing with sound and acoustics in designing exhibitions for museums and galleries.