The CJM Blog

Installation view of  J. Otto Seibold and Mr. Lunch.  Photo by Johnna Arnold. As part of San Francisco Design Week (SFDW), former CJM Design Studio designer (and founder)  Brad Aldridge gave a design talk in The Museum on designing The Museum —everything  from identity graphics to exhibitions. For The CJM Blog, we asked him to elaborate on his design philosophy, on collaborating with others, and more. _________________________________________________________________________________ 1. What was your approach to creating the identity for exhibitions at The CJM? How did this differ depending on the scale, scope, and content of exhibitions? The first thing to capture as a designer in a museum is the idea that whole place is a big giant storybook. It’s a lot of different voices trying to guide visitors to have a great journey of discovery, learning, and—on an even more pure level—have a great edifying time. So, as designer, I have to always remember that e...

Installation view of The Library of Particular Significance within the exhibition  Bound to Be Held: A Book Show . Installation photo by Johnna Arnold. Artist Josh Greene's two-part exhibition  Bound to Be Held: A Book Show  celebrates the relationship between a reader and a book. One part of the exhibition,  The Library of Particular Significance ,   focuses on instigating social interaction by   recasting the gallery as a lending-library of donated "significant" books —a space for dwelling, reading, and connecting.  A series of related  public programs called  In The Library of Particular Significance  enlivens the space with read-ins, book discussions, and literary happenings led by special guests.  Last  week, writers and poets Kevin Killian and Dodie Bellamy collaboratively covered a lot of bookish ground: on books they first read and bought, on writers they met, on books (and book deals) that got away, ...

Bay Area artists Gil Gershoni and Ken Goldberg present a contemporary take on the inquisitive impulse with an installation opening at the CJM on March 31. Are We There Yet?: 5,000 Years of Answering Questions with Questions combines the latest in intelligent cameras and acoustics to create a reactive sound environment that encourages visitors to reconsider the history and future of curiosity. In preparation for the installation’s opening, Gershoni and Goldberg recently sat answered a few questions about their project. How did you come up with the idea? It started with a phone call from [Contemporary Jewish Museum Director and CEO] Connie Wolf who began the conversation with a question: Any interest in creating a new installation in the CJM’s Yud Gallery that would engage the broader community?