PLEASE TOUCH THE ART

clara hetherington, grace carlson, sidney renelt

The Sheldon Art Museum is a hub for expression. Thousands of art pieces are stored and exhibited within this building. In each piece that is on display at the Sheldon, there was a unique creative process that occurred in order to express the message that each artist wanted to portray, but the only part of this process that the viewers are seeing is exhibition. The goal of our addition to the Sheldon is to create a space that allows for UNL students to be fully immersed in the creative process. “Please Touch the Art” is an informal approach to taking in how art is traditionally observed and created. Through colorful, immersive installations and spaces where creativity can be fully expressed, this building engages its occupants in the creative process so that they can view themselves as artists. Looking at this creative process, we categorized each level of our addition into a different part of this process; LEARN, CREATE, and EXHIBIT. The learn floor serves as part of the creative process where occupants learn and are inspired by art. Moving to the create floor, students can engage and be inspired by other students engaging in the creative process through the creation of individual work. The exhibition floor allows students to view and exhibit their own artwork as well as participate in an exhibition that allows for them to leave their mark on the building. These three levels are connected through a grand staircase allowing students to craft their own creative journey as they travel through each space.