Biography
I develop and design multi-disciplinary, interactive and emotionally engaging exhibitions for all types of museums. My clients include the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC; Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, NC; Exploratorium in San Francisco; Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA; Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University; Oakland Museum of California; California Academy of Science; Skirball Cultural Center in LA; San Diego History Museum; and the J Paul Getty Museum.

I bring over 35 years of experience to my work as an interpretive planner, exhibition designer, facilitator, and creative director. Prior to consulting, I served as Director of Exhibitions at both the San Diego Museum of Art, where I introduced the team approach to exhibition development and designed and supervised installation of over 50 major exhibitions, and at the Spertus Museum of Judaica in Chicago, where I designed the first permanent Holocaust exhibition in the nation.

A practitioner at heart, I firmly believe in contributing to the profession of museum exhibition design. For eight years, I was on the faculty of the Museum Studies graduate program at John F. Kennedy University teaching Exhibition Development and Design and continue to teach classes and participate in museum conferences. Also, I was a founding member, officer, and program chair of the National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME) and I’m currently an Editorial Advisor of the journal. I co-organized three NAME Retreats exploring models for creativity and the collaborative process from outside the museum field. I am a member of The Museum Group, an association of independent museum consultants who formerly held administrative positions in-house, and Art Table, a national organization of women in leadership roles in the arts.

Approach
I believe that visitors construct their own experiences when they visit museums and that infuses my approach to exhibition design. It is the responsibility of the creators of exhibitions to provide a variety of opportunities for visitors to feel as though they are participants in the discovery process and to be able to construct their experience. We should create opportunities for visitors to explore, discover, and contribute their knowledge and opinions. We must design a variety of experiences for different learning styles so exhibits will touch visitors emotionally as well as intellectually. 

To accomplish these goals, it is important to prototype and test our exhibit concepts with prospective visitors.

My background as an art educator and my passion for theater and the visual arts influence my exhibitions. I believe in the transformative possibilities of the arts and I work to incorporate artists into all my projects.

Selected Emotionally Engaging and Award Winning Projects

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC.
Daniel's Story: Remember the Children Lead Designer. National Park Service contract award for interpretive planning, design, and project management of this AAM Award winning, permanent, interactive children’s exhibition, 1992-present. Designed the traveling version 1994-present.

The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA.
Frogs Designer. Temporary exhibition that included live animals,
cultural artifacts, immersive environments and interactive exhibits, 1999-2000. Included in Beyond Best Practices, edited by McLean and McEver, published 2004.

Revealing Bodies Co-Director of Interpretive Planning and Lead Designer. Art, artifact and interactive temporary exhibition exploring our relationship with scientific and medical representations of the human body over time. Winner of the 2001 American Association of Museums Exhibition Competition.

Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte, NC.
Courage: The Vision to End Segregation, The Guts to Fight for It Interpretive Planner and Exhibition Designer. Award winning, immersive exhibition about the community that filed the first case to become Brown vs. Board of Education in the Supreme Court. A moving story which served as a catalyst for “Conversations in Courage,” facilitated discussions about race and segregation for community leaders.

“Many of Darcie's projects are grounded in great stories, and she uses her formidable skills to partner with curators, developers and other content developers to crystallize the meaning and drama of these stories and translate them into the exhibition medium.”
—Phyllis Rabineau, Deputy Director for Interpretation and Education Chicago Historical Society