Growing the Field
Fostering the growth of expertise across the field through classes, workshops, presentations, experimental projects, and written pieces. I frequently participate in panels and lead workshops on the subjects of: human-centered design, innovative public engagement practices, the future of museums, age and dementia-friendly design.
Panels and Workshops
16th International Conference on Design Principles and Practices, “Designing for People Living with Dementia: Principles for Experiential and Environmental Design,” 2022
SCAN Innovation Award Webinar, Experience Station for the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, Recording, 2021
Association of Science and Technology Centers annual conference, “Creating Exhibits for Visitors with Dementia,” 2021
American Association of Museums (AAM), “Three Models for Bridging Wellness in Museums,” 2020
TIDE Generator Interview, “How Museums are Creating a New Narrative,” 2020
Diversity Reboot Summit 2020 by PowertoFly, “Everything changes, Everything is the Same: The Future of Public Interactive Experiences” (with Sasha Harris-Cronin)
INFOCOMM 2020, “TIDE Spotlight: Don’t Be So Static,” (with Sasha Harris-Cronin)
INFOCOMM 2020, Q+A “Artist and Designer Maria Mortati Contemplates Shared Experiences in This New World“
Association of Science and Technology Centers annual conference 2017, “Designing for Tinkerability: Are We Trying to Create Digestible Facts or Support Meaningful Discovery?” 2017
CHI 2016 (Computer-Human Interaction conference), “Involving the Crowd in the Future of Museum Experience Design,” Keynote, 2016
Western Museums Association, West Musings Talk, “Tell Me Where The Mirrors Go” October 2015
Public Dialogue Workshop, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, invited participant, May 2015
American Association of Museums (AAM), “Exhibitions Outside the Museum,” April 2015
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Contemporary Arts Society, Speaker, March 2015
The Creative Classroom, Contemporary Jewish Museum, October 2014 [video]
Twitter #exhibitchat Re: Exhibitionist Article “Intentional Design and the Art Museum” Summer 2014
Open Engagement Conference, “Social Practice and the Art Museum,” April 2014
Program Advisor, New Presidio Parklands, September 2014
Program Advisor, Presidio Exchange, Presidio Gateway Charette, May 2014
Exhibition Design Workshop, New Mexico Highlands University, Media Arts Program, 2014
National Arts Education Association (NAEA) 2014, “Making Room for Participation the Changing Space of Museum Education”
Invited Participant, New Cities Foundation Tweet Chat: Re-Imagining Cities through Art & Culture, May 2014
Guest Lecturer, University of San Francisco Museum Studies Program, Spring 2014
American Association of Museums (AAM) 2014, “Design’s Impact on Visitor Engagement”
Parks: The New Climate Classroom, Institute at the Golden Gate, panelist, November 2013
National Program Committee member, American Association of Museums for AAM 2014
Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Hack The Museum Camp, “Camp Counselor,” 2013
Headlands Center for the Arts, Hawk Hill Shelter Challenge, Invited Participant, 2013
American Association of Museums (AAM) 2013, Continuing the Conversation: Experimental Projects in Museums
American Education Research Association (AERA) 2013, Learning in Art Museums: Research in Participation and Engagement
Cultural Connections, Presenter, Pop-Up Museums, Jan. 2013
Global Exhibit Forum (Intensivdagarna), Gotland, Sweden, Speaker: Engagement, Art and Often Children, 2012
Center for the Future of Museums, “Innovation Lab for Museums”, Panelist, 2012
American Association of Museums Annual Conference, “Experimental Projects: Creating a Community of Practice,” Chair, 2012
American Association of Museums Annual Conference, “The Decentralized Museum,” Panelist, 2012
California Association of Museums, “Making the Case for Experimental Projects,” Panelist and Chair, 2012
California Association of Museums, “Exploring Exhibits & Exhibit Development,” Chair, 2012
Center for the Future of Museums, “Innovation Lab for Museums”, Panelist, 2011
American Association of Museums, “Future of Exhibiting: Voices from Non-Traditional Museums,” Panelist, 2011
American Association of Museums, “Questioning Assumptions: Alternative Futures for Museums,” Panelist, 2011
7Story/IDEO, Public Engagement at the Waterfront, “Opportunity Rocks: Why Our Urban Waterfront is Uniquely Suited for Interpretation,” Presenter, 2010
Pecha Kucha vol. 10, “The Outdoor Exploratorium,” 2007
Invisible Dynamics Symposium, Panelist, Exploratorium, 2006
Artist In Residency Review Committee, Exploratorium, 2004 – 2006
Education
As an adjunct, I teach a variety of graduate and undergraduate Interaction Design Studios at California College of the Arts. My work focuses on public interaction design in particular. Their work has been situated at sites across the Bay Area: museums, libraries, homes, and businesses.
Image: Testing out a student project (Caroline Crandall’s virtual cable car experience)
Courses:
Center for Impact, Sustainability Studio, Fall 2019
Graduate Studio, Interaction Design, Spring 2018
Graduate Studio, Interaction Design Foundations, Fall 2017
Graduate Design, Thesis Research and Development, Fall 2017
Graduate Studio, Interaction Design Foundations, Spring 2017
Public Interaction Design Studio (with Scott Minneman), Fall 2016
Graduate Design, Thesis Research and Development, Fall 2016
Graduate Design, Interaction Design Studio, Spring 2016
Graduate Design, Public Interaction Design Studio (with Scott Minneman), Fall 2015
Graduate Design Thesis R & D and Grad Design Studio, Spring 2015
Graduate Design, Public Interaction Design Studio (with Scott Minneman), 2014
Graduate Design, Thesis R & D, Fall 2013
Graduate Design, Public Interaction Design Studio (with Scott Minneman), Spring 2013
Individual Exhibitions and Residencies
Image: The Great Calculation Residencies
Indianapolis Museum of Art, “You Are Here,” group show, (TBD)
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, Street-front Exhibition, London, ongoing, 2015
Oakland Museum of California, Tell Me Where The Mirrors Go, Artist Project, May – July 2015
Walker Art Center, Flux Field, Research Residency, 2014
Walker Art Center, Internet Cat Video Festival, People Imitating Cats project, 2013
Southern Exposure Gallery, The Great Calculation Residency, 2013
Machine Project, The Great Calculation Residency, 2012
Baltimore Museum of Art, The Big Table Gallery, Open Studio Gallery, 2012
Machine Project at the Hammer Museum Residency, The Giant Hand, 2011
Hammer Museum, Enormous Microscopic Evening, DIY Microscope Bar, 2010
Exploratorium After Dark, SF Mobile Museum “Free Shrines”, 2010
Critter Salon, Enormous Microscopic Evening, DIY Microscope Bar, 2009
SF Mobile Museum, multiple sites “Looking for Loci”, 2009
Studio for Urban Projects, SF Mobile Museum “Looking for Loci”, 2009
MakerFaire, Power of the Prototype exhibit, 2009
Bay Area Furniture Art, Co-Founder/Co-Curator, Blue Room, 2003
Bay Area Now 2, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Metatherapy.com, 1999
Writing
With my writing about cutting-edge public engagement practices, my desire is to capture and share the experiential and often ephemeral aspects of this work.
Image: books, manifestos, and blogs.
Design Principles and Practices Journal, Special Issue, Designing for People Living With Dementia: Multi-sensory Immersion, Common Ground, Fall 2022
Springer Series on Cultural Computing, Museum Experience Design, Crowds, Ecosystems and Novel Technologies. Chapter contributed: Experiencing the Art Museum: Methods for Public Engagement (Springer, 2018)
Walker Art Center, Open Field Blog, FluxField Research Residency 2014
N.A.M.E. Journal Exhibitionist, “Design Intentionality and the Art Museum,” Spring 2014
Center for the Future of Museums, Guest Post, “We Hacked a Museum Exhibition,” 2013
Experimental Museum Projects, Tumblr blog
Experimental Museum Projects Facebook Group
Elastic Museum blog, editor/founder
Trends Watch 2012: Museums and the Pulse of the Future, contributorThe Elastic Manifesto & The Elastic Manual, for Experimental Projects: Creating a Community of Practice, AAM 2012
N.A.M.E. Journal Exhibitionist, “Large Lessons From a Small Project: The San Francisco Mobile Museum,” Spring 2012
Center for the Future of Museums, Guest Posts, Using Your Audience as Exhibit Developers, and Closing the Loop, 2011
Enter the Outdoors, Exhibit Files, Guest Post, 2011
The Participatory Museum by Nina Simon, editor, 2010
New Curator, Guest Post, “Community Museum,” 2009
Western Museums Association, Guest Post “Looking for Loci: a mobile museum experiment,” 2009
N.A.M.E. Journal Exhibitionist, “Creativity and Collaboration Retreat”, Fall 2009
Ambidextrous Magazine (design journal of the nascent Stanford d.school), “Power of the Prototype”, Spring 2009
The San Francisco Mobile Museum, author/founder
Museums Now blog, author/founder
Gyroscope Inc., Starting and Fostering Online Communities, 2007
Power of the Prototype, Exhibition Catalog, 2008
Bay Area Furniture Art, Exhibition Catalog, 2003
Academia.edu listings can be found here:
http://cca.academia.edu/mariamortati/Papers