A new exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art invites visitors to reimagine communication beyond the boundaries of speech.

The exhibit features site-specific installations and new commissioned pieces from seven leading and emerging international designers who worked closely with medical field experts.

Installation Photography by John Smith

The idea is to merge research methods with aesthetics to explore new approaches to thinking about accessibility and modes of communication in the museum setting.

Sarah Schleuning is the senior curator of decorative arts and design at the Dallas Museum of Art. She is the mastermind behind this groundbreaking exhibition.

Installation Photography by John Smith

“The inspiration came primarily from something deeply personal. I have two children, but my youngest has a communication disability,” Schleuning says. “It really forced me to rethink ideas of how to communicate, and how to communicate other than words … because I sit in this position where I work with visual culture, how could we use objects and the ideas and meaning behind objects to be the main vehicle of expression?”

Installation Photography by John Smith

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How accessibility can become an integral part of the art pieces in a museum setting.

– How the team of emerging international designers was put together.

– How research on accessibility is integrated into the exhibit.

The Texas Standard provided this story.