5 Museum Development Trends for 2023

Museums have a one-of-a-kind way of sparking creativity and curiosity within visitors. That magic can have an impact on museum-goers for years—and the experiences that people have interacting with exhibits are the cornerstones of those memories.

In addition to conversations with our partners and collaborators, we’ve attended conferences this year that either included presentations about museum development (such as the Association of Midwest Museums conference) or had a large showing of museum sponsors.

Based on our takeaways from those discussions, here are our museum development predictions heading into 2023:

Traveling exhibitions will increase.

As more museums expand and launch around the country, the need for quality exhibits to help differentiate those institutions grows stronger. Some museums, especially established museums, have a massive pool of resources. But for on-the-rise museums, the designed environments industry will need to find additional ways to lower the cost of exhibits. Traveling exhibits offer a lower barrier to entry in conjunction with permanent exhibitions.

Originality and quality don’t have to suffer with these exhibits though. Traveling exhibits can inject excitement into an institution. When advertised, visitors will not only want to see the new exhibit, but they’ll be reminded to go see their other favorite exhibits as well.?

Sensory experiences will allow access for all.?

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines cover the absolute baseline standards for building environments. We see museums pushing that concept further with immersive, multi-sensory exhibits that are accessible to everyone—taking into account both people with physical disabilities as well as non-visible disabilities. “Multi-sensory experiences help people connect more deeply with exhibits,” Ryan Gerber, Founder and Principal Designer of RGI, explains.

It’s not just for young museum visitors either. As Paul Krajniak, Consultant to RGI, says, “Why should kids have all the fun?” He adds, “You can see the human desire for the use of sensory apparatuses especially in a time when things are getting so virtual and abstracted. Multi-sensory experiences bring people back to their physicalness.”

While physical environments are crucial, virtual still has its place.

As the standards for creating accessible environments have changed to be more inclusive, educational museum content needs to be present both physically and digitally. Museums should be? grounded in physical exhibits; however, the costs associated with visiting a museum, especially for schools, can be prohibitive. John Moore, Executive Director of Palmyra Cove Nature Park/Institute for Earth Observations, explains, “It can become expensive for the schools, so virtual classrooms on museum sites give students the chance to learn from experts around the world without physically being there.”

The VR/AR trend is still on the rise as well, and we expect it to become even more widespread in 2023 onward. “VR and AR have come a long way,” John points out, “But as all the tech experts say, ‘You haven’t seen anything yet.’”

Exhibits will become more modular.

Prefabrication allows museums to run without interruption, and the modularity that prefab affords also gives museums the opportunity to freshen up exhibits with ease. Just like how traveling exhibits reduce costs, prefab exhibits do the same by lessening materials waste and preventing weather-related delays—particularly for outdoor displays.

Thanks to its 250 acres, Palmyra Cove saw a huge uptick of visitors who, during COVID, wanted to explore nature to get out of the house. Local institutions such as The Cleveland Botanical Garden have always utilized their outdoor areas as an extension of their exhibits. And events like Brite Winter used our AR telescope, which we built in our shop rather than onsite to prevent damage.

For indoor spaces, construction areas can look unsightly, and sometimes entire museum wings have to be closed off to build an exhibit. Prefabrication going forward will be a huge advantage for museums.

Sustainability and DEIA statements are at the forefront of museum professionals’ minds.

Taking care of the world—and the people within it—is second nature to museums. But even if museums had behind-the-scenes plans for sustainability and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility), those plans are now going public.

Throughout COVID, the desire for transparency skyrocketed, so as we move into 2023, we anticipate institutions will talk more openly about sustainability and DEIA (if they haven’t done so already). But it’s more than checking a box; we expect to see museums step up as truly inclusive organizations living those values every day.

The next generation of museum trends heavily focuses on being more human—giving people what they want, with increased accessibility and ease of use. As all of us start planning for 2023, it’s important to keep in mind your institutional values and what your visitors want to see above all else.