Within and Without: St. Paul Museum of Architecture

Abstract

This thesis project revolves around how museums influence our perception of objects and ideas. Through research on museum design and architectural theory, I have come to understand the idea of framing and its importance in how museums and museum exhibits are designed. Framing, in an abstract sense, is the foundation from which our perceptions are built. The same object, space, or idea can be framed in different ways and will therefore be perceived differently. Framing in museums an be very literal, such as a wooden frame around a painting, and it can be more metaphorical, such as the spatial volume of a gallery. A museum has almost absolute control over how the exhibits within are framed, but they have less control over how they frame external elements. When walking through an art exhibit, a person’s ideas of art in general may be challenged, reinforced, or distorted which means the museum is framing something beyond the reaches of its walls. Through this project, I aim to design a building that intentionally frames internal exhibits on architectural theory as well as the external concept of architectural theory.