Community Exhibition: Seasonal Community Curation Program
9-week real-world client project
Description
A quarterly program proposal for the Vancouver Art Gallery that creates structured interaction between local artists and visitors: artists submit themed work, visitors engage through voting and artist spotlights, and shortlisted entries are showcased in the lobby with QR pathways back to creator profiles. Initiated through direct outreach and developed in collaboration with VAG, then delivered as a final proposal that was well received.
My Role
UX Designer · UX Researcher
Team
Context
Visitors may come with clear exhibition goals, but the gallery experience offers fewer structured touchpoints for visitors to contribute, build an ongoing relationship with local creators, or continue engagement after the visit.Core problem
The gallery lacks a repeatable engagement mechanism that supports sustained community connection and recurring discovery of local artists across time, not just within a single visit.Constraints (from client collaboration)
Align with VAG branding and communication style
Keep operations feasible season after season (bounded moderation effort, clear windows, manageable scope)
Keep participation lightweight while maintaining sufficient voting trust
How might we
How might we design a sustainable, staff-feasible participation program that complements exhibition viewing, strengthens community identity, and encourages ongoing engagement season after season?Program-as-a-product overview
We proposed Community Exhibition as a quarterly program mechanism that strengthens VAG’s local identity through repeatable participation, supported by a web experience and an on-site lobby showcase that routes visitors from viewing to voting and ongoing discovery of local artists.
Quarterly cadence (program rhythm)
Theme announcement → submission window → staff screening → public browsing & voting → shortlist selection → lobby showcase → archive & wrap-up (feeds the next season)Artist–visitor engagement loop
Artists submit work around a seasonal theme and share creator context
Visitors browse, vote, and engage via artist spotlights (creator profiles and stories)
The lobby showcase becomes a physical “community moment”
QR pathways route visitors back to creator profiles to continue discovering and supporting local artists beyond the visit
MVP pilot plan (Season 1 scope)
Quarterly theme with defined submission, screening, voting, and showcase windows
Bounded moderation: basic compliance screening + deeper review focused on shortlisted entries
Voting trust via email login (one vote per account per season), with rate limits/anomaly flags
Shortlist cap for a manageable on-site display (e.g., Top 20)
Pilot evaluation using participation, discovery, conversion, and operational metrics
Key guardrails for feasibility
Scope controls (publish/shortlist caps) to protect staff capacity
Voting integrity controls without heavy friction, with escalation options if abuse appears
A repeatable runbook per season to keep operations predictable
Client collaboration & delivery
We initiated the partnership through direct outreach, collaborated with VAG via email and calls/meetings, incorporated their branding and operational inputs, and delivered a final proposal deck outlining cadence and MVP scope.Delivered a proposal deck defining a seasonal cadence and MVP pilot plan. The proposal incorporated VAG branding and operational inputs into feasibility guardrails for moderation and voting trust, and was reviewed with positive reception.
Key Experience Features
The intention behind presenting a gift is to captivate children, as a gift box imparts a sense of anticipation and positivity. In addition, assigning names to animals aids in expressing emotions, and helps establish a long-lasting connection with the Aquatic-Egg.
To elevate the visitor experience beyond the physical exhibits, we introduce various levels of difficulty at the start of the journey. Higher difficulty settings involve fewer displayed hints, introducing an additional layer of challenge and engagement. Notably, rarer eggs will exclusively hatch at higher difficulty levels.
We aim to introduce a 'Hatching Egg' micro-interaction for children, fostering lessons in compassion, nurturing, and understanding life cycles. The symbolic hatching of the aquatic egg emphasizes the significance of conservation in aquatic life, instilling these values in children.
This also evokes a sense of anticipation, encouraging visitors to reflect on the acquired information from the exhibits.
To elevate the entertainment experience at the Vancouver Aquarium, we incorporated a drawing feature in the experience. Our goal is to offer visitors the opportunity to craft and interact with their personalized unique sea creatures, which can then be showcased at the Teck Connection Gallery.
To release their custom sea animal design, visitors are required to hold their device near an NFC tag and project their work onto the Teck Connection Gallery. Every visitor who has participated in this journey can showcase their hatched sea animals.
The simulation of saving and releasing the animal to its habitat encourages empathy as children connect with the animal's needs, promoting a sense of responsibility for its safety and protection.
After visitors have released their hatched sea animal, these sea animals are projected onto the Teck Connection Gallery. This process seamlessly bridges the gap between the virtual and real worlds, allowing visitors to witness their animal come to life in its natural environment.
To enhance the visitor experience beyond the physical exhibits, visitors will receive a collectible card of the animal they hatched at the end of the journey.
Physical collectable cards will be printed for visitors which contains information about their hatched animal as well as a scannable qr code to entice visitors to continue their experience with the newly hatched aquatic animal.We want to offer all visitors the opportunity to take on the role of a responsible caregiver for the virtual aquatic animals they have previously ‘hatched’.
The Aqua Quest app serves as an extension of the visitor’s journey, allowing them to release the fish in the virtual fish tank, revisit their information including conservation value, attributes, habitat details, and acquire a collection handbook.
