"The Brain in Bloom" organized by SFSU's Exhibition Design Class

Chapter 1: A Mindful Metamorphosis
Chapter 2: Cognitive Care
Chapter 3: Spring As Dance 

About the Exhibition

Conceived as a three-part narrative, this exhibition is shaped by the cyclical rhythms of the world around us. We witness the spectrum of existence–birth and death, expansion and contraction, the tides coming in and going out, movement and stillness, joy and pain.

As we transition from the chill of winter into the growth of spring, we can find parallels in our own inner landscape. While some revel in the warmth of the sun bringing new life, like the melting frost from the wintered earth, others linger in the shadows of hibernation, not yet prepared to emerge into the light.

While some may remain in certain stages longer than others, our exhibition reflects the continuous cycle of emotions where there is no explicit peak or fall. Each person is able to have their own experience and reflect on their own mental state.

About the Organizers

Exhibition Design classes at San Francisco State University introduce the fundamental aspects of organizing exhibitions to upper-division Studio Art and Art History majors, as well as Museum Studies and Fine Arts graduate students. Covering topics from curatorial research to art handling, registration to lighting, the course aims to offer direct, hands-on experience in the multi-faceted realm of gallery management.

As part of the curriculum exploring curation, students initially undertook the task of curating their own exhibitions from NIAD's extensive online inventory. Their ideas ranged from pairing maximalist and minimalist works, to surviving a zombie apocalypse, to highlighting eyes and the gaze. Subsequently, we worked on a storytelling-centered project, allowing everyone in the class to contribute to a collectively organized exhibition.

This exhibition was organized by San Francisco State University’s Spring 2024 ART 619-01 Exhibition Design class: Ava Bierly, Chase DeBow, Jaelyn Faraone, Damaris Farias, Maggie Hellberg, Sebastian Johnson, Hong Nguyen, Chandarany Prak-Austin, Keomony Prak-Austin, Inna Razmakhova, Alondra Reyes, Natalia Rodriguez, Shelby Roloff, Kristina Singleton, Justin Truong, Jennifer Wong, Kualii Wong, Roheen Zada. Class taught by Kevin B. Chen.