



YAYOI KUSAMA: INFINITY MIRRORS
2017
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
Immerse in the infinite.
STRATEGY
A blockbuster if ever the Seattle Art Museum saw one, key to communication surrounding Kusama’s exhibition was clear instruction on capacity and ticket releases to this perpetually sold-out exhibition. I developed workflows across admissions and communications for the release of tickets and provided detailed instructions for the public and members on how to get tickets. To share this information, I implemented the use of a ticker tape at the bottom of the website to provide up-to-date information on ticket availability.As a well-known rebellious personality with a long and highly visible history in the art world, Kusama’s philosophy on art and infinity is well documented but less easily consumed than images of her infinity rooms. After reading a selection of her books and interviews, I proposed using excerpts of the artist’s words to bring complexity and additional understanding to images of Kusama’s work.

When the exhibition ended, I expanded on the use of the artist’s voice in the rest of the campaign promotional materials to incorporate a Kusama quote into the ticker tape feature of the site.
COPY
Infinity is a difficult concept to grasp, but it is easy to contemplate when you step inside one of artist Yayoi Kusama’s iconic Infinity Mirror Rooms.Writing about Kusama’s work was a pleasure. Her artwork inspires a sense of wonder and awe that I put into words and infused into art historical and tactical information so visitors would know what to expect from this high-profile exhibition.
Key to the copy direction for communications assets was the use of the artist’s words to get audiences thinking about the concepts of the work beyond the viral images.
VIDEO
I wrote and outlined assets for a trailer and social videos for every special exhibition over my six years at SAM. This involved securing rights, tracking crediting, and ensuring proper links back to web hosted images. I also worked closely with the Design Studio Lead to come up with both the visual creative direction and sound design.
SOCIAL
Working closely with the design team, I concepted and wrote a series of social media videos used as ads throughout the run of the exhibition, along with blog content, a staff book club, website copy, and numerous social assets created onsite.Visual storytelling is always key in the communications for a fine art museum. To convey that Kusama’s artwork holds appeal for a broad spectrum of ages, I partnered with our education department and the Teen Arts Group to create content that introduced a new, site-specific and interactive artwork to the public.
Social media was a key resource in sharing live information on ticket availablity with the public. To keep visitors aware of what to expect we created content in-app, as well as adapted assets to share fresh visuals with ongoing updates.
To open new dimensions into Kusama’s proflific career, I started a SAM Book Club to read Violet Obsessions, Kusama’s poetry collection published in 1998, and wrote the first reflection to kick off the book club blog series. This is just one way that I offered the public a broader understanding of the artwork on view and established another entry point of interest for visitors.
Read the full article, SAM Staff Reads: Kusama’s Turbulent Garden.
