House of Waters–Full of Kitsch

Branding a museum of John Waters was an assigned project in a graduate course at Maryland Institute College of Art(MICA). Students were asked to decide how to craft a museum experience, what it contains, and how it interprets John Waters. My concept for the exhibition focused on Waters’s house because many people might be curious about his private space; what kinds of objects are in there, and how they inspire him. After researching interviews of Waters, I learned he collected several kinds of weird objects, and each one has a particular story that is meaningful to him. Through this research, I became more familiar with him, so I wanted to make the exhibition more approachable to the public and emphasize his eccentric side. As for its visual language, I referred to the ransom note style of his poster art, kitschy culture, and the 1950s Americana to bring a dark punk aesthetic. At the same time, I utilized the collage effect and choose a vivid color palette to represent his playful balancing act with the dark side.

DATE. Dec. 2019

CATEGORY. Exhibition Branding

ADVISOR. Abbott Miller, Andrew Walters