elsonstudio was the Exhibition Designer for Gates of the Lord, The Tradition of Krishna Paintings, at the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition showcased the painting tradition and school of artists from the town of Nathdwara, in Western India. Located in the Art Institute’s 14,450 square foot gallery, Regenstein Hall, the design of the exhibition was a result of a close collaboration with the curatorial team as well as the in-house design department, conservation, and the department of physical plant.

The exhibition ran from September 2015 - January 2016.

elsonstudio designed the exhibition Vanishing Beauty: Asian Jewelry and Ritual Objects from the Barbara and David Kipper Collection. The exhibition was located in Regenstein Hall, a 14,450 square foot gallery at the Art Institute of Chicago, and consisted of over three hundred objects - ornaments from the Himalayas, Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, and China. It was a case-heavy show, with over 75 cases reused from the AIC’s inventory. The studio was involved in the overall design of the exhibition circulation and flow, as well as interior case layouts, in close collaboration with the curator and the collections department. Close collaboration with other internal departments at the AIC - conservation, digital experience, interpretation, mounts, installation, design and physical plant, proved to be paramount to the success of the project, as well as listening carefully to the wishes of the donor. 

The exhibition opened to the public June 19, 2016, and ran until late August, 2016.

elsonstudio designed the new permanent Japan Gallery at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) as a part of the museum’s Asian Collection re-installation.

The studio worked collaboratively with a team of curators, interpreters, educators, graphic designers and collections managers to conceive of and design the gallery.  Some unique elements incorporated in the design include an “accordion wall” at the entrance, which showcases two distinct images depending on the perspective of the viewer, meant to convey shifting notions of Japanese culture. The Noh robes are displayed in a custom case which evokes the geometry of the Noh Theatre, and incorporates a screen displaying sequences from a performance.

The Tokonoma space presented a unique challenge.  Meant to evoke, not replicate, the traditional Japanese architecture of a Tokonoma alcove, we worked closely with the traditional Japanese architect, Mr Tsubaki, to adapt the design to incorporate materials available in Michigan and construction techniques familiar to local trades.

The gallery opened to the public November, 2017.

All photographs courtesy of the Ottawa Art Gallery, taken by Justin Wonnacott.

The exhibition runs from October 9, 2021 - February 27, 2022 at Aga Khan Museum, Toronto.

A Family Palette: Frances-Anne Johnston, Franz Johnston, and Franklin Arbuckle, an exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery (September 10, 2022 – February 5, 2023), curated by Rebecca Basciano. Photo: Rémi Thériault.

All photos by George Wang and Vicdan Okman, Elson Studio.

All photos by George Wang, Elson Studio.

All photos by Priam Thomas, Myseum of Toronto / Priam Thomas, 2022.

Photography by Connor Astley.

elsonstudio designed the plinths which showcase “Futalognkosarus,” the large dinosaur skeleton displayed in the ROM’s entrance atrium. The design was responsive to the curator’s concept of ‘continents adrift,’ as well as the geometries of the ROM Crystal—a playful interpretation of a traditional orthogonal plinth. Careful digital studies were done to ensure that the dinosaur was optimally placed to create powerful views from key locations within the museum.

The plinths were modelled digitally and fabricated out of welded steel with a brushed finish.

Through the Ground Glass: Reframing William James Topley, an exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery (June 21, 2024 – February 9 2025), curated by Rebecca Basciano. Photo: Rémi Thériault. | Vue de l’installation À travers le dépoli. Grand-angle sur William James Topley, une exposition organisée par Rebecca Basciano et présentée à la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa du 21 juin au 9 février 2025. Photo : Rémi Thériault.

If You Look Hard Enough, You Can See Our Future exhibition is curated from the Nando's Art Collection at the African Diaspora Art Museum, Atlanta.

Stories My Father Couldn’t Tell Me: Jeff Thomas Origin, an exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery (October 19, 2024 – March 16, 2025), curated by Rachelle Dickenson (National Gallery of Canada) with Hanako Hubbard-Radulovich and Victoria Pelky (Carleton University). Photo: Rémi Thériault.

Oh My Dog! May 25 – November 3, 2024. Guest Curated by Chris Finn. All photos by George Wang, Elson Studio.

All photos by George Wang, Elson Studio.

All photos by George Wang and Vicdan Okman, Elson Studio.

All photos by George Wang and Vicdan Okman, Elson Studio.

All photos by George Wang, Elson Studio / George Wang, 2023.

All photos by Priam Thomas, Myseum of Toronto / Priam Thomas, 2022.

Dark Ice: Leslie Reid and Robert Kautuk, an exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery (April 23, 2022 - March 5, 2023), curated by Rebecca Basciano. Photo: Justin Wonnacott. 

All photographs courtesy of the Ottawa Art Gallery, taken by Chris Snow, 2021.

All photographs courtesy of the Ottawa Art Gallery, taken by Chris Snow, 2021.

All photographs courtesy of the Ottawa Art Gallery, taken by Justin Wonnacott.

elsonstudio worked with Bespoke Cultural Collective to conceive of, design, and oversee the fabrication of a series of pop-ups for Waterfront Toronto, meant to engage the public with the agency in a thoughtful and playful manner.

The Portlands PopUp is the first of the series.  Utilizing non-traditional materials (milk crates, blue astroturf, shipping containers) the installation created an environment for the public to interact with Waterfront Toronto to discuss the development of the Portlands and role of the agency.  Visitors were given a free popsicle and invited to vote on which topic concerned them the most, using the popsicle sticks.

The installation ran August 2017 at the ArtSpin exhibition opening, and at Dundas Square September thru October (where hot chocolate with stir sticks were provided.)

elsonstudio was the lead exhibition designer for a travelling exhibition about quantum computing for the Institute of Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada. The exhibition is 4,000 square feet and had a budget of $1.4 million, and is a part of Canada’s INNOVATION 150 efforts. The studio joined the project in March, 2016 (taking over from a designer on maternity leave) and was responsible for overseeing the look and feel of the 3-dimensional and graphic design of the project. The studio was also involved in the design and conceptualization of the interactive exhibits, which utilize a range of technologies including RIFD’s, LED cubes and animations, to communicate a series of concepts which underpin the field of quantum physics. 

The exhibition opened at THEMUSEUM, in Kitchener, Ontario, October 15, 2016, and traveled to seven other locations across Canada.

elsonstudio was the Exhibition Design Consultant for the new Longhouse Interpretive centre at the Crawford Lake Iroquoian Village outside of Campbellville, Ontario. Working in collaboration with the architects, Brook McIlroy, and Conservation Halton staff, we proposed a series of exhibit installations to complement the programmatic and educational requirements of the centre; as well as recommending artifact installation styles and graphics.

The Longhouse Interpretive Centre opened to the public July 2014.

elsonstudio designed the exhibition “Meanings in Architecture: The Early Works of George Baird, 1957 - 1993.” Working closely with the curator Michael Prokopow, we developed a subtle exhibition aesthetic that emphasized the delicate sketches, drawings, technical drawings, and collages to be displayed. The exhibition was organized chronologically, and a cornice-like timeline served as a means of conveying content, as well as functioning as a way-finding device for visitors. The height and scale of the timeline also created a more intimate, human-scale in the high-ceiling space of the gallery, appropriate to the human-scaled nature of Baird’s work. The exhibition ran February - August 2012.

With a tight budget and a crew of work-study students, the studio developed a unique mounting system for the archival drawings using rare earth magnets, foamcore, laser-cut acrylic, standard screws, washers and bolts, and paint. This system has since been implemented at the Ron Thom exhibit at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, 2014.

Oxford Properties Group, an international development company, required an exhibition designer and project manager to participate in the content development, design and coordination of a mobile exhibition to communicate the company’s Sustainable Intelligence program to tenants. 

elsonstudio joined Oxford’s senior management and marketing departments in developing clear and engaging messaging and content for three exhibits, Environmental Building Systems, 2010, Waste, 2011 and Targets, 2012. The studio designed the first two exhibits to use the same modular framework and the third as a series of plinths that can be spaced apart or grouped together. All exhibits were displayed in 27 high-traffic lobby locations across Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Mississauga. The studio also oversaw and coordinated the transportation and installation of the exhibits at each site.

elsonstudio was responsible for the the front-end conceptualization of the ROM exhibition, Mesopotamia: Inventing our World. It was a co-production with the British Museum and the challenge was to faithfully present their story while also incorporating additional ROM-generated content. In collaboration with other core design team members, the studio developed a plan in which the British Museum content is clearly organized in free-standing cases according to the circulation path of visitors, with highlighted ROM content punctuating the path at key moments in the narrative in the form of experiential ‘cubes’. The cubes were conceived as playful aesthetic highlights within the flow of the traditional exhibition—self-contained units which explicate key relationships between Mesopotamian culture and our lives today.

The exhibition opened June, 2013.

Working as member of the core team, elsonstudio designed the “Sovereign Allies / Living Cultures” exhibition in the Canada’s First Peoples gallery. The challenge was to re-use as many of the existing plinths from the previous display, while breathing new life into the design. Working closely with the 2D designer we developed a new label display system as well as a series of free-standing panels to clearly communicate the vast amount of graphic information, creating a layering of content within the deep case.

The exhibition opened in September, 2012, and is scheduled to remain on display for a five year period.

Working closely with an internal design team at Entro Communications, as well as the larger Pursuit team lead by PCL, (Interior architects Parkin, Exterior Architects NORR) elsonstudio developed a comphrehensive signage package for the Etobicoke General Hospital Pursuit. The signage design was modular and efficent, as dictated by the PSOS, but also welcoming, optomistic and contemporary.

elsonstudio worked with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to develop the concept, content, and design of the PanAmerican Games Commemorative Memorabilia Case.  The case is currently on display in the lobby of the Minister's Office, with the intent to travel to other municipal locales which hosted the games. 

elsonstudio also oversaw the development of the interactive touchscreen, which showcases engaging video content which promoted the games.

This project presented the opportunity to investigate an animate surface, where notions of tactility, temporality and participatory traces created both a backdrop and counterpoint for the digital art exhibit curated by the group Year Zero One.

Located at Terminal One at Pearson International Airport Toronto, the installation is situated in a hallway leading travelers to their departure locations. The kiosk’s tactile surface was designed and fabricated to hold the image of thousands of flocking planes taking off. This malleable divided image is constantly being reshaped by the fleeting interactions of passengers who leave a trace of their use through altering the image into one of its permutations. The project was conceptualized, designed, built and installed in a close collaboration with Imola Berczi and Sarah Iwata.