Grandes Maestros: Great Masters of Iberoamerican
Folk ArT

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF
LOS ANGELES COUNTY

GRANDES MAESTROS at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County was the most extensive exhibition of Latin American Folk Art ever exhibited in North America. It consisted of  five main galleries and displayed over 900 works from hundreds of Latin American artists. To accommodate the vast variety of types of objects, several flexible systems were developed; including: tables, walls, rails, interpretive graphics, cases and benches. The exhibition design intentionally
placed folk art within a modern context to both communicate the contemporary nature of the works as well as emphasize the traditions as 'living' ones.

This project was created in collaboration with NHMLA and Fomento Cultural Banamex.

Design contributions by RGP partners were made while on staff at NHMLA.

The exhibition design intentionally placed folk art within a modern environment to communicate the contemporary nature of the works as well as emphasize the traditions
as 'living' ones.

MATERIALITY 

In addition to the vast quantity of objects, this exhibition included many types of objects made from many different medias; including: ceramics, metals, glass, wood, natural fibers, and textiles. The scale of the objects also varied and so several different flexible adaptable systems had to be created. The tables were designed to allow for infinite arrangements–providing differentiation while still maximizing the display space. The rail system likewise adapted to the table configuration and provided comfortable, safe viewing distances to objects and a space for both static and digital interpretive materials.