Liminal Space Research, with Dan Clevenger, Monika Smith, and Helen Ho

Museum lobbies have a huge influence on visitor experience. But what makes a good lobby?What is a “liminal space” in a museum? How does research actually work? What does “peer-reviewed research” actually mean? What do researchers hope their outcomes will be? Which department of a museum is even responsible for the lobby, and all the other “spaces in between”?Dan Clevenger (Principal), Monika Smith (Principal), and Helen Ho (Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher) from DLR Group discuss “Liminal Space Research” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&amp;G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).Along the way: wonder, awe, gaps in the literature, and all the spaghetti you can throw at a cupboard.Talking Points:1. DLR Group and the research team2. What is a “liminal space”?3. How research works4. The peer review process5. What the outcome will be6. Sneak peek: things learned so farHow to Listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311  Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G  Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast  Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/  Guest Bios:Dan Clevenger, AIA, LEED BD+C, Principal, Global Cultural + Performing Arts Leader, DLR Group. Dan Clevenger is an award-winning arts and cultural programmer, designer, and leader with more than two decades of experience across all phases of design and project development. His portfolio spans art museums, science centers, history museums, and natural history institutions, including the Heard Museum, Arizona Science Center, Chandler History Museum, C.N. Gorman Museum at UC Davis, the Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the University of Arizona Arts Master Plan. His work reflects a consistent commitment to institutions that strengthen their communities with purpose and longevity. Dan serves as a board member of the Western Museum Association and the Arizona State University Art Museum Creative Impact Board. Monika Smith, AIA, Principal, Cultural+Performing Arts Design Leader, DLR Group. Monika Smith brings a rigorous design craft to some of the most complex museum environments in the country. A senior designer with 28 years of experience in cultural facilities and historic preservation, she is known for technically demanding work across new construction, adaptive reuse, and landmark renovation. Her portfolio includes the Albany Museum of Art, Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Library of Congress Conservation Lab, and the Smithsonian Institution. Monika is a juror for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Buildy Awards.Helen Ho, PhD, EDAC, Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher, DLR Group. Helen Ho helps cultural institutions make informed, community-centered design decisions. With more than a decade of mixed-methods research experience, she connects stakeholder engagement, post-occupancy evaluation, and evidence-based frameworks to outcomes that matter: visitor wellbeing, spatial equity, and long-term institutional impact. She translates complex community needs into clear design metrics and research-informed strategies that support meaningful, people-centered spaces. Helen holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan. She is an EDAC professional and an AIA Associate Member.About Making the Museum:Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&amp;G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.Learn more about the creative work of C&amp;G Partners:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/  Links for This Episode:Dan Clevenger: dclevenger@dlrgroup.com  Monika Smith: msmith@dlrgroup.com  Helen Ho: hho@dlrgroup.com  The Cultural+Performing Arts / Museums Practice at DLR Group   Strategic Research Partnerships Yield Museum Design Insights, at DLR Group  </p