The Knight Labs expand how visitors engage with the Wolfsonian collection. By combining digital tools with traditional object displays and peeks into behind-the-scenes storage, the Labs open new pathways for discovery—inviting you into dynamic encounters with our holdings.
Designed for discussion, experimentation, and change, the Knight Labs embody the spirit of a true laboratory: a place where ideas are tested and perspectives shift.
Floor 3
Knight Lab 3 highlights the resources of The Wolfsonian Library, encouraging deeper dives into its themes. Glass walls show off our library stacks, providing a view of some of our most beautiful Art Nouveau book spines.
Floor 4
Knight Lab 4 centers on our works on paper collection—posters, prints, design drawings, and photographs—inviting new ways to learn about their design, uses, and conservation. Glimpse into collection storage to see how we maintain and preserve these items in flat files and archival boxes.
Interactives
Magnify and rotate high-resolution 3D scans of medallions, medals, and plaquettes from the Wayne Dodge and Lawrence Kreisman Medallic Art and Poster Stamp Collection.
Explore the power of persuasion, seeing how 20th-century poster designers used a wide range of techniques to motivate voters, appeal to consumers, and more.
View images and objects side-by-side to reveal insights about the world and unearth connections between books, periodicals, ephemera, and other kinds of artifacts.
Design shapes daily life. Through images of objects and buildings, see how designers have responded to climate, culture, and human habit to craft the world around us.
DigiBooks is a repository of digitized historical publications and portfolios. Flip through rare and fragile volumes in full, page by page.
Discovery Wall
Our 11-foot touch wall allows up to 3 people at once to investigate a labyrinth of objects. Zoom into intricate details and chart your own route through the collection!
This project and these spaces have been made possible through the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.