On July 13, “Immersive Worlds: Real and Imagined,” an interactive art exhibition co-curated by Hood Museum of Art curators Amelia Kahl and Neely McNulty, opened its doors to the public at the Hood. The exhibition, which will remain on display until Dec. 15, features mid- to late-20th century art pieces from the Hood’s permanent collection.
Immersive Worlds extends through three galleries on the museum’s second floor — Lathrop Gallery, Hall Gallery and Jaffe Gallery — and scatters various sensory installations through the spaces. The installations, which range from printmaking to ceramics to wood sculptures, are presented with interactive features such as a creative writing space and scent stations. They aim to stimulate a holistic sensory experience — including all of the senses rather than just sight, according to the Hood’s Summer 2024 quarterly.
Immersive Worlds invites visitors to delve into works by many artists — including Sana Musasama, Dorothea Tanning and Betye and Lezley Saar — while simultaneously engaging in an immersive moment of personal reflection.
According to the quarterly, the exhibition is “designed to invite active participation” from guests — unlike traditional art exhibitions where visitors simply look at the art from a distance.
“Immersive Worlds integrates art into a sensory environment to bring out the suggested universes that artists create, then prompts visitors to create for themselves,” Kahl and McNulty wrote in the quarterly.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, McNulty said she chose to curate an interactive exhibit in order to create conversations between patrons and art — conversations, they said, that stimulate periods of reflection and contemplation.
“The hope is that, by actively participating in these creative processes, [visitors] will understand that having their own personal response to the art is a really important part of engaging with it,” they said.
McNulty said the exhibit utilizes color, texture and scale to craft a new experience for museum visitors — one that prioritizes “comfortability, active engagement and self-reflection.”
McNulty added that the “soothing” green walls of the second and third gallery spaces are designed to “envelop” and “immerse” viewers in the art.
In addition to the physical setting of the exhibition, its inclusion of engaging, hands-on activities allow visitors to further involve themselves in the exhibition’s array of art pieces, according to exhibition designer Priyata Bosamia.
“We have a trifold brochure that acts as a companion that you pick up at the beginning of the exhibition,” Bosamia said. “It has a viewfinder, questions and prompts and a tear-off postcard that you can send your family or friends.”
Bosamia emphasized that her favorite exhibit was a piece called “To the Rescue,” an oil painting by Dorothea Tanning.
“I feel like it feels very intimate, very loving,” she said. “I keep going back to that one painting to feel that.”
Hood student gallery attendant Kiki Rosenthal ’26 said she is a fan of Immersive Worlds. She said she finds the theme compelling because of its connection to the appeal of viewing art.
“It’s kind of interesting that they would choose that as the theme because that’s sort of what viewing art is like: it’s very imaginative,” she said. “I like the variety of mediums and it’s kind of abstract. So, therefore, it can be kind of thought provoking. You know, however you want it to be.”
The curators also installed a scent station to give participants “the opportunity to consider how scent can impact one’s visual experience,” according to the quarterly.
“You smell a scent, and I feel like it transforms the experience of the artwork that you’re seeing in front of you,” Bosamia said. “The smell evokes a different kind of feeling.”
A table was also placed against a wall within one of the galleries to allow visitors to sit and create their own pieces of artwork, according to Kahl. The table included sheets of paper and colored pencils.
“You can doodle, you can color, you can sketch, you can write your own poetry,” Kahl said. “You can write notes and share your thoughts on the brochure postcard.”
McNulty encouraged those who visit the exhibit to take a moment to take it all in.
“Try all the things,” McNulty said. “This exhibition is about pleasure and slowing down. Take a few minutes out of your summer and have fun in this space.”
