VISUAL ARTS

A joint exhibit with Grand Circle Gallery and Design Museum Boston.
Design has shaped and continues to transform our travel experiences. The moment you step into the airport, station, or port you’re entering a world that is curated and planned by designers. From the layout and signage of the airport, to the form and function of your suitcase, to the style and dimensions of your seat; every aspect of the experience is designed.

Getting There shows designers’ efforts to create a comfortable, efficient, and exciting travel experience. We invite you to view vintage travel advertising from a time when leisure travel was made more feasible by technological advancements in transportation. Compare images, plans, and artifacts of the past, present, and future — and ask yourself, “How do we define the Golden Age of Travel?”

The exhibition chronicles the design evolution of traveler accessories, such as noise-canceling headsets, as well as designs of airline seats, train interiors, and vintage cutlery. Drawings, models, and prototypes from design firms such as Bose, Samsonite, Teague, Two Twelve, and IDEO, highlight projects that have creatively addressed design challenges posed by the constraints of human travel.