MAAM 2026 Annual Conference

JSA/MIXdesign, Queens Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art demonstrate how an inclusive design firm and art museums can move beyond code compliance to translate progressive principles into projects and guidelines.

JSA/MIX will share findings from the MIXmuseum initiative (2018–present), which developed inclusive design recommendations across partner museums, published in the Making Inclusive Museums Now report with the Architectural League.

The session then highlights two applications: the Queens Museum, from a 2019 pilot to a current capital project creating an Older Adult Hub; and the Whitney Museum, where accessibility guidelines address digital and physical visitor experience.

Session Takeaways:
•Understand how accessibility and inclusion in museums is evolving and how it shapes expectations for physical space and visitor experience.
•Identify gaps between accessibility goals and how they are realized in capital projects, and strategies for addressing them.
•Learn how participatory design processes can be used to engage diverse stakeholders and inform decision-making across multiple project types
•Explore real-world examples and strategies for translating inclusive goals into spatial outcomes, whether through policy/guidelines or architectural interventions.