Middle Ground

Exploratorium

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Middle Ground brings insights from social science research to a broad, general public. Located on San Francisco’s Main Public Library’s Western plaza, the outdoor installation creates opportunities for people of all walks of life to engage with interactive exhibits and with other people in order to experience and question their own beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions about others. Through 14 architectural-scale, interactive, and multimedia exhibits, Middle Ground invites people passing through San Francisco’s Civic Center to explore topics such as stereotypes and bias, social influence, prosocial behavior, and social polarization. The installation was designed and developed by the Exploratorium, in close partnership with the San Francisco Public Library, the Civic Center Commons Initiative, and other site partners. Middle Ground was funded by the National Science Foundation and Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to inspiring a deeper interest in science.

Key Team Members

Shawn Lani, Principal Investigator, Exploratorium

Dr. Joshua Gutwill, Co-Principal Investigator, Exploratorium

Dr. Heike Winterheld, Exploratorium, Social Psychologist

Steve Gennrich, Project Director

Dana Goldberg, Exploratorium, Project Lead

Phoebe Schenker, Architect

Adam Esposito, Exploratorium - Structural Design and Fabrication

Sue Pomon , Exploratorium - Graphic Design

Eileen Campbell, Exploratorium - Editorial

Doug Thistlewolf, Exploratorium - Exhibit Design

David Torgerson, Exploratorium - Exhibit Design

Julie Flynn, Project Manager, Civic Center Commons Initiative at San Francisco Planning Department (community partner)

Amy Cohen , Director, Neighborhood Program Development at City and County of San Francisco (community partner)