Matt Kirchman
Interpretive Planning,
Exhibition Development, & Design Consulting
617-233-8702
Matt Kirchman is the Founder and President of ObjectIDEA, a multi-disciplinary planning firm based near Boston. He serves as the Creative Director of Planning and Design for all projects.
He holds a Master of Science degree in Experiential Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communication from Northern Illinois University. For some 25 years, the interpretive design field has afforded him the opportunity to exercise his philosophies and methods in both schools of thinking.
Prior to founding ObjectIDEA, Matt was an exhibition developer and Director of Interpretation at several exhibition planning and design firms in Boston. He brings an in-house perspective to the planning process by calling on his experience as a staff designer for the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and as a naturalist and educator for outdoor schools, parks, and museums across the United States.
Matt was one of two independent consultants invited by the American Association of Museums to assist the organization in identifying the benchmarks for interpretive planning that AAM will use to accredit its member institutions. Samples of Matt’s interpretive design work are published in Noah’s Art: The Graphics of Zoos, Aquaria, Aviaries and Wildlife Parks, and journals for the Society of Environmental Graphic Design (SEGDdesign) and the American Association of Museums (The Exhibitionist and Museum News). His contribution to the design of the National Museum of Australia is published in the monograph, Tangled Destinies: The National Museum of Australia. He has lectured at conferences for the American Association of Museums, The National Association for Museum Exhibition, New England Museum Association, and Museums Australia.
Matt collects museum visits and keeps a database record of each and every one. His collection currently numbers over 500 visits from Bangkok to Boston; New Zealand to New York.
Dear Boston: Remembering One Year After the Marathon Bombing | Exhibition Development: ObjectIDEA | Graphic Design: HER Design | Photo: Christian Phillips
A Whole New Ballgame, Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY | Exhibition Development: ObjectIDEA | AV Design: Blue Cadet | Fabrication: Hadley Exhibits
Our Green Museum, Boston Children's Museum | Exhibition Development: ObjectIDEA | Photography and Exhibition Graphic Design: Theory One
Bok Tower Gardens Welcome Center, Lake Wales, FL | Exhibition Planning: ObjectIDEA | Exhibition Design: Brent Johnson Design | Graphic Design: Jeff Stammen | Fabrication: Hadley Exhibits
Martha's Vineyard Trust Welcome Center, Edgartown, MA | Exhibition Development: ObjectIDEA | Exhibition Design: Brent Johnson Design | Graphic Design: HER Design | Fabrication: Hadley Exhibits | Architectural Renovation: Patrick Ahearn Architects
Walden Pond Visitor Education Center, Concord, MA | Concept Planning and Exhibition Development: ObjectIDEA | Graphic Design: Jeff Stammen | Architecture: Mary Anne Thompson Architects
Nantucket Historical Association, Whaling Museum, Nantucket, MA | Exhibition Design: Amaze Design
Cleveland Museum of Natural History Master Plan, ObjectIDEA in collaboration with Christopher Chadbourne Associates
The Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, CA | Interpretive Master Plan and Concept Design: ObjectIDEA in collaboration with Brent Johnson Design and The Scenic Route | Graphic Design: Jeff Stammen | Architectural Design: Kohn Pedersen Fox
Visit Matt’s Company Website