{"id":809,"date":"2025-03-24T18:33:41","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T18:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/?p=809"},"modified":"2025-10-09T16:48:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:48:25","slug":"bringing-exhibitions-to-life-behind-the-scenes-of-a-roll-of-the-dice-with-designer-lauren-coghlan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/2025\/03\/24\/bringing-exhibitions-to-life-behind-the-scenes-of-a-roll-of-the-dice-with-designer-lauren-coghlan\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing exhibitions to life: behind the scenes of \u2018A Roll of the Dice\u2019 with designer Lauren Coghlan\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sara J. Pinkham and Krista Hershberger<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Lauren
Lauren Coghlan, creative coordinator, University Libraries. Photo: Krista Hershberger.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

As the creative coordinator for the University of Iowa Libraries, Lauren Coghlan manages visual design across all seven libraries, creating everything from print materials to signage. As an artist, Lauren is always especially excited about one of the more unique challenges of the job: creating the look and feel for Main Library Gallery<\/a> exhibitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As the exhibit designer, it\u2019s my job to create and facilitate production of all printed collateral for each exhibit,\u201d explains Lauren. This includes the panels inside the cases and on the walls, vinyl on the walls and windows, exhibit guides, artwork labels, posters, digital slides, and any other pieces unique to a specific project. Lauren loves that no two exhibits are the same. \u201cI have total creative freedom and it\u2019s great to be more artistic and work with my hands more,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While guest curators for each Main Library Gallery exhibit research, select objects for display, and write the educational narrative, Lauren ensures that the presentation is visually compelling and immersive through graphic design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe overall feel of the exhibition is a collaboration between myself and the curator,\u201d says Lauren. \u201cThe curators often have some idea of what they are looking for, but it\u2019s my job to interpret those ideas into a cohesive look for each exhibit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lauren brainstormed design concepts with guest curator Rich Dana, the Sackner Archive Project coordinator librarian for Special Collections and Archives, for the spring 2025 exhibit, A Roll of the Dice: Symbolism in the Sackner Archive<\/em>. She chose a bold aesthetic with red and black colors, and was influenced by specific objects in the exhibit and by Dadaism, the broader art movement which inspired some of the works on display. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Rich Dana and Lauren Coghlan preparing vinyl for installation in A Roll of the Dice: Symbolism in the Sackner Archive.<\/em> Photo: Sara Pinkham.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

A Roll of the Dice<\/em> follows the influence of an 1897 work by French Symbolist poet St\u00e9phane Mallarm\u00e9. His avant-garde poem \u201cUn coup de d\u00e9s jamais n\u2019abolira le hasard\u201d [A throw of the dice will never abolish chance] ultimately contributed to graphic design as we know it today by challenging print design customs of the time. The pioneering poem later lent itself well to Dada artwork and showed up frequently during this brief movement in post-World War I Europe (ca. 1915-1922). Like the poem itself, Dadaism challenged traditional notions of beauty and form through art. Since its publication, artists and writers have continued to explore the mystery of \u201cUn coup\u201d and its revolutionary layout by reprinting and creating their own versions of the poem, or crafting works influenced by it, through a wide variety of mediums.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was inspired by the design of many covers of \u2018Un coup,\u2019 many of which feature a white background, black and red borders, and red and black text,\u201d says Lauren \u201cOn a broader level, I was inspired by Dadaism. Dada designers often used black, white, and red elements along with bold, condensed typefaces in their designs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once design is finalized for an exhibit and printed panels have arrived, Lauren also helps with installation alongside other Libraries colleagues. Exhibit production for the Main Library Gallery involves a core project team that works for months ahead of opening day. Exhibition and Engagement Coordinator Sara Pinkham manages the production process and logistics for each exhibit from start to finish, along with directing day-to-day gallery operations. Conservator Technician and Exhibit Preparator Bill Voss starts building custom display mounts for each object weeks before installation begins, ensuring that materials selected by curators are shown safely and elegantly. University Conservator Giselle Sim\u00f3n determines conservation treatment needs for materials ahead of display, handles necessary framing, and helps facilitate item loans. Giselle, Bill, and their colleagues in Conservation and Collections Care carry out prescribed treatments before exhibit installation. This can mean careful removal of adhesives, binding repairs, gentle cleaning, and more depending on the conditions of the selected materials.   <\/p>\n\n\n

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Lauren Coghlan working in her large vinyl installation of St\u00e9phane Mallarm\u00e9’s poem “Un coup de d\u00e9s jamais n\u2019abolira le hasard.” Photo: Sara Pinkham.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

A Roll of the Dice<\/em> featured a few unique endeavors for the Main Library Gallery, including an extensive vinyl installation around the inside perimeter. Lauren designed, printed, and applied the vinyl, along with support from the team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis piece required a lot of forethought, but seeing it come together\u2014and that my math was correct\u2014was fun,\u201d Lauren remarks. \u201cI also conquered my fear of ladders after having to be on one for over twelve hours to place the vinyl on the walls.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what advice she would give to graphic design students working with larger physical spaces, Lauren emphasized accessibility and user experience along with logistical preparation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPut accessibility into the forefront of the design process,\u201d she says. \u201cThis includes thinking about the space needed to maneuver wheelchairs, placing wall panels at accessible heights, color contrast for increased legibility, and choosing font sizes for effective reading. I am always learning about how I can increase accessibility in my work, and I encourage others to do the same. I also strongly recommend taking the time to create to-scale mockups of the space you’re designing for. I\u2019ve found it extremely helpful to have all decisions about installation layout and measurements made before installation begins.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you missed it during the 2025 spring semester, view the A Roll of the Dice: Symbolism in the Sackner Archive<\/a> exhibit guide, curator highlights, and more on the Main Library Gallery website<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sara J. Pinkham and Krista Hershberger As the creative coordinator for the University of Iowa Libraries, Lauren Coghlan manages visual design across all seven libraries, creating everything from print materials to signage. As an artist, Lauren is always especially excited about one of the more unique challenges of the job: creating the look andContinue reading “Bringing exhibitions to life: behind the scenes of \u2018A Roll of the Dice\u2019 with designer Lauren Coghlan\u00a0“<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":272,"featured_media":868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,2],"syndication":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/272"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":869,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809\/revisions\/869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809"},{"taxonomy":"syndication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/gallery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/syndication?post=809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}