OTTER COVE
CHILDREN'S MUSUEM
MY ROLE
Creative Direction • Project Management
Exhibit Design • Mural Design & Implementation
Graphic Design & Illustration • Creative Collaboration
A REGION'S STORY
Every great children's museum begins with the community it serves.
Nestled among rolling farmland, wooded hills, and more than a thousand lakes, Otter Tail County is defined by the waterways that connect its people, wildlife, and history. The Otter Tail River winds through Fergus Falls, shaping both the landscape and the community that has called it home for generations.
The museum was envisioned as a place where children could experience that story firsthand. Rather than creating a generic play space, every exhibit celebrates the unique character of the region, from the river and its wildlife to the agricultural heritage and vibrant downtown that continue to shape life in Otter Tail County.
Otter Tail County
BUILDING AN EMERGING MUSEUM
Every museum begins with an idea. Emerging museums begin with a community willing to believe in that idea.
Otter Cove Children's Museum was my first opportunity to help bring a new museum to life. Long before visitors walked through its doors, these concept renderings helped communicate the vision for the museum and were used to support fundraising efforts as the project continued to grow.
As my first museum illustrations, they marked the beginning of my career in exhibit design. More importantly, they introduced me to the collaborative spirit that defines emerging museums, where community members, donors, designers, and museum leaders work together to transform a shared vision into a place that inspires children and families.
Working alongside a passionate team, including two colleagues with deep roots in Fergus Falls and Otter Tail County, reinforced the importance of designing experiences that feel authentic to the communities they represent. Their connection to the region helped shape every decision, ensuring the museum reflected the landscapes, waterways, wildlife, and downtown character that make Otter Tail County unique.
Otter Cove also confirmed the direction I wanted my own career to take. It was here that I discovered my passion for working with emerging children's museums, creating experiences rooted in regional identity, and helping communities tell their stories through play.
CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE
The landscapes of Otter Tail County that became the foundation for the museum's visual identity.
Before developing the murals, I spent time exploring the region, photographing the rolling farmland, wooded hills, winding river, and downtown Fergus Falls. Those photographs were combined into reference collages that served as the basis for each mural, allowing the artwork to reflect the landscapes and places that children and families recognize as home.
During installation, the building itself presented an unexpected challenge. The dry interior conditions caused the paint to dry too quickly for traditional blending techniques, requiring a different approach to creating depth and atmosphere. Instead of soft transitions, I developed a layered painting style using carefully placed blocks of color that built the landscapes piece by piece.
What began as a practical solution became a defining part of my artistic process. The resulting style captured the character of the region while remaining playful, vibrant, and approachable for young audiences.
As Otter Cove continued to grow, I carried this visual language into future exhibit additions, murals, and graphic design projects, creating a cohesive identity that evolved alongside the museum.
The success of this approach also opened new opportunities beyond Otter Cove. The mural style I developed for this project led directly to my work on the Mini Sota Agricultural Children's Museum, where it expanded across an even larger collection of murals and environmental graphics.
GROWING WITH THE MUSEUM
As Otter Cove Children's Museum continued to grow, so did my involvement.
Over the following years, I returned to help expand and refine the visitor experience through new exhibits, environmental graphics, and interactive learning opportunities. Each addition was designed to build upon the museum's existing identity while responding to new educational goals and the evolving needs of its visitors.
Projects included redesigning the library and café exhibits, developing interactive displays that introduced children to renewable energy through hydroelectric, wind, and solar power, enhancing the school bus exhibit with new interactive experiences, and transforming the lower level of the climbing structure into a calming space for neurodivergent children and families.
Because these additions were developed over multiple phases, maintaining a cohesive visual language was essential. Each new exhibit, illustration, mural, and graphic was thoughtfully integrated into the existing museum, allowing the visitor experience to evolve while remaining true to the character and story of Otter Tail County.
EXPLORING RENEWABLE ENERGY
In partnership with Otter Tail Power Company, we developed a series of interactive exhibits that introduce children to renewable energy through hands-on exploration. Designed to make complex concepts approachable for young learners, each exhibit encourages experimentation while demonstrating how different sources of energy power our everyday lives.
The solar exhibit invites children to spin a wheel, illuminating a glowing sun that activates a series of lights to demonstrate how sunlight is converted into electricity. Inspired by the historic Fergus Falls hydroelectric dam, the hydroelectric exhibit challenges visitors to generate power by turning a cylinder that represents flowing river water. As electricity travels through the graphic, lights illuminate one by one before ultimately powering a fan, allowing children to see the complete journey of energy generation.
ENHANCING EXISITNG EXHIBITS
As the museum matured, opportunities arose to revisit several exhibits and expand their educational value. Rather than replacing successful experiences, each enhancement was designed to build upon the museum's existing character while introducing new opportunities for imaginative play.
The library was transformed into a cozy reading nook centered around a custom tree-inspired bookshelf and hillside seating, creating an inviting space that encourages children to slow down and explore stories.
The café was updated with a new oven and refridgerator, and additional play features to support imaginative role play.
The school bus exhibit received interactive additions including a functional dashboard, mirrors, seatbelts, and a movable stop sign.
An interactive Bus Route Map encouraged children to navigate the Otter Cove community through play while reinforcing way-finding and problem solving. It joined a growing collection of illustrated route maps, including mail and produce delivery activities, that connected multiple exhibits through a consistent visual language.
SUPPORTING EVERY VISITOR
Creating an inclusive museum experience means designing spaces where every child can feel comfortable exploring at their own pace.
To better support neurodivergent visitors, the lower level of the climbing structure was transformed into a calming environment that encourages quiet exploration through tactile play, soft lighting, and immersive sensory experiences.
Rather than creating a space that felt separate from the rest of the museum, I wanted it to feel like a natural extension of the surrounding exhibits. The painted landscapes evolved into quilted underwater scenes, introducing warmth, texture, and tactile interaction while maintaining the museum's established visual language. Wrapped around sheet metal, the handcrafted quilted panels allow children to move magnetic fish throughout the environment, creating their own underwater stories through imaginative play. The quilts were created in partnership with a local quilting group, adding another layer of community collaboration to the project.
Every element was thoughtfully designed to create a calming, multi-sensory experience. Gentle water sounds, projected rippling light, sculptural seating inspired by logs and moss, a weighted "moss" blanket, and an interactive otter den invite children to rest, play, and explore in a space that feels connected to the natural world while offering a quieter alternative to the museum's more active exhibits.
Every element was thoughtfully designed to create a calming, multi-sensory experience. Gentle water sounds, projected rippling light, sculptural seating inspired by logs and moss, a weighted "moss" blanket, and an interactive otter den invite children to rest, play, and explore in a space that feels connected to the natural world while offering a quieter alternative to the museum's more active exhibits.
Otter Cove Children's Museum became much more than my first emerging museum. Over six years, it evolved into a collaborative partnership that shaped my approach to exhibit design, creative leadership, and community-centered storytelling. The lessons learned here continue to influence every project I undertake, from children's museums and nature centers to the larger immersive experiences I design today.
continue Exploring
otter cove Children's Museum
Wondertrek Children's Museum
Adams Homestead & Nature Preserve
THOUGHTFUL DESIGN / LASTING IMPACT
READY TO CREATE SOMETHING MEANINGFUL TOGETHER?
I would love to learn more about your vision and how we can create an experience that inspires curiosity, connects people with nature, and tells an unforgettable story.