Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit
From June through November, 2022, people of all ages are invited to pull up a chair and experience Middle Ground, an exciting outdoor exhibition about how people interact with one another.
Whether you’re a denizen of the densest urban metropolis or the smallest small town, no person is an island. What goes into the stories we tell ourselves about other people—whether they’re on the streets we share, in our memories and our newsfeeds, or on the other side of the world?
Social scientists have studied how we think, feel, and behave in relation to other people for decades. Their investigations have shed light on bias and stereotyping, humor and generosity, how we work together, and how we pull apart into tribes.
Middle Ground explores these topics while giving people a chance to connect with others and experience directly the human phenomenon of the exhibition. It will be available free to all comers in the Exploratorium’s front plaza for five months, at which point it will travel to other locations in San Francisco.
Middle Ground was made possible by grants from the National Science Foundation (awards #1713638 and #2116110).
Exhibits
Middle Ground, allows people to drop their guard for a bit, enjoy the presence of others, and learn something new. Twelve interactive exhibits, a coffee cart, and chairs and tables create a space for fun, comfortable exploration, while friendly staffers welcome all users to the space and facilitate their experiences.
Digital Content
This website grew out of the original Middle Ground, a yearlong exhibition first installed at San Francisco’s Main Library. The essays and interactive digital experiences you’ll find here aim to get you thinking about how you think—and how you interact with others as you go about your daily life.
Explore interactive exhibits in the Play section, or dive deep into social science concepts in the Ponder section. If you're a museum practitioner thinking of bringing your exhibits outside, download our free guide to working in public space, The Promise of Public Spaces.
Play
Pull up a chair and play a bit! Explore interactive digital content about how we think, feel, and behave in relation to other people.
INTERACTIVES
Ponder
For decades, scientists have studied and learned much about social interactions. Delve into these essays to discover some of what shapes our social lives.
ESSAYS
More to Explore
#MiddleGroundSF
Middle Ground was created by the Exploratorium, in partnership with:
Thanks also to the many individuals from this community who contributed their time, energy, and thoughtfulness to the project.
