Middle Ground

Middle Ground

Reconsidering ourselves and others

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.

Location: San Francisco Main Library, Fulton Street steps

Running: July 2023 through March 2024

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 at the library for eight months, at which point it will travel to another location in San Francisco. Thank you to our partners at the San Francisco Public Library!

Middle Ground was made possible by grants from the National Science Foundation (awards #1713638 and #2116110).

Middle Ground | Reconsidering ourselves and others

Middle Ground | Finding Middle Ground

About the Exhibition
Play
Ponder

Exhibits

Middle Ground, allows people to drop their guard for a bit, enjoy the presence of others, and learn something new. Fifteen 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.

Three people sitting on a bench, two women and one man, wearing casual clothing in bright colors.

Pulling Together

Working together, do you pull your weight?

A person wearing a black hat with colored designs on it, looking at the camera.

Unseen Stories

There's what people see—and then there's the unseen story.

A man wearing a light-colored shirt gesturing with his hands while sitting on the floor in front of shelves.

Sharing Faces

See yourself in the faces of others.

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.

Middle Ground 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

Middle Ground 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

Concentric blue and red circular lines creating a hypnotic, abstract pattern against a dark background.

After Dark Thursday Nights

No kids allowed—but you can still act like one.

This image shows a microscopic view of a cellular structure. It appears to be a collection of hexagonal cells or honeycomb-like patterns, with dark centers and lighter surrounding areas. The overall appearance is intricate and visually striking.

Cells to Self

Exploring how cells move, divide, and respond to their surroundings.

Middle Ground was created by the Exploratorium, in partnership with:

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants No. 1713638 and 2116110. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.