Please send your questions and project ideas to md@markusdohner.com
Exhibition designer / Design educator
I collaborate with clients to develop their exhibit ideas into exciting, buildable plans. As the exhibit designer, I create gallery layouts, construction docs, models, and comprehensive design packages, including exhibition and collateral graphics. As the project manager, I help clients plan, test, and coordinate the installation of their exhibits.
Design clients: Indiana University Eskenazi Museum of Art • Brewseum • International Museum of Surgical Sciences • National Public Housing Museum • Chinese-American Museum of Chicago • The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, Wyoming • Field Museum • Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago • MCA Chicago
Design Experience
Markus Dohner Exhibition Design, owner and lead designer
2015–present
Contract exhibit design and planning for museums, libraries, and cultural venues. LEED Green Associate.
Exhibition Designer, staff designer
The Art Institute of Chicago, 2006–2014
Managed in-house and outside designers and fabricators, monitoring for schedule and quality. Designed casework, walls, and architectural elements using CAD; selected materials and finishes. Generated shop drawings for in-house construction. Led the discussion with conservation and protection services on gallery circulation and displays to ensure safe environment for both art and visitors. Applied ADA guidelines and best practices in exhibit design and lighting. Produced annotated construction packages, including all drawings, details, and specifications suitable for bidding, building, and installation of exhibits. Introduced new technology to enhance visitor’s appreciation of subject.
Teaching Experience / Presentations / Education
2019–present, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Lecturer, Departments of Contemporary Practices and Adult Continuing Education
2016–present, Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC, Adjunct faculty, Department of Communication Design Pathways. Teaching: Interpretive Exhibition Design, Environmental Graphic Design, Three-dimensional Construction courses
2016, Lecture: Museum Exhibit Design Process Using Vectorworks, presentation given at Vectorworks Design Summit, Chicago
2015–2020, Workshop: Introduction to Exhibit Design, International Preservation Studies Center, Freeport IL
2011–2017, Guest lecturer, Visual Arts management course, Columbia College Chicago
Lighting Fundamentals certificate of completion, IES professional series course
LEED Green Associate accreditation, U.S. Green Building Council
National Association for Museum Exhibition and American Alliance of Museums, member
MFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; MA, Purdue University; BFA, University of North Texas