Mairen Manning's Exhibitions Portfolio

MAIREN MANNING

MUSEUM AND EXHIBITION DESIGN FOCUS

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, Minor in Museum Studies

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL May 2026

LEED® Green Associate™

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) January 2026

AWARDS

1st Place - Material Bank’s Student Competition Spring 2025

FSU President’s List: Spring 2024, Spring 2025

FSU Dean’s List: Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

EXPERIENCE

Council Member

College Leadership Council for College of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL

• Organize events to increase inter-department interactions.

• Help with the publication of the SIX Magazine through Admin and Design tasks.

Exhibition Co-Designer

Woven Together, WJB Gallery, Tallahassee, FL

• Done in Collaboration with Museum Studies Course at Florida State University.

• Produced Illustrator files for vinyl cut outs in the Exhibition.

• Created the SketchUp file for the Exhibition layout.

• Aided with installation of Artefacts into cases.

Interior Design Intern

The Turett Collaborative, New York City, NY

• Managaed materials library and samples.

• Aided with redlines and document reviews.

• Updated product orders and quote sheets.

• Created renders and slides for client presentation.

Exhibit and Operations Intern

Glazer Children’s Museum, Tampa, FL

• Completed exhibit concepts with budget plans.

• Maintained and repaired various props alongside team members.

• Created renders with SketchUp and Photoshop.

• Constructed exhibit prototypes.

• Measured rooms and created floor plans with AutoCAD.

August 2024 to Present

May 2025

June 2025 to August 2025

June 2024 to August 2024

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Hello, I am Mairen Manning: a graduating Interior Design Student at Florida State University.

At the heart of my design, is the dedication to building connectivity. What is the goal of the project and how do you want the users to feel? How can we enhance the human experience? With people at the center of the design, a project should go beyond universal design standards, expanding inclusivity and serving the local community.

I have made it to where I am today due to the support from people around me. In turn, I aim to empower and support others through the influence of the built environment. As people spend more than half their lives indoors, these spaces matter. Regardless of who you are, and where you are in life, you deserve to be advocated for and supported to become the best ‘you’ you can be.

Throughout my portfolio, I hope you will notice each space’s intrinsic desire to be equitable, sustainable, and supportive.

memanning

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Woven Together: Funerary Textiles from the Ancient Andean Coast

Uncle Bobby’s Library: A Strozier Redesign

The Living Room: Distortion and Healing

Blue Views Observation: An Airport Gallery

Furniture Design

WOVEN TOGETHER: An Exhibition Design

Done in Collaboration with with Museum Object Course at Florida State University

View from Front

A Look into Woven Together:

Woven Together: Funerary Textiles from the Ancient Andean Coast was a collaborative effort with classmates and professionals involved in the Museum Object Course of Spring 2025 at Florida State University. The goal of the project was to pay respects to the vibrancy seen in Ancient Andean Textiles alongiside their background as funerary items utilizing the WJB Gallery. WJB Gallery is approx. 1,092 square feet. The exhibition is organized into three main sections: the Entry with the Title Wall, the South Coast, and the North and Central Coasts. Objects were displayed in accordance with their region rather than time period.

Initial Space Planning:

UNCLE BOBBY’S LIBRARY: A Strozier Redesign

Reception Entry

A Look into an Inclusive Library:

The goal was to redesign the first-floor learning commons of Strozier Library at Florida State University. The process included meeting with the Library Staff, observing the use of the library during its operating hours, and conducting surveys with the student population on how they use the library. External research was also taken into account: looking into preexisting libraries, literature reviews on seating behaviors, and Affordances Theory.

Project Goals:

The redesign took inspiration from a campfire, as these are places typically associated with connection, gathering, and warmth. Similarly, the stakeholders of the Library wanted to go beyond typical library usage, becoming a key third place for the people of Florida State. To tackle this challenge, the project focused on the main commons, the cafe space, the reception, and the circulation. If these elements could be elevated, visitors would be guided through all portions of the library and engage with it on a deeper level.

STAFF-RELATED INTERACTION

RELAXATION-RELATED INTERACTION

STUDY-RELATED INTERACTION

Initial Planning:

Through research, it was found that social behaviors decreased further away from the entry, where the cafe and tutoring were. Furthermore, the current design was reported to be hard to navigate; this is supported by how the main circulation desk is hard to see

from the entrance. To further support the library’s population and the behaviors of its users, high activity was kept towards the front. By creating a gradient of noise throughout the floor, users can go to each corresponding zone depending on their needs. By doing a noise gradient, higher energy areas can also be isolated from quiet zones to better prevent noise from traveling.

Designing a Space with Warmth:

Circulation reflects the concept of a hearth by relying on a central loop of passage and providing several offshoots for movement. Furthermore, these offshoots guide visitors into quieter zones, distancing them from the energy of the library’s center. The warm atmosphere is heightened through the warm lighting, soft lounge furniture, and anechoic acoustics. The design provides several areas for groups and individuals to rest and work, including various heights for different work needs. The color palette connects the warm colors from the concept with Florida State’s branding to create a signature look.

THE LIVING ROOM: Distortion and Healing

Utilized Hand-Rendering, Illustrator, Photoshop, and AutoCAD

A Look into an Experiential Gallery:

The goal was to design a small gallery space connecting to core aspects of family culture and tradition. “The Living Room” depicts the path of familial recovery in the wake of a traumatic experience. With only one way to go in and multiple ways to leave, the visitor will experience hurt and healing through the perspective of a child.

The gallery uses changes in proximity, sizes, and color to illicit emotional responses from the visitor. The doorways between the spaces influence how the visitors feels going into the space; for example, a tight doorway into a tall room will alter how a visitor perceives their size in the space. The proximity and imbalance of sizes are meant to make the visitor question the space and their experience of it. The movement between rooms will have a floor that connects the experiences, but ultimately the doorways and window treatments will isolate the the visitor.

Final Exit Perspective

BLUE VIEWS OBSERVATION: An Airport Gallery

Utilized Sketch-Up and Hand-Rendering

NorthEast Corner

A Look into a Monograph Museum:

When airport travel is met with unexpected delays or gaps of boredom, it is imperative that there are spaces to provide relief and entertainment. Designed for the Tallahassee International Airport’s Observation Deck, Blue Views Observation uses the photography of Tommy Kha to create playful imagery for positive distraction while providing its users spaces for work and relaxation.

Evidence-Based Design Considerations:

By initially observing the people interacting with the space, the space’s needs could be determined: rest, work, and waiting. Where these needs were and were not met was analyzed and solved using the Person-Environment Fit Theory and Universal Design Principles. Through the three design solutions below, the space can tackle adaptive use and flexibility in a way that is seamlessly integrated with the observation room. The Interactive Screen provides information on the museum and the airport utilizing simple and intuitive use. The Reception Desk utilizes multiple heights to provide various options regarding size and space for approach and use. The Nook seating provides flexibility in use by allowing the user to change the seat height: making easy seating for those of various body types.

FURNITURE DESIGN

Utilized AutoCAD, Aspire/VCarve, CNC, and Laser Cutting

3-Piece Table

From left to right: The table’s pieces as seen in vCarve / Aspire then the Masonite Model.

The goal was to create a table using 3 pieces of wood with minimized waste. The semi-circles cut out in the waste, can be given a black finish and used as shelves within the space. Too small scraps can be donated to sawmills formaking mulch and recycled wood.

The table is designed to be used as an accent table in an eclectic living room, supporting an 18” height chair. The design takes after celestial bodies and is meant to remind the user of a night sky. The construction utilized lap joints and mortise-and-tenons for assembly. It was fabricated out of painted masonite and acrylic utilizing a laser-cutter.

5-Piece Chair

From left to right: (1)Chipboard Process (2-3) FInal Prototype in Plywood (4) Cuts as seen in AutoCAD

The chair is designed for use at a dining table in a vibrant sunroom overrun with plants. Following the plant-lover, the design elements in the chair take after a snake plant: repetition, contrast, and form. Construction utilizes woods with different finishes in order to enhance contrast in the final piece. There is an unfortunate amount of waste related to the project. While the wood between the legs could maybe be repurposed for smaller projects, other pieces are too small in size or irregular in shape to be used adequately. The best bet with the waste would be to saw it down and create a personal wood paste or donate it to a recycling center that works with lumber.

Furniture Collection

From left to right: (1) The full collection photoshoped into a Sunroom (2) Documentation of the final cut pieces.

The overarching theme for the collection is “In a Greenhouse”. The pieces consider the light that flows through the space, the life that grows there, and the comforts that can be found. The hutch piece is meant to support vining plants along its sides like a trellis. Ideally, the three shelves can fit gardening objects, plants, and/or bedding. The hutch is about 5’6” tall, so the average-height person should be able to reach the top shelf without needing a stool. The chair uses a living hinge to curve in on the user to hug them in the space. In a full-scale production of the collection, the hutch could utilize inset, mirror acrylic to further reflect light throughout the space.

From left to right: (1) Second process iteration for the Hutch using Chip Board (2) Second process iteration for the Chair using Chip Board (3) The waste from the collection on the sheet of Plywood.

mairen.manning@gmail.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mairen-manning/