The Rockwell Museum
A museum experience begins long before someone walks through the door.
For The Rockwell Museum — a Smithsonian Affiliate dedicated to American art — the website plays a critical role in how visitors discover exhibitions, plan trips, explore the collection, and connect with the institution’s mission.
19 Ideas partnered with The Rockwell to design and develop a new website that better reflects the museum experience while making it easier for visitors, members, and supporters to engage with the organization online.
Because when a museum tells great stories in its galleries, its website should do the same.
Connecting Art and Audience
Located in Corning, New York, The Rockwell Museum features American art and the diverse stories that shape it. The museum welcomes regional visitors, tourists, educators, families, and art enthusiasts from across the country.
Like many cultural institutions, The Rockwell’s website had grown organically over time. Important content was difficult to find, the mobile experience needed improvement, and the digital journey did not fully reflect the museum’s energy.
The organization engaged 19 Ideas to rethink the site from the ground up — improving the user experience, clarifying navigation, and creating a flexible digital platform that can grow with the museum’s programs, exhibitions, and community partnerships.
Designing Around the Visitor
Our work began with a digital audit and site mapping process informed by analytics and audience research. The goal was to simplify a website that had grown to nearly 200 pages and reorganize it around the needs of real visitors.
We developed a new sitemap and wireframes that prioritized the actions visitors most often want to take:
- Plan a visit
- Explore exhibitions
- Discover the collection
- Register for programs and events
- Support the museum through membership and donations
The new structure also reframed the museum as a broader campus experience — connecting the main building with the Art Lab, community programs, and the Alley Art Project.
The result is a clearer, more intuitive digital journey for every audience.
Modular Design for a Living Institution
Museums change constantly. Exhibitions rotate. Events appear weekly. New programs and partnerships emerge throughout the year.
To support that pace, we designed the website as a modular system. High-fidelity page designs and flexible content blocks allow The Rockwell team to easily add new content, create pages, and update sections without needing developer support.
The visual system draws from the museum’s existing brand guidelines and collateral design, incorporating texture, movement, and diagonal forms that reflect the museum’s established aesthetic.
The result feels contemporary while remaining faithful to the museum’s visual identity.
Building a Smarter Platform
The website was developed as a fully responsive, mobile-first experience that meets modern accessibility standards and accommodates multiple content types.
Key development features include:
- Responsive design optimized for mobile visitors
- ADA-conscious structure and navigation
- Streamlined calls to action throughout the site
- Integration with third-party platforms, including the museum’s eMuseum collection database and online store
- Custom templates for exhibitions, programs, and educational content
- Modular page editing for the internal museum team
We also designed custom skins for the eMuseum and eStore platforms to ensure a seamless transition for visitors between systems.
Behind the scenes, the modular structure and training sessions provided to museum staff ensure the site can evolve as programming grows — allowing this museum website to remain as dynamic as the institution it represents.
Supporting Discovery and Participation
A key objective of the new site was to encourage both in-person visits and ongoing digital engagement.
We improved the visibility of current exhibitions, events, and opportunities for visitors to participate in programs or workshops. Clear calls to action throughout the site guide users toward ticket purchases, membership enrollment, donations, and newsletter signups.
Educational content, including collection highlights and interactive learning experiences, was also elevated to better reflect the museum’s role as both a cultural and educational resource.
The result is a website that works harder to help visitors discover, explore, and return.
Conclusion
The Rockwell Museum tells powerful stories about American art, culture, and identity. By combining thoughtful UX strategy, modular design, and scalable development, the new site helps visitors connect with the museum’s exhibitions, programs, and community impact.
