Art Exhibition at a Biotech Incubator
CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
Visionary Crossings is a creative initiative that transforms everyday spaces into catalysts for authentic connection. Partnering with LabCentral, a leading biotech incubator in Boston’s Kendall Square, we installed a 32-piece 3D art series in their corridor. The goal was to foster curiosity, conversation, and community among resident-scientists and entrepreneurs, LabCentral sponsors, and visitors by integrating science-inspired art into daily life.
In addition to the visual installation, we organized a record-breaking opening reception attended by over 200 participants and conducted guided tours for key partners. Each piece of artwork was carefully curated and positioned based on natural traffic patterns and engagement flow. Before the reception officially opened, all artworks were sold, demonstrating both the project's artistic resonance and the strong connection built with the community.
This comprehensive approach to engagement set a new standard for community-building initiatives within biotech spaces.
Biotech today is faced with navigating a market where funding and partnerships are harder to secure. Marketing trends have shifted toward hypersegmentation, where narrowly targeted outreach prioritizes immediate relevance over broader community-building. Together, these forces unintentionally narrow who is invited into conversations. In an environment where breakthroughs depend on cross-disciplinary innovation, this exclusion can be quietly devastating. How can we create a space that welcomes authentic connections across backgrounds and experiences?
We created an immersive, everyday art installation that addressed these challenges directly. The opening reception that drew over 200 attendees, and industry leaders lined up for a guided walkthroughs for VIPs. All artworks were sold before the reception officially began, and the event achieved the largest attendance and art sales in Gallery 1832’s decade-long history, solidifying its success both artistically and as a model for authentic community-building.
Thank you dear Mao for sharing your beautiful art with our community at LabCentral.
You have a unique talent to translate between worlds and cultures, not just the ones between countries, but also -maybe even harder- between the worlds of science and art. It is so important in today’s world to find a way to communicate our science to the world. You are doing that beautifully!
Johannes FruehaufFounder & CEO, LabCentral
We conducted a deep dive with LabCentral's community manager, Shazia, to unravel LabCentral and Gallery 1832’s mission, purpose, and history, and the type of environment they aimed to foster. We recognized a shared belief that art could serve as a catalyst for innovation by creating moments of inspiration and authentic connection. Rather than displaying didactic illustrations, our strategy was to curate a series that balanced scientific inspiration with freedom of interpretation, allowing us to align with LabCentral’s belief. We focused on creating whimsical, inspirational, and emotionally resonant pieces to spark conversations and humanize the biotech environment.
Our intended audiences were LabCentral residents and visiting partners, including scientists, entrepreneurs, sponsors, and investors. Drawing from our extensive experience attending networking events and gathering data from participant feedback, we identified a common insight:
Building on our strategy and user insights, we curated an installation experience to create intentional opportunities for authentic human connection, rather than relying on chance encounters. Our objective was:
To achieve this, we organized the installation with careful spatial planning and design supplementary programming that encouraged personal storytelling and authentic interaction.
We selected this series because it originated from a deeply personal creative journey: producing one artwork per day for 32 consecutive days and sharing every piece publicly. This act of publishing each artwork that is made in a timecrunch without curation emphasized vulnerability and authenticity. It aligned perfectly with the exhibition’s goal of fostering innovation through human connection—showing that creativity flourishes when we allow our non-perfect selves to be seen.
Each of the 32 pieces was carefully selected and adapted by analyzing the natural traffic patterns at LabCentral. High-traffic areas featured bold, visually striking pieces to capture immediate attention, while quieter nooks hosted whimsical and humorous works to brighten reflective, low-traffic moments. This ensured that regardless of where someone was, they could be pulled out of their day-to-day lab work and experience a spark of inspiration.
Our outreach began by personally inviting contacts we had built relationships with. Some attendees brought friends and family outside the biotech field, which diversified the community experience. The event opened with a speech about vulnerability and the role of creativity in innovation, followed by a public viewing. Simultaneously, an ongoing visual presentation displayed photographs of the artworks alongside personal connection moments, highlighting not just the art but the human relationships behind the scenes.
Guided tours were organized for guests, including international visitors who traveled specifically to experience the exhibit. During these tours, we shared insider stories about the series and emphasized the philosophy behind Visionary Crossings. The focus was not just on activating spaces for science, but on nurturing relationships, highlighting how fostering innovation is deeply intertwined with building authentic, trusting communities.
I'm so glad that I had the chance to experience both the bustling excitement of opening night and the quieter private viewing to share it with coworkers and get a peek into your thinking. An absolute triumph. Bravo and thank you Mao.
Mary O'ReillyArena BioWorks
Great to celebrate the nice collaboration of our ecosystem with the beautiful art. Thanks Mao for fostering all these interactions and for being a true inspirational woman leader, beautiful in and out.
Veronica Gibaja Spectrus
It was a great event and I was amazed to see all of your arts. Equally inspiring was the message in your slides "do something unconventional to change the world tomorrow"
Amit GandhiBrigham and Women's Hospital
Visionary Crossings delivered tangible results in creating a vibrant community experience at LabCentral. All artworks were sold before the reception officially began, demonstrating how accessible and meaningful the work was to attendees. The opening reception attracted over 200 participants and set a new record in Gallery 1832's decade-long history for both attendance and artwork sales. Attendees and Leadership recognized the event as one of the most memorable community-building initiatives hosted, reinforcing the role of creativity and connection in driving innovation.
Thank you for sharing your work and for using your incredible talent and creativity to deepen our understanding of scientific and medical concepts. Your ability to make these complex ideas relatable is truly inspiring.
Your engagement, thoughtful perspectives, and dedication to your craft bring so much value, grateful for the unique lens you bring to these topics and that we were able to showcase them LabCentral's Gallery 1832!
Shazia Mir Community and Social Impact Strategist, LabCentral
We’re eager to hear about your next outreach campaign.
By understanding your goals and objectives, we can develop tailored strategic solutions to enhance your science’s impact.