Planet Word

Words Matter — Gallery Preview!

 Iconic designer Diane von Furstenberg’s love for words and language inspired her to sponsor the WORDS MATTER gallery.

Iconic designer Diane von Furstenberg’s love for words and language inspired her to sponsor the WORDS MATTER gallery.

Words have incredible power. They can be used to uplift, inspire, and create change, but also to lie and cover up, to exclude and injure, to undermine and mislead. Planet Word’s immersive galleries will remind people of what we stand to lose from the careless use of words — and what we stand to gain from the thoughtful, creative, compassionate, and even playful use of language.

The Words Matter gallery, meant to be a visitor’s final experience in the museum, will drive this message home. Here, you will see and hear stories from real people about how words and language can transform lives.

One storyteller shares their experience of adopting they/them pronouns; others share their relationships with words like “help,” “fear,” and “articulate.” Their stories will encourage you to look closely at things you may take for granted about language — the pronouns used to address you, the adjectives people use to describe you — and heighten your awareness and understanding.

Every word matters,” says fashion and philanthropy icon Diane von Furstenberg, whose love for words and language inspired her to sponsor the Words Matter gallery. “Every word has an energy on its own. Pay attention to words.

Once you’ve heard these thought-provoking stories, you can enter the recording booth in the center of the room to record your own.