Children learn through stories. And as museums, commercial establishments, and amusement parks highlight, theming is an effective way to tell stories visually within a specific space.
For the past 50 years, Museums Arts of Dallas has been harnessing the power of theming for a range of clients, including churches. “My father Charles Paramore, who founded Museum Arts, was a Southern Baptist who shared the gospel through his work,” says Phil Paramore, the company’s president and project manager. “This came naturally to us, since the process of using theming in church design is actually quite similar to using it in museums.”
A focus on message
The fundamental purpose of theming is to tell a story using the tools of architecture, interior-exterior design, fixtures, and furniture. Done correctly, a themed space delivers a consistent integrated message to its occupants. A prime example of this is Disney World, where the theming delivers Walt Disney’s dream of the world as it could and should be.
“In a church context, theming uses design and design elements to communicate ‘the greatest message ever told,’" says Paramore. “No matter what kind of church space we’re dealing with, the goal is the same: To communicate the religious message that our clients are trying to get across to their attendees, be it a meeting room or a play space.”
Working with church clients is central to communicating the message. Museum Arts’ function is to find out what they want to say about Scripture in their theming, and then to come up with themed designs that communicate this message most effectively. “We ask church leadership, ‘what are you trying to accomplish here with respect to theming?’” Paramore says. “We need to know what message or messages that they are focused on, so that our work communicates them throughout the space.”
Theming in action
To illustrate how Museum Arts is harnessing theming for its church clients, Phil Paramore walked Church.Design through three of its church-based projects.
The first is an indoor playground renovation that the firm is undertaking for the Irving Bible Church in Irving, Texas. “This church is located in an area with a mix of cultures: East Indian, Afro-American, Hispanic, and white,” says Paramore. “The church wanted us to theme the playground to communicate that message that everyone is welcome and everyone belongs. So we’re doing this by creating a little town that has building facades from all over the world, to deliver a message of inclusiveness.”
Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCPC) is a second Museum Arts theming project. Located in Dallas, PCPC has hired Museum Arts to theme their large lobby space to better serve various children’s age groups.
“We are designing the lobby to be a fun nature-themed space, in line with the church leadership’s wishes,” Paramore says. “We are doing this by using different colors for the different age groups, and creating a large, modern-looking tree inside that has bookcases wrapped around its trunk. We have also built a welcome desk with a big glass wall behind it with vinyl graphics of grass and plants. Meanwhile, the staircase behind the desk has silhouettes of tall, narrow trees running floor to ceiling, both to provide a sense of nature while keeping kids safely within the staircase. There’s also a treehouse upstairs and a slide that goes back down to the lobby, to keep it fun.”
The third project that illustrates Museum Arts’ theming approach for churches is for Dallas’ Preston Trails Community Church. In this case, the firm wanted to add a whimsical yet inclusive touch for the children/youth area, which has to appeal to several age groups. “So we built a boat with legs hanging out of it, wearing different-colored socks to represent different ages,” says Paramore. “We enclosed it in a lobby area full of trees and a little fence around the wall, because kids really like a nature theme.”
COVID-19 and themed design
The pandemic has had a mixed impact on Museum Arts. On one hand, some job sites have been shut down due to various public health lockdowns. On the other, “we are blessed to have a couple of good-sized jobs that are still underway, so we are able to stay busy,” Paramore says.
For Museum Arts, the financial challenge with COVID-19 is not knowing how long the pandemic will last. Meanwhile, the design challenge lies in predicting how the legacy of social distancing will affect theming and spatial layouts going forward.
“We don’t see an end to churches wanting to communicate their mission statements through theming,” says Paramore. “What is unclear is how this will be done through architecture and design. For instance, will churches still want tubes and other enclosed areas in their playgrounds? And will they want to move more into outdoor spaces for children’s ministry, which appears to be a trend?”
Museum Arts is talking to its church clients to track these changes as they evolve. At least one thing seems certain: “We are now looking into theming materials that are bacteria-resistant and easy to clean,” says Paramore. “Even without COVID-19 to worry about, this is a good goal to pursue.”
