Language defines us as human beings, it’s perhaps our greatest superpower, but until now there hasn't been a museum devoted to language on the scale of our great art, science, and history institutions. Planet Word, which opened October 22, 2020, attempts to fill that vacuum.

Our challenge: could we design a museum of language inspired by the interactivity of science and technology museums, one where each visitor would feel heard, where the ever-evolving nature of language would be highlighted?

Could we present the unique characteristics of the world’s languages but not shirk from discussing how language can divide us as people as well as bring us together? Could we show language in all its glory -- in song, poetry, humor, oratory, storytelling and more -- through participation and experiences?

The traditional museum experience is primarily visual: you spend most of your time looking at things and doing a lot of reading. Even if an exhibit is "interactive," it's usually a browser for more looking and reading. Planet Word founder Ann Friedman gave us two big challenges: make the museum relevant to all people—and put them in control of every experience.

Her challenge unlocked the big idea: We knew we could captivate “every visitor” if we put “every visitor” at the center of each experience. So, we reimagined the museum paradigm and

made visitors’ own voices an essential ingredient in the experience.

Planet Word is a linguistic wonderland and the world’s first voice-activated museum. Across its 15,000 square feet of gallery space, visitors of all ages and abilities use their own voices to meet a diverse cast of leaders, authors, and orators who share perspectives on how “words matter.”

Each of the nine galleries features an iconic experience that combines visitors’ own words to activate a striking physical physical component. These include:

Where Do Words Come From?—a spectacular 4,500 sq. ft wall composed of 1,000 physical words. Voice recognition, original audio and projection mapping combine to put visitors in a dialogue to discover stereotypes and misconceptions about how language works.

The Spoken World—the Great Hall's 4,800-LED kinetic sculpture gives visitors personal, face-to-face experiences with native speakers from six continents who playfully teach what is unique about their language.

At the heart of the museum is the Library, where every reader’s dream comes true. Visitors pull one of 50 RFID-tagged books from the shelves, and watch it come to life before their eyes, as characters leap from the pages, and authors give testimonials about why they wrote the book.

Planet Word became a must-see destination for all people, from young children to linguistics professors. Despite opening during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, attendance exceeded expectations, with visitors enthusiastically reserving tickets in advance for a reduced-capacity experience that put visitor safety first. Tickets for the first week sold out in under two hours.

Press praised Planet Word for establishing a new paradigm for the museum experience. Fast Company applauded the use of technology not as a gimmick, but as a tool for relevance and inclusivity: “It’s a purposeful, positive feedback loop to being vulnerable, which articulates the museum’s entire tone of inclusiveness.”

Beyond these achievements, our greatest honor was to see—six blocks from the White House—the common sight of visitors spanning three generations, with average visit time exceeding two hours, all affirming the power of language.