La Esquina (San Miguel)

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. La Esquina, Museo del Juguete Popular Mexicano. This sweet museum presents the beautiful and varied toy collection of Angelica Tijerina. Their mission is to honor the history and artisanship of the toys, stimulate the imagination of young and old, and preserve the cultural significance for Mexico.

Organized on three floors of a small house with vertical stair and light well spaces. Train in the space above the entry desk

Metal casing with mesh treatment, some of them shaped, display down to floor level for kids, and cast interesting shadows

A carousel of touch screens at the entry are directed at adults and kids separately, providing info, collection, and touch screen games

Children's music plays non stop throughout the museum, which becomes annoying over time. How do they prevent the kids from feeling frustrated because they can't play with the toys? The interactivity, and programming wasn't very evident. They were playing a mediated game on the rooftop, and there appeared to be one small playroom where kids could actually touch some of the toys. Nobody was using it.

Graphic use of windows. Curved text blocks