MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE An interactive installation and community engagement project The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Curated by Fayanne Hayes This interactive exhibition was designed to provide a space and experiences for visitors to make meaningful connections to the main exhibition entitled Embedded Metaphor, Nina featuring works by internationally renowned artists exploring the metaphoric potential of the Bed. The interactive installation included a giant bed / work space designed by RCAD students. The seating cushions were clear vinyl pockets filled with items which held personal metaphoric meaning. Scissors, magazines, paper, glue and collage materials were provided for visitors to create metaphor collages. Community members were invited to mail in items representing birth, life and death which were displayed along the walls of the gallery, and high school students sent in photo documentation of their and other's bedroom environments. Sarasota and Manatee County educators and students worked in collaboration with museum staff to develop class projects focusing on metaphor and their works were displayed in an adjacent gallery.