Courtney Kern
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LifeInPlasticCoverSlide
2024
Statement
Barbie’s 65th anniversary in 2024 marks an important milestone in her cultural journey, and this capstone “Life in Plastic is Far from Static: Barbie’s 65-Year Evolution & Legacy ” will explore her career evolution and lasting impact through an interactive kiosk display within the broader New York City's Museum of Arts and Design’s Barbie: A Cultural Icon exhibit. The capstone centers its audience around American women aged 18 - 65 who grew up playing with the doll and are attendees of the exhibit. The project uses sources from the United States Census, Euromonitor’s worldwide share of dolls and accessories, and a manually created data set of Barbie’s career history to illustrate Barbie’s ongoing relevance. This data culminates in an interactive kiosk display that allows its audiences to examine Barbie’s evolution along with women’s expanded roles in the workforce, as well as her ongoing popularity within the market. By reflecting on her enduring legacy and celebrating her role as cultural icon, the display will invite audiences to engage with Barbie’s brand and explore the data sets in an “edutaining” way.
Data Analytics and Visualization (MPS) Students