8 August 6-12, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Inclusive design Miami’s Balloon Museum finally gets accessibility right. BY CIARA LAVELLE T he most amazing thing happened when I brought my son to “Pop Air: Art Is Inflatable,” the Miami edition of the traveling Balloon Museum art experience: He played. He threw and kicked inflatable balls with abandon. He swung on swings, staring up- ward at colorful lights. He flung himself backward into the giant ball pit, laughing and reaching for me to pull him up so he could do it again and again. To most people, this might sound unre- markable. The Balloon Museum bills itself as a sort of art playground; a space full of color- ful, interactive inflatables designed for kids and adults alike. Why wouldn’t he have a great time? But if you, like me, are the parent of an au- tistic child, you know how rare moments like these can be. The world is full of environments that weren’t designed with autistic people in mind — including many of the immersive art expe- riences that have become trendy in recent years. They can be loud and crowded, with too much for the senses to absorb at once. The rules can be confusing from one installa- tion to the next: Some things you can touch, and some you can’t, and it’s frustrating to be constantly corrected by the folks around you when you can’t tell the difference. Plus, they tend to attract people more con- cerned with getting that perfect Instagram shot than actually being present in the expe- rience — people who don’t tend to appreciate my kid wandering into their selfies or inter- rupting their video with a joyful (but loud) shriek of delight. “Pop Air” was none of these things — and even better, many of the experiences within its walls at Mana Wynwood seemed like they were designed specifically to light up my sen- sory-seeking child’s whole day: safe things to throw (his favorite pastime), swings for pro- prioceptive input, soft spaces to crash. Did the folks behind the Balloon Museum know they created a sensory paradise for kids like mine? As it turns out, yes. “From the beginning, we wanted to create an environment where as many people as pos- sible could engage with the experience,” ex- plains Sofia Saleri, project manager for the Balloon Museum. “Accessibility was never an afterthought. It was something we planned for from the very beginning.” That’s why there are no stairs within the exhibit, she says, only ramps wide enough to accommodate even the biggest motorized wheelchairs and other mobility devices. It’s why entry times are broken into 15-minute intervals with just 120 visitors ad- mitted at a time, ensuring there’s enough per- sonal space for everyone from rowdy kids to content-capturing influencers. It’s why head- phones are available at the ticket counter for guests who are sensitive to noise. And it’s the reason for the signage before each experience in the museum, which ex- plains what’s com- ing (flashing lights, immersive visual effects, mirrored environments) so that visitors can decide whether or not to enter based on their abilities and sensitivities. The signs are pro- vided in English and Spanish, and the museum also includes the information in audio guides. Too often, accessibility is only considered after the “normal” experience has been planned out. It shows up as things that are tacked on: a ramp out back, a sensory-friendly hour once a month. Even now, more than three decades after the Americans with Dis- abilities Act became law, many people think of inclusion as a compromise, as if opening an experience to people with disabilities some- how makes it less enjoyable for everyone else. ”Pop Air” shows just how wrong that is. None of the features Saleri describes diminish the experience. The signage didn’t make the in- stallations any less surprising and awe-inspir- ing, and the wide pathways and smaller group sizes gave everyone room to move and explore. Those choices make the museum more enjoyable for visitors, whether they arrived with a wheelchair, a stroller, sensory differ- ences, or just like to know what to expect. Many of the art experiences felt tailored to my kid’s sensory differences, too, but that turns out to be a coincidence. Saleri says or- ganizers didn’t suggest accessibility guide- lines when they approached artists with their concept, and the works of art vary from city to city. (The Balloon Museum also has locations in New York, Chicago, and Ma- drid.) In some cases, artists already had an existing work that was adapted to appear in the museum. Still, I wish you could have seen my son — a kid who often crouches in a corner in unfa- miliar spaces, or even flat-out refuses to enter them — smiling proudly as he sat on the swing in the “Mariposa” room, watching the wings of the oversized, brilliantly lit butterfly above him beat in time to his movement. You should have seen his whole face light up as he raced back and forth in “Motorfis- ico,” where giant, inflatable orbs hung from ropes on the ceiling, inviting visitors to push and swing them into each other to create unique patterns of movement. And if you’d been with us as we stepped into “Hypercosmo,” the giant swimming pool installation filled with iridescent plastic balls where kids and adults alike can romp around, you’d have seen both of our mouths drop open in awe. ”It’s our signature installation,” Saleri says, adding that it tends to be visitors’ favorite ex- perience, too. “Children naturally play freely there, but what’s just as wonderful is watch- ing adults become children again.” The goal of the Balloon Museum, Saleri says, is to “rewrite the traditional idea of what art can be,” inspiring guests to play and inter- act, create and even become a part of the art. You’d probably get a similar answer from the organizers of many of the immersive art experiences that have come through South Florida in recent years: They’re providing a space where art isn’t stuffy and rigid, where you don’t have to be quiet and reserved, where you can experience it with more than just your eyes. But for my son and me, “Pop Air” upended the traditional idea of the museum experi- ence in a different way: It’s one of the only art spaces we’ve ever encountered where we could both genuinely enjoy ourselves — and where we both felt like we belonged. Balloon Museum. Open 1 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri- days, Saturdays and Sundays at Mana Wyn- wood, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami; balloonmuseum. world. Admission costs $38 to $53, with reduced pricing for children, people with disabilities, and families buying tickets together. [email protected] ▼ Culture “Many of the experiences at the Balloon Museum seemed like they were designed specifically to light up my sensory-seeking child’s whole day.” Provided by the Balloon Museum, Pop Air Miami DID THE FOLKS BEHIND THE BALLOON MUSEUM KNOW THEY CREATED A SENSORY PARADISE FOR KIDS LIKE MINE? AS IT TURNS OUT, YES.
