Planet Word is a language arts museum in Washington, DC, located in the historic Franklin School building. It offers a one-of-a-kind experience, in part because it is the world’s first voice-activated museum. Visitors have the opportunity to explore the exhibits through speech and sign.
The museum was founded by Ann B. Friedman, a former teacher, and officially opened in October 2020. This is a go-to spot for anyone interested in language and learning more about words.
Exhibits
Planet Word is host to a number of interactive galleries.
- Where Do Words Come From?: A 22-foot-tall wall of words that tells a story of the English language and how it evolved to what we use today.
- The Spoken World: This exhibit gives guests the chance to meet speakers and signers from around the world, and impart the special aspects of different languages.
- The Library: Perhaps the museum wouldn’t be complete with a library. Of course, this one is magical – the books come to life, and a secret door hides a poetry nook.
- Unlock the Music: Learn about how songwriters put together lyrics and choose a song to sing karaoke.
- Words Matter: Use the museum’s full-featured recording booth to share your story about how words have changed your life, and listen to others’ stories, too.
Art
“Silver Adagio” is a 2020 stainless steel sculpture by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, prominently displayed at Planet Word museum and on loan from Ann and Tom Friedman’s collection. The seated figure is composed of symbols drawn from nine writing systems — Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil, Chinese and Japanese — inviting viewers to recognize and reflect on the diversity of human language. Plensa’s work often explores what it means to be human in a globalized world; the sculpture’s meditative pose symbolizes our spiritual nature and the power of language to express and connect.
The museum also houses a curated selection of art related to words and language. “Speaking Willow” is an aluminum sculpture of a tree outfitted with speakers, 3D cameras and 364 language recordings contained on micro-SD cards. The speakers each play samples from a different language, and together they represent the native language of more than 99% of the global population. The sculpture is designed as a tree to symbolize the interconnectedness of the world through language.
“A–Z” is a gallery of 26 Cibachrome prints, one of each letter of the English alphabet. There’s a portrait of a cute cat for ‘C,’ and a fluffy dog for ‘D.’ Each one is meant to be easily understood through iconic objects and things, as the series is evocative of how we first start learning to spell and read.
In addition, the museum’s Welcome Lobby contains “Scripts of History” — a terrazzo‑inlaid floor tracing the evolution of writing systems through symbols from cave art, cuneiform, Phoenician, Greek, Latin, Cyrillic, Eastern scripts like Chinese and Korean, and even Cherokee and Mayan glyphs. It offers a literal walk through the history of written language
Together, these installations, and the many more, form a richly layered and immersive narrative about language — blending history, technology, visual art and interactivity in a museum experience that both celebrates and interrogates human communication.
Special Events
Planet Word regularly hosts events and activities, such as a reading lounge led by authors or film screenings.
One of the notable attractions is the Language Science Station, a joint program by the University of Maryland, Gallaudet University and Howard University. Here, guests of all ages are invited to learn from language scientists and even make their own contributions to language research.
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Seth Hagler is a freelance writer and an intern with Washington Parent. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Writing from Johns Hopkins University.
Seth Hagler is a freelance writer and an intern with Washington Parent. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Writing from Johns Hopkins University.
