With the arrival of the warmer weather we’ve been spending our time outside, playing in the sand – Uncovering new ideas as we develop a Fossil Dig Site for one of our clients.
Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust
Our team was on island this week creating a series of display compositions for our wonderful client at the Preservation Trust. Painting by American impressionist Ray Ellis, Morning Fog.
National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center "Best Free Museum in America" →
Our team was honored to be a part of this incredible project! Completed in the spring of 2008, The National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center was just voted "Best Free Museum in America" by USA Today.
Image courtesy of Donna Lawrence Productions, Inc.
Herreshoff Marine Museum & America's Cup Hall of Fame
Brent Johnson Design recently teamed with Jonathan Levi Architects to develop a master plan and exhibit concepts for the Herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame. The museum, located in the Historic District of Bristol, Rhode Island, is dedicated to the history and innovation of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century, Herreshoff designed and built steam-powered vessels and sailing yachts, including eight defenders of the America’s Cup.
The museum has a collection of over sixty boats, as well as artifacts from Nathanael Greene Herreshoff’s workshop containing hundreds of half hull models, tools, manuscripts, and drawings. The renewed museum will house these collections and storytelling displays, along with a store and café, and a connection to the outdoor campus where some of the original Herreshoff Manufacturing Company buildings remain.
A one-sixth scale model of the 1903 America’s Cup winner, Reliance, will mark the cornerstone of the new exhibits. This fully rigged model, currently under construction, will be 33’ long and more than 37’ high. To learn more about this incredible model, check out The Reliance Project blog.
The Story of Virginia - Open to the Public!
More than 700 artifacts and 500 graphics present over 15 thousands years of history in the new Story of Virginia exhibition. Open to the public in early August, the 10,500 square foot exhibition is a key feature of the Virginia Historical Society’s recent Story of Virginia Campaign. It covers cultural and natural pre-history through early European contact and the present day, and is the only such display in the commonwealth to touch on all of Virginia’s vibrant past.
Brent Johnson Design was asked to bring the full story of Virginia “into the 21st century,” to create a contemporary space, and to make the content interesting and relevant to all visitors. Through a close proximity to real objects, the exhibit conveys an historic authenticity and encourages visitors to discover Virginia’s landscape, history, and people. Signature artifacts include George Washington’s diary, Patrick Henry’s eyeglasses, a slave-era whipping post, and the knife used by John Brown during his raid on Harpers Ferry. Larger objects include an authentic Conestoga wagon, smokehouse, and electric trolley.
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Grand Reopening
On Saturday 15 August 2015, in New Windsor, NY, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor celebrated its grand reopening. Attendees included Purple Heart recipients, veterans, Gold Star Mothers, elected officials, and thousands of community supporters. Among others, Senator William Larkin (LTC US Army Ret) and U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson spoke at the event. Gibson, himself a recipient of the Purple Heart as well as four Bronze Stars, reminded the audience, "This would not be the land of the free if it weren't the home of the brave."
Brent Johnson Design is incredibly proud to have been involved in this important project. In 2012 we were asked to envision a new, comprehensive design for the Hall of Honor, to include media elements, a variety of artifacts, and the personal stories of the many men and women in uniform who have given so much for our nation’s freedoms. Taking the project from concept design through construction documents and fabrication review, our goal was to create a truly respectful and emotionally moving space.
Brent Johnson Design Selected to Develop Rockpile Museum Exhibits
We are extremely pleased to have been selected to design the new exhibits for the Rockpile Museum in Gillette, WY. It's in a beautiful part of the country, and we're eager to get back there soon to begin work! Brent Johnson Design is partnered with Split Rock Studios, and we will be collaborating with MSR.
U.S. Marshals Museum Exhibit Development Under Way
Rendering by Cambridge Seven Associates
Brent Johnson Design is beginning work on the exhibit development and design for the United States Marshals Museum. Included on BJD's team for this project is Northern Light Productions, Available Light, and ObjectIdea. The building is being designed by Boston-area architect, Cambridge Seven Associates, and is expected top open to the public in 2017.
The museum will be built in Fort Smith, Arkansas on a hillside overlooking the Arkansas River and into Oklahoma. As the gateway to the Old West and the Indian Territory, Fort Smith is rich in U.S. Marshals history. The new exhibits will narrate the accounts of the U.S. Marshals Service's early days, from its founding in 1789 through its deep involvement in the American Frontier; and it will share the stories and artifacts of the Service through the 20th century and to today.
Every Car has a Story
Brent Johnson Design is excited to be partnered with The Scenic Route, a Los Angeles-based fabrication company, on the development of a master plan for The Petersen Automotive Museum. Founded in 1994 by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen and his wife, Margie, The Petersen Automotive Museum houses over 300 vehicles. About 150 are on display at any given time, while many of the others can still be viewed via a guided tour in the museum’s “vault.”
Earlier this year it was announced that the museum will celebrate its upcoming 20th anniversary with a transformation of its façade and exhibits. The exterior architecture, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, will turn the museum into a major icon along Los Angeles’ “Miracle Mile.” Brent Johnson Design and The Scenic Route are tasked with the redesign of the interior exhibits, which will showcase automobiles and stories from southern California car culture to high European design.
Brent Johnson Design Selected for the Story of Virginia Exhibition
Brent Johnson Design was recently selected as the design team for The Story of Virginia exhibition at the Virginia Historical Society (VHS) in Richmond. The current installation of The Story of Virginia (SOV), covering pre-European contact through present day, has interpreted the state’s history for nearly 15 years. In 2011, VHS’s Board of Trustees approved a strategic plan that identified re-envisioning SOV as one the museum’s “key elements.”
"The museum has one of the largest, most diverse collections we've ever had the opportunity to work with," said Brent Johnson, President and Creative Director, "and each artifact comes to the table with a rich and relevant piece of an extremely compelling story." In commissioning a new 10,500 square feet Story of Virginia, the VHS has set a goal to integrate historical artifacts with interactive technologies in order to meet the demands of contemporary audiences seeking authenticity and personal connections made through hands-on experiences and discovery.
Boston-based Brent Johnson Design has been involved in the design of numerous social, natural, and cultural history-based exhibitions around the country, and is incredibly excited to begin work on The Story of Virginia. Included on the firm’s team for this project is ObjectIdea and BKS Consulting.
We're Headed to the Frontier Texas! Museum
Brent Johnson Design and Pyramid Studios were selected to help re-envision the exhibits for the Frontier Texas! Museum. This 14,000 square foot visitor center tells the epic story of West Texas during the last one hundred years of its frontier days, when the region was a crossroads for different cultures and characters.
In collaboration with the media developer, Brent Johnson Design will be developing an experience that melds re-created environments, media, authentic objects, and interactives; bringing powerful human stories to life. The museum is scheduled to reopen to the public in early 2013.
A Master Plan for Patriots Point
Brent Johnson Design and ObjectIDEA were selected to develop a 3-5 year implementation plan the exhibits for the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. The USS Yorktown, an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during World War II, has enjoyed service as a museum at Patriots Point since 1975, and the implementation plan will include an assessment and recommendations for visitor flow and experiences in and around the ship.