And the Statehouse Again

I feel like Margot Channing this morning, getting up at dawn to go collect the Sunday paper off the sidewalk. I knew a big review would be in today's paper. Joe Blundo, at the Columbus Dispatch, has written a GLOWING REVIEW of my project at the Ohio Statehouse Museum. Well, maybe not totally glowing, but close enough. Super!

Wonder if Blundo has any idea he was playing the role of Addison DeWitt? Hmmm... I guess I'm more Eve Harrington, than Margot.

Here's some pictures Scott took on Wednesday at the opening:

Jennifer, attempting to Balance the Budget, BC and Steven in the background:

Hilferty Babewatch! The lovely gals of Hilferty--Kira, Nicole, Jennifer, and Sara--try giving a State of the State Address:

A group attempts to Balance the Budget, glowing monitors in background clinking coins into place (I love the sound effects):

Opening Day was quite claustrophobic for a while. I guess that is a good thing:

Ribbon-cutters were mostly clients, though Gerry my boss got to fit in one of the 1 foot wide slots that were off-camera (seriously, have you ever seen more ribbon-cutters in your life? they wouldn't even all fit in the photo..) Governor Strickland is in the center, former Governor Taft on his left:

Statehouse Again...

I was on the local news this afternoon, talking about my project that opened this week. Boy is it embarrassing to WATCH YOURSELF. Sheesh. Scroll to 4:39 to see me flutterlip.

Ohio Statehouse Museum Preview

My project at the Ohio Statehouse Museum opens in a couple weeks, and David at my office has been busy getting all the lighting done. It's only about halfway there, but these photos he took yesterday look great. After the opening i'll have all kinds of good photos to post. Really excited my Mom and BC will be here to attend the opening with me!











By the way, you can go HERE to see a 7 minute flythrough of my design from the design development stages (a little more than halfway through design... much more detailing, graphic design, etc. happened after this flythrough was made).

Charles Towne Landing

Long ago, I designed a museum on the founding of Charleston (formerly Charles Towne) in 1670. It opened 3 years ago, but i only got there to see it last spring on a trip there with Steven (who kindly provides a scale reference or two). I have just now gotten around to stitching photos together.

The project looks at the context of the city's initial founding as a project of the Lord's Proprietors--a group of 8 London fatcats who were given the New World venture by Charles II after his restoration to the British Crown after Cromwell's death in 1658. Much trial and tribulation visited the planning and preparation of the colony's founding, which finally happened when the first group arrived in 1670. And even more happened in the first 10 years till 1680, when the initial landing site (hence the name) was abandoned for higher ground across the Ashley River, where the city has remained.

My project is in a large park at this original site--surrounded by Charleston suburbia--where much archeology has happened and many amenities exist (such as a full scale replica of one of the 3 original ships to arrive in 1670, and a live animal park stocked with the critters of the day, and many reconstructed dwellings, subsistence gardens, and live-interpreter sites).

Enjoy!



The building that houses the exhibits i designed went through 3 rather torturous and wildly divergent revisionings, the third and final being by far the best, in my opinion. This is a simple, modern building that sits lightly on pilotis. The existing landscape runs right under the building, and some portions project over tidal lagoons.



The "Cabinet of Curiousities" is all about the mindmaps of the Lords: specimens, booty, and mysteries (such as alligators) from the New World surround the visitor in a slightly Lordsy Londonesque setting. I wanted the wood to be much darker.



A London wharf scene explores all the preparations: what was brought along, who, why, and where they went. It wasn't a straight line by any means.



The Ocean Voyage was eventful. Storms, treachery, sickness and death, the loss of one of the ships. Unscheduled stops for long periods of time. And a long layover at Barbados, the model for raping the land that the Lord's Proprietors intended to follow.



First Encounters is all about the first few days after the landing, and the close calls and events with the Natives in the area.



Many agreements were made and broken early on, as the settlers experimented with crops, barely survived, and relied on trade with Natives.



Breaking Ground explores all of the backbreaking labor of the first settlers: what was done, who did it, and what it achieved.



The Physical Setting is the largest gallery, where visitors are able to put together the puzzle pieces of what the place looked like in those first years. Much about archeology (notice the patterns at the floor), birds-eye views and models, and recreations based on written accounts (not the least of whom was a Spanish Spy, sent incognito as an innocent visitor).



Setting Up Society is all about recreating daily life, dwellings, and issues of subsistence from the archeological record, and is a part of the larger Physical Setting gallery.



At the end are Legacies of these first 10 years, within which the seeds were planted for many of Charleston's futures. The "Grand Modell" which established the new, permanent city firmly in a Euro-via-Carribean image is the brightest. A darker legacy is that of slavery, indentured servitude and the people who performed all the labor, and ensured this would be the model in the South for nearly two hundred more years. A perhaps even darker legacy surrounds the decline, defeat, and decimation of initially friendly Natives. Another legacy looks at the huge impact on the natural environment, which, after more than 300 years, is becoming positive.

In Philadelphia

For the next four days, it will be nothing but museums, parties, seminars and sessions for me. Can't wait to see the Constitution Center later today and the Franklin tomorrow.. and sheesh, i forgot and left the camera in Steven's bag, so there'll only be photos like this one that i take with my mac (which means this is it.. aren't those skylights in my room tres cool?).

Newsclipping of the Day :: My Project in the News Again

I know you are all (all 2 of you) on pins and needles waiting to find out what happened with the Ohio Statehouse gift shop brouhaha. Our plan for new exhibits--and to relocate the existing gift shop--was unanimously approved and adopted by the board. You can read all about it here, complete with a tiny version of one of my sketches, and here. Now it's on to the next phase!

Newsclipping of the Day :: My Project in the News

Apparently, our plans have ruffled some feathers. I have no comment until after tomorrow. Click on the title of this post to see yesterday's article in its native format. Text is cut and pasted below.
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Statehouse exhibit plans squeeze gift shop
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Alan Johnson
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

JEFF HINCKLEY DISPATCH
Lee Anne Fullen, assistant manager, talks with a customer in the Statehouse Museum Gift Shop. The shop may move to a smaller, higher-traffic location in the Statehouse.
Enriching the experience of visiting the historical Statehouse could make the building’s gift shop a little poorer.

Or, depending on your point of view, it could trigger a booming business in state seal lapel pins, miniature cannons, Statehouse mugs and Ohio quarter thimbles.

On Tuesday, the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board will unveil an ambitious project to upgrade historical exhibits and revamp educational programs in the 146-year-old Statehouse. Private donors have given about $1 million to help pay for the work.

Electronic media, including video and interactive presentations, will replace many of the existing static exhibits, most of which are viewed behind glass. The updated, high-tech approach is being applied in museums nationwide. Planners think it will increase the Statehouse’s appeal to visitors.

About 61,000 people took guided tours in 2006, down 8,000 from the year before. An additional 25,000 attended special events at the Statehouse, which underwent a $121 million renovation that was completed in 1996.

Part of the new plan calls for moving the Statehouse Museum Gift Shop, now located in the middle of the lower level in an area known as the crypt, to a spot in the lower level of the adjacent Senate Building. The shop is operated by the Capitol Square board.

The shop’s current space will be used for new exhibits.

However, the move entails a significant reduction in the gift shop’s retail and storage space. That, coupled with the cost of the move to a less central location, prompted Becky Wildman, the shop manager and a state employee, to send an urgent e-mail to some customers.

"It is my belief that the proposed plan would adversely affect sales by limiting our exposure and downsizing our space," Wildman wrote.

She suggested that the downsizing would require focusing more on souvenir and children’s merchandise, most of which is imported, and mean a shift away from "Ohio products which are our claim to fame."

Wildman declined to comment on her e-mail.

Gregg Dodd, spokesman for the Capitol Square board, said Wildman now thinks it was "inappropriate" to send the e-mail before the board discussion of the move. That will come Tuesday morning.

The state hired Hilferty Museum Planning and Design, one of the top design firms in the nation, to develop a master plan.

The Athens-based Hilferty’s project list is eye-popping, including the Lewis and Clark Visitors Center in St. Louis, the Chicago Historical Society, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Derby Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian.

Dodd said change is difficult, but the gift shop’s new location will be in a high-traffic area where visitors enter and exit the new museum.

"Our main focus should be on education," Dodd said, so the Statehouse can be "a special place for all Ohioans for generations to come."

Been Gone for a Sec

See that? That's snow. I thought we were through with that. Ugggh. It was nice and breezy today, not too cold (had the top back yesterday), and now... suddenly... snow.

I had a little emergency design job at work in the past coupla weeks, and then a trip to Vegas last week. Which was all good. Only, in Vegas, all the food is HUGE. I fasted for the last 24 hours, just to try and return to some semblance of equilibrium, and am now looking forward to the roast chicken, rice salad, and green beans we are about to prepare (my first non-liquid meal since yesterday's lunch). I wish I could make myself fast for more than 24 hours, but it seems to be beyond me. Well, maybe if i can make myself do it again very soon, i can work my way up to a 3 or 4 day stint of no solid foods. I read this book called The Detox Diet but i think i need to expand my horizons beyond that. Anybody have any suggestions re: detoxification and fasting?

Looks like i'll be working on a really cool outdoor exhibit in the desert for several weeks, with a really great Tuscon architecture firm, line & space. What a cool name. And they seem like very cool, accomplished people.

In other news, our marble counters have arrived and will be installed Monday morning. After that, all that is left is the backsplash. I'll post some pics after the install, and all of our choices for backsplash. Instead of the options narrowing down over the past few weeks, they seem to have mushroomed. I'm now leaning toward a nicely patterned carrara marble tile composed of polished 2x2 and 2x6 tiles, while Steven is still just totally in love with the whole stacked pebble thing. We'll compare all our samples after Monday's install. Ciao.

Rites of Passage

Well, yesterday when i went out to go to lunch, lookie what i found. Some crazy people in my office had too much time on their hands yesterday morning (while i was slaving away on my deadline!), and decided to turn Beezlebug into a ladybug, complete with antennae and eyelashes. Helen, I think, was the instigator (that's her in the picture). She has one too, just like Tricias, so i think that might have had something to do with her "idea." She's a sweetheart. Geez I feel so special!

Windy Hills Farm...

Windy Hills Farm is the name of the farm in which my office is situated. The largest building from the old dairy farm was converted to an office about 30 years ago, and has had many additions, alterations and improvements over the years. Anyhow, click on the title of this post to link to the website for everything else besides Hilferty & Associates. Gerry and his wife Jackie raise, train, and sell Paso Fino horses (which are a small, gentle breed). There are lots of pictures of the various buildings, all the horses, Gerry and Jackie, the dogs, the cats, etc. What a great environment--even if a bit surreal--for a design office. It is so nice going there every day.

Nerd, with a capital N

My new MacBook Pro arrived this morning just in time for me to take it to Little Rock for the rest of the week. I'm just beside myself. I powered it up and went through all the registration crap while I ate lunch; now i'm off to the airport, more later!

A new coworker dates this MODEL

Ok y'all, get this. Today I'm doing a VectorWorks training cd segment for like the 39th time on how to deal with the drawing plane (which i just can't seem to get, apparently), with my earbuds in, listening along to the narrator in the Quicktime movie segment. Through the drone of the Peanuts-class-teacher-cum-my-afterlunch-lullabuy, I overhear my new coworker, Liz, talking about her boyfriend. Well, somehow, I etched "kevinscott.com" into my hard drive, and remembered it when I got home, and just dialed up after dinner. He's a model. Click on the title of this post for a link to his website. He's been on the cover of Men's Health several times. Just don't know what to say on SO many levels. I like Liz alot, I think she must be early 20-something (she graduated in 2003). She has a lot of energy, and is a great graphic designer, and is just starting out in her career. She started one week after me, so we are both newbies and maybe we have bonded a bit cause of that. She has spent two years in the "evil" world (her words) of print advertising, and seems to be relieved and happy to be transitioning to the meaning-intensive world of exhibit graphics. She knows how to really keep things simple, yet rich...and she has some great, easy techniques she uses, just converting eps or bmp files to erasers to "rusticate" images. She's got a nice little bag of tricks that just applies splendidly to several projects in the office, that are all out in the West, in the desert...I really like her already, because she is not afraid to say "I don't know how to do that, show me!" and she is always volunteering tips to me, like how she goes about making those cool eraser templates in Photoshop. I hope everybody I work with is as forthcoming and energetic as Liz. The hours just melt away at work, everyday is like the blink of an eye...all this learning new 3D drawing software is a bear, and I hope I'll have it down well enough, soon enough, to actually be productive with it. Well, soon my new MBpro will be here (next week?), and i'll be able to bash my head in with Vectorworks and FormZ after dinner as well. Can't wait! Sorry for the rambling post. I know i'm all over the place....This just in: Steven may be coming up for an interview in a couple of days! Yippee! They wanted him to come Friday, but he needs to be in ATL to send JingXia off on Saturday on her big adventure to Boston, to visit her schoolteacher friend from the joyous old Cultural Revolution days in the homeland. Maybe Steven and I'll be able to travel back to the ATL together toward the end of next week, for Tricia and Scott's big hitch. Hope you all are having a lovely Wednesday evening. Be sure to say hello (translation::leave a comment!), I miss you all! For the technologically challenged out there (i'm talking to my MOM now), just click on the little "x comments" symbol at the bottom of the post, to the left of the envelope symbol (that's what you use if you want to forward a post to Mary Frances or Ellen or someone) there. :)

I'm SOO in my Honeymoon...

with Hilferty, I mean. All those shirts from all those jobs, for all these years, Mister...that i've incessantly made fun of. Bellsouth, Brokat, Earthlink...all that faux-attire-cum-marketing that you've brought home and I scoffed at. Well, who knew i'd be getting my own little uniform here. I wore this last week during one of the two days of workshops with the clients in ArLaTex, proudly and without embarassment, I might add. Well, it helped that Gerry and Richard wore theirs also. We were like the helpful visitor experience men.

Ok, all kidding aside, I am so in awe of these people. I'd heard the company I previously worked with in Atlanta described as "the Clampett's of the exhibit industry," and I'm realizing what a huge leap i've made away from that. These people WOW clients with workshops, involve them in decisions in a meaningful way, funnel everything into delivering the highest quality possible, and are genuinely experts in the field. Everytime I turn around i discover that another coworker is a professor at OU or someplace, or was, or has a celebrity-local-PBS-station-show star wife, children living abroad and travelling the world...with a few notable exceptions, i just haven't previously had the opportunity to work with such accomplished, high-calibre folks. I knew this was going to be a dream job...why did I wait so long?

Last week at the Vision/Mission/Audience workshop we conducted with the new clients in SW Arkansas, while pretending not to be a newbie, I observed the large client group just start to lap up the stuff coming out of Gerry's, Richard's, and Melanie's mouths. Thankfully, I was able to bring myself to speak also, particularly when we got to the point of bubble diagramming a rough idea of visitor experience for the new museum. At the end of 2 days, we accomplished more in the way of defining the project than previous company could have done in 2 months. It made me realize that when it is actually time to design and develop, I won't be grasping for straws and feeling no support around me, but that it will all flow from a solid foundation. Geez what a good feeling.

Swiss Cheese?

Tim: What are you drawing, Cheese?
Me: Swiss Cheese.
I'm learning to use Vectorworks. It's much friendlier than Autocad, which i've been used to using now for 10 years (and more!)...especially when it comes to loading graphics into flat elevations, 3D drawings, etc. Well, i've survived the first 2 days, and i've drawn alot of Swiss Cheese, and my head feels like puffed wheat left in the milk too long.

John here brought his laptop in so I can run Vectorworks training CDs while I work (on swiss cheese), concurrently, on a desktop. It's effective; i'm learning alot fast. I'm not even able to use my swanky new computer yet, because the software isn't loaded yet. Hopefully Thursday I'll be able to sit at my own desk, in the lovely garrett of the dairy barn here, with the other designers. Currently, I'm below at a part-time designer/production assistant's desk who isn't here until after lunch tomorrow.

This place is very busy, everyone seems to juggle alot of work all the time, and many work beyond 7 pm (its 6:45 now, and I'm leaving). Everyone is very friendly and very helpful. It is a tradition here for everyone to participate in some way in welcoming/mentoring/breaking in new staff, and I have to say it IS effective, because I'm getting to know nearly everybody already.

There are office birds that chirp everynow and again, and everytime i hear someone bust out in an unrestrained, loud laugh, it makes me think of Janice. Well, more to come on the pleasures of working for a great company. And more to come on my new environment after the weekend, when I'll finally get net service at home and can blog unencumbered, unrepentant, and ad naseum.