“Your work on the exhibit was remarkable! Every day we receive comments on the design work. Thank you for helping our vision come to light."
— Vulcan Park & Museum, Birmingham, AL
The Prompt
After a decades-long fight, women gained the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In 2020, Vulcan Park and Museum lead a year-long commemoration of this significant achievement. This exhibit and related programming explored the challenges of suffragists in Alabama, the racial issues that shaped the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and the fight for universal suffrage which continued long past 1920.
The exhibition intended to set a serious, optimistic tone. Visitors should be able to learn about the history of the topic and leave feeling proud and ready to engage in continued action. The content of the exhibit, and subsequently the design, will highlight and explore Reconstruction era, Suffragette Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement.
The Design
An overarching goal for this design was to fuse the past with the future. The content of the exhibit ranged from 1850-today, through Reconstruction to the Civil Rights to present-day efforts to expand and protect voting rights.
To honor this balance and past and present, I began with a bold, serif type—similar to ones used in Suffragette banners—and paired it with a modern san serif. I displayed aged, black and white photos with a bright color overlay. I used the final color palette strategically to tie information to relevant time periods (early Suffragette efforts are viewed in purple as their preferred color while later Civil Rights efforts are displayed in green).
The overall design was vibrant and engaging while not overshadowing historical photos, documents, and supplementary text.
SEMC Award
The museum was the bronze recipient in the under $25,000 budget category for the 2020 exhibition competition. The exhibition competition focuses primarily on exhibitions of merit that are well designed, provide educational value and treat objects with care and respect.
2019, Vulcan Park & Museum