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+1 212.283.3030

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Canada

1867 Yonge Street
Suite 1100
Toronto, ON
M4S 1Y5
+1 416.480.2020

United States

530 Seventh Avenue
M2 - Unit 20
New York, NY
10018
+1 212.283.3030

Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Smithsonian Institution: Entertainment Nation

Overview

With an extraordinary collection of theater, music, sports, movie, and television objects, the gallery showcases the rich history of entertainment in America though evocative themes, powerful displays and interactive media experiences.

Details

Client
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History
Project
Ray and Dagmar Dolby Hall of American Culture: Entertainment Nation/Nación del espectáculo
Size
7,200 sq. ft.
Scope
Exhibit Design, Graphic Design
Location
Washington D.C., USA
Year Completed
2022
Budget
$

Impact

11
Touchable Elements
2
Languages: English & Spanish
5
Size of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers
3
Muppet prototypes on display
2
Original Droids from Star Wars featured

1 Award Total

2023 INDIGO DESIGN AWARD
Gold Winner in Integrated Graphic Design for Social Change

The
Goal

The gallery challenges visitors to explore how American ideals, ideas, and national identity are reflected in its entertainment and how, in turn, entertainment shapes them.

Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

The
Design

A multisensory and deeply expressive experience is achieved using marquee lighting, ribbon-like LED media screens, pulsing media, iconic objects, and reminiscent graphics, imagery and sound. Spotlight objects include Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Muhammad Ali’s boxing robe, the droids from Star Wars, and Prince’s Yellow Cloud Electric Guitar. The custom casework system was designed to ensure security and conservation for the many sensitive items on display, while allowing for object rotation.

Two jewel-like micro galleries are immersive media projection spaces, each providing a deeper dive into a key topic. “What’s So Funny?” questions the history of racism in entertainment and “What is Your Anthem” highlights in the role of music in collective social protest, where visitors can walk on an original piece of the Woodstock stage.

/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Sequence-01.mp4

 

 

  • Wonderful – It is stunning. Thanks to everyone for your Herculean efforts...!!!!John Troutman, Project Director and Lead Curator of Entertainment Nation

The
Result

Entertainment Nation is a fully bilingual, visually spectacular permanent exhibition showcasing 200 beloved objects and future rotations from the Smithsonian’s renowned collection and graphics, video and compelling stories from 1890 to the present. English and Spanish exhibit text are offered, setting a new bilingual benchmark for the Museum. Touchable bronze models made as exact 3D object scans are placed in front of casework as tactile components of the gallery’s commitment to accessibility. Accessible keypads and QR codes with tactile floor markers are included comprehensively across the gallery.

While the exhibit aims to be joyful, nostalgic, and exuberant, it also prompts reflection and challenges visitors to consider the complex and the often-difficult history of entertainment in the United States.

  • This Exhibition shows that the strength of American entertainment lays in the diversity of its voices, in the rich complexities of its creations, in the struggles it embodies, and in the injustices it reveals.Anthea Hartig, The Elizabeth MacMillan Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Behind
The Scenes

Looking at the Gallery with early design drawings

 

  • By placing these modes of entertainment in conversation with one another, we can much better understand how entertainment played a key role in shaping the nation at any given time in the nation’s past.Eric Jentsch, Curator of Entertainment and Sports, Division of Culture and the Arts

Gallery
Sound

An exciting challenge faced the design team when integrating state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos immersive sound system into the gallery’s established design. Both the exhibit and media designers responded accordingly with close coordination internally to ensure that all components integrated as required, and with the Smithsonian staff and the Dolby team. The result is an enhanced experience achieved through a custom playback system designed to transport visitors into the exciting world of the movies through immersive ‘takeover’ moments.

Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Other
Project Specific Work

This project involved the creation of 11 touchable or interactive elements, which involved taking 3-D scans of the Smithsonian’s artifacts to create tactile, touchable models out of antimicrobial bronze.

Smithsonian Institution: Entertainment Nation

Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Details

Client
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History
Project
Ray and Dagmar Dolby Hall of American Culture: Entertainment Nation/Nación del espectáculo
Size
7,200 sq. ft.
Scope
Exhibit Design, Graphic Design
Location
Washington D.C., USA
Year Completed
2022

Overview

With an extraordinary collection of theater, music, sports, movie, and television objects, the gallery showcases the rich history of entertainment in America though evocative themes, powerful displays and interactive media experiences.

Impact

11
Touchable Elements
2
Languages: English & Spanish
5
Size of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers
3
Muppet prototypes on display
2
Original Droids from Star Wars featured

1 Awards Total

2023 INDIGO DESIGN AWARD
Gold Winner in Integrated Graphic Design for Social Change

The
Goal

The gallery challenges visitors to explore how American ideals, ideas, and national identity are reflected in its entertainment and how, in turn, entertainment shapes them.

Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

The
Design

A multisensory and deeply expressive experience is achieved using marquee lighting, ribbon-like LED media screens, pulsing media, iconic objects, and reminiscent graphics, imagery and sound. Spotlight objects include Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Muhammad Ali’s boxing robe, the droids from Star Wars, and Prince’s Yellow Cloud Electric Guitar. The custom casework system was designed to ensure security and conservation for the many sensitive items on display, while allowing for object rotation.

Two jewel-like micro galleries are immersive media projection spaces, each providing a deeper dive into a key topic. “What’s So Funny?” questions the history of racism in entertainment and “What is Your Anthem” highlights in the role of music in collective social protest, where visitors can walk on an original piece of the Woodstock stage.

/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Sequence-01.mp4

 

 

  • Wonderful – It is stunning. Thanks to everyone for your Herculean efforts...!!!!John Troutman, Project Director and Lead Curator of Entertainment Nation
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

The
Result

Entertainment Nation is a fully bilingual, visually spectacular permanent exhibition showcasing 200 beloved objects and future rotations from the Smithsonian’s renowned collection and graphics, video and compelling stories from 1890 to the present. English and Spanish exhibit text are offered, setting a new bilingual benchmark for the Museum. Touchable bronze models made as exact 3D object scans are placed in front of casework as tactile components of the gallery’s commitment to accessibility. Accessible keypads and QR codes with tactile floor markers are included comprehensively across the gallery.

While the exhibit aims to be joyful, nostalgic, and exuberant, it also prompts reflection and challenges visitors to consider the complex and the often-difficult history of entertainment in the United States.

  • This Exhibition shows that the strength of American entertainment lays in the diversity of its voices, in the rich complexities of its creations, in the struggles it embodies, and in the injustices it reveals.Anthea Hartig, The Elizabeth MacMillan Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Behind
The Scenes

Looking at the Gallery with early design drawings

 

  • By placing these modes of entertainment in conversation with one another, we can much better understand how entertainment played a key role in shaping the nation at any given time in the nation’s past.Eric Jentsch, Curator of Entertainment and Sports, Division of Culture and the Arts

Gallery
Sound

An exciting challenge faced the design team when integrating state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos immersive sound system into the gallery’s established design. Both the exhibit and media designers responded accordingly with close coordination internally to ensure that all components integrated as required, and with the Smithsonian staff and the Dolby team. The result is an enhanced experience achieved through a custom playback system designed to transport visitors into the exciting world of the movies through immersive ‘takeover’ moments.

Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Other
Project Specific Work

This project involved the creation of 11 touchable or interactive elements, which involved taking 3-D scans of the Smithsonian’s artifacts to create tactile, touchable models out of antimicrobial bronze.

Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Photos courtesy of Jay Rosenblatt and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
ProjectsSmithsonian Institution: Entertainment Nation