RAA began work in 2014 as the lead exhibit designer, working in close collaboration on the graphics and the media with the Museum’s Exhibition and Education Departments, on the project through to its opening.
RAA focused on representing exhibit items in ways true to their character as found in nature.
The Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium displays live insects and exhibits across 5,000 square feet. Highlights include live insect tanks, where the visitor can encounter a wide variety of species, each one with a different role in our ecosystem; pinned insects, dioramas, insect models, and a sound gallery offering a direct experience of “melodies” produced by insects in nature. A 1:20 scale suspended resin-sculpted bee hive with integrated AV experiences showcases how bees work and live together and allows visitors to physically “step inside” the beehive. A massive leafcutter ant display allows visitors to observe firsthand how colonies operate in nature.
RAA designed the ribbed finished ceiling, which speaks to the geometry of insect nests. Multi-media experiences are also designed throughout featuring linear videos, touch interactive media screens, large projection screens, and a large video media wall.
The 2,500-square-foot Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium highlights the activities of over 80 live butterfly species and their irreplaceable role in a diverse range of ecosystems all around the world. The space was designed to reflect a natural garden of plants and flowers that support butterflies. Each of the species has associated graphic identification cards and interpretive panels to deliver information on these insects. RAA custom-designed a moth and pupae tank and butterfly feeders, that give visitors an irresistible opportunity to observe their full lifecycle. Additionally, the space was designed to provide temperature and humidity conditions to allow the butterflies to thrive and a pupae incubator to highlight the aspect of metamorphosis.
The Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Collections Core is a vertical feature that features 2,500 square feet of floor-to-ceiling collections displays across three floors, encompassing the Macaulay Family Foundation Galleries on the first and second floors. The double-sided cases allow visitors to see through into the collection’s core storage itself and view the scientists at work. Integrated within the design are 100-inch digital touch screens and a flexible shelving and mounting system to adapt to the collections on display.
The Yurman Family Crystalline Pass features a 19-foot-long vein of crystal quartz sourced from a mine in Arkansas. The design recreated the vein as found in nature and embedded this display behind glass into the architectural wall.
The exhibitions have received great acclaim, with The New York Times calling the galleries “incredible.”
Partners
- RAA: Ralph Appelbaum (Principal)
- RAA: Matt Krupanski (Project Manager)
- RAA: Joshua Dudley (Project Designer)
- RAA: Erin Kentch (Physical Designer)
- RAA: Christiaan Kuypers (Visual Designer)
- RAA: Philip Drew (Physical Designer)
- RAA: Judy Vannais (Content Developer)
- Hadley Exhibits (Fabrication)
- D&P Fabrication (Fabrication)
- David Clinard Lighting (Lighting design)
- Atta Studio (Model Making)
- Terry Chase (Model Making)
All images courtesy Alvaro Keding for American Museum of Natural History