Dragging out photos from the archives for your inspiration:
I loved this exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. America’s Mayor: John V. Lindsay and the Reinvention of News York opened and closed two years ago, but I still remember it for its bold colors and interesting story.
The museum’s description: “America’s Mayor examines the controversial tenure (1966–1973) and dramatic times of New York’s 103rd mayor. The exhibition presents John V. Lindsay’s efforts to lead a city that was undergoing radical changes and that was at the center of the upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s; it highlights Mayor Lindsay’s ambitious initiatives to redefine New York City’s government, economy, culture, and urban design. Through his outspoken championship of city life, commitment to civil rights, and opposition to the Vietnam War, Lindsay emerged as a national figure in a troubled and exhilarating era.”
The bold design pulled me in. I loved the punchy colors used on the murals and inside artifact cases. The images, text treatment, and the clustering of framed print artifacts, all helped to convey the upheaval of the time period.
Artifact vitrines intersect walls in interesting ways — such as the tabletop case above, and the vitrine below, which cuts into the triangular, freestanding wall. I liked the reflective, silver sides of the cases.
Also noteworthy was the amount of information and artifacts on display. Overwhelming, perhaps, for some, but my observation was that the people there were genuinely interested in reading and looking at objects and documents, and for those with shorter attention spans, the large titles provided sign posts to help locate areas that would be of most interest to them.
Post updated in January 2021 with text edits. Broken links have been replaced with archived URLs, courtesy of archive.org. This post was originally published at theexhibitdesigner.com on 10 June 2012.