featured project: Gerald O. Young Helicopter Operations Facility

Museum Exhibition Design AE of full project / creative director of partial artistic elements

Museum exhibit fabrication sales liaison, creative direction of the helicopter sculpture and acoustic photo wall

The Gerald O. Young helicopter facility covered 2 floors of exhibits including a dedication zone with timeline and life like mannequin of hero, Gerald O. Young; an iconic 17 foot custom sculpted helicopter hanging in the atrium, an auditorium with photo acoustic panels and video timeline wall, a heritage lounge with memorabilia evoking the golden age of flight, custom wood work and new kitchen, exhibit panels in 5 staff briefing rooms, a 65 inch touch-table with custom programming, artifact cases and labels, custom award exhibits and chain of command leadership displays.

In addition to selling the entire 2 floor project which was based on a host of physical and interactive creative ideas for the clients empty facility, (total budget $859,000.00) I also creative directed and project managed certain highly artistic aspects of the project. Creating a piece of art was unusual for the military client and required special attention to stakeholders to make everyone feel comfortable going forward with the artful vision I had in mind. I supervised the entire facility budget and carefully protected the art budget for one specific piece, a 17 foot hanging helicopter sculpture in the atrium, knowing that this iconic piece would be the one that makes the entire facility come alive and would unify the facility exhibits.

My idea for a sculpture in this spot was inspired by the pre-existing wrap around staircase, which I imagined would allow the viewer to approach it from many angles and peer into it as they climbed to the second floor. I selected the artist to create this inspirational piece. I also directed the creation of a sculptural acoustic wall for the auditorium. The sculpture was created though the use of the clients photography applied on dimensional shapes that enlivened the space while buffering the sound.

For the rest of the space, I visualized the needs for the whole facility, developed initial mood board and presentation for the sale, managed the team and controlled the budgets and guided the development of all the features through the phases of design, fabrication and install in the 2 floor space with a team of designers, artists, fabricators, vendors and installers.

As of result of the work on this project, the Andrew's Air Force Base Wing Commander was extremely impressed and referred our team to Air Force One. He noted first among the exhibits, the impressive hanging helicopter sculpture.

The Gerald O. Young helicopter facility covered 2 floors of exhibits including a dedication zone with timeline and life like mannequin of hero, Gerald O. Young; an iconic 17 foot custom sculpted helicopter hanging in the atrium, an auditorium with photo acoustic panels and video timeline wall, a heritage lounge with memorabilia evoking the golden age of flight, custom wood work and new kitchen, exhibit panels in 5 staff briefing rooms, a 65 inch touch-table with custom programming, artifact cases and labels, custom award exhibits and chain of command leadership displays.

In addition to selling the entire 2 floor project which was based on a host of physical and interactive creative ideas for the clients empty facility, (total budget $859,000.00) I also creative directed and project managed certain highly artistic aspects of the project. Creating a piece of art was unusual for the military client and required special attention to stakeholders to make everyone feel comfortable going forward with the artful vision I had in mind. I supervised the entire facility budget and carefully protected the art budget for one specific piece, a 17 foot hanging helicopter sculpture in the atrium, knowing that this iconic piece would be the one that makes the entire facility come alive and would unify the facility exhibits.

My idea for a sculpture in this spot was inspired by the pre-existing wrap around staircase, which I imagined would allow the viewer to approach it from many angles and peer into it as they climbed to the second floor. I selected the artist to create this inspirational piece. The Air Force Base Wing Commander was extremely impressed with the end result and referred our team to Air Force One, noting first among the exhibits, the impressive hanging sculpture. I also directed the creation of a sculptural acoustic wall for the auditorium. The sculpture was created though the use of the clients photography applied on dimensional shapes that enlivened the space while buffering the sound.

For the rest of the space, I visualized the needs for the whole facility, developed initial mood board and presentation for the sale, managed the team and controlled the budgets and guided the development of all the features through the phases of design, fabrication and install in the 2 floor space with a team of designers, artists, fabricators, vendors and installers.

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