PROJECTS
EXHIBITION DESIGN | EXHIBITION GRAPHICS
Colby College Museum of Art
Waterville, Maine
Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry
July 2019 – January 2020
Christine Lefebvre Design provided design services for the 2,800-square-foot exhibition Wíwənikan…the beauty we carry, on view at the Colby College Museum of Art in Maine in 2019. The exhibition showcased “contemporary art of the First Nations people of what is now Maine and Maritime Canada. Collectively known as the Wabanaki, the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Abenaki, [they] have lived in and paddled through their homeland for thousands of years. Basketmakers, canoe makers, carvers, painters, and beadworkers, the artists in this exhibition carry the beauty of their ancestors and culture into the future.”
CLD’s services included space planning of the exhibition content, floor plans and graphic elevations, exhibition graphic design, case layouts, paint specifications, production/fabrication specifications, and delivery of final production artwork.
GRAPHICS & COLOR PALETTE CLD referenced the font palette and typographic sensibility of the exhibition catalog, designed by Portland, Maine-based PATH, which had begun development before the exhibition.
While the catalog used a gradient of hues from yellow to purple, for the exhibition CLD narrowed the palette to three golden shades with a dusty green as accent.
“People are responding to the exhibition design — it’s enormously popular, and your overarching aesthetic really enables the artwork and the stories to shine.
It is a truly moving experience.”
— Colby College Museum of Art
CASES & PLINTHS The museum has a large collection of display plinths and vitrines from countless past exhibitions, with a challenging lack of size consistency. CLD strategically repurposed this existing casework: we were able to fit the specific size needs of the Wíwənikan artworks and minimize the need for new casework. CLD provided detailed schedules listing which existing plinths and vitrines would be used and where; sizes of those that needed to be built; and specifications for case risers.
To customize the displays, we specified a beautiful ash-veneered baltic birch plywood for the case decks. This wood was a visual nod to the reeds used in the baskets featured prominently in the exhibition.
“Everyone loves the exhibition and the design. Thank you! It's beautiful … [and] I really enjoyed working with you.”
— Colby College Museum of Art
Credits: Exhibition Design and Graphic Design by Christine Lefebvre Design. Exhibition Development/Curation by Colby College Museum of Art and associates. Wallpapers and hanging banner were printed and installed by Welch Sign (Scarborough, ME). Wall vinyl graphics and object labels were printed by Top Notch Fabrication (Lewiston, ME). Exhibition installation by Colby College Museum of Art.
Installation photographs by Luc Demers, courtesy Colby College Museum of Art. Exception, case detail photo.