National Museum of African American History and Culture, DC

NMAAHC was built on the last open site on the National Mall in Washington DC in a building designed by Adjaye Associates. Ralph Appelbaum Associates worked on the museum interiors and exhibits, proposing early on to excavate deeper than the architects initially planned to create a powerful journey through 400 years of America’s history. 

The RAA internal team,  architects and consultants worked closely with the NMAAHC curators, board and advisors to create the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. I joined the RAA project team during the Design Development Phase to manage the completion of the exhibition design and the creation of the exhibit construction documents. As the Exhibit Design Manager on this team, I led the development of details for specialty casework, lighting and audiovisual elements, scenic, interactives, and material selections linked to a cohesive design system which allowed us to bring the early concepts through to the details of fabrication. 

“NMAAHC’s mission is to help Americans to see how their stories, their histories and their cultures are shaped and informed by global influences. NMAAHC explores what it means to be an American and share how American values like resiliency, optimism and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture. Visitors encounter a range of experiences and emotions brought on by the presentation of difficult content and sensitive material to the most exhilarating moments of achievement and pride. The project has the power to transform the way in which we understand our collective history, begin a national dialogue, and start to heal what has been wrought by America’s legacy of slavery, violence, and racism. “