RALPH MARK GILBERT CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM
Alternative Spring Break
My Role
Project Director
Project Duration
One Week
Problem
Savannah’s modern civil rights movement was charted by local African Americans and adhered to the principles of nonviolent protest. The Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum is named in honor of the father of that movement. The museum site was originally constructed in 1914 as an African American bank. It later served as the Guaranty Insurance Company, and as the Savannah office of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The museum chronicles the civil rights struggle of Georgia's oldest African American community. The three floors feature historic photographic and interactive exhibits, including an NAACP organizational exhibit and a fiber-optic map of eighty-seven significant civil rights sites and events. A bronze bust of Gilbert highlights the exhibits on the museum's first floor, which also features a recreation of the Azalea Room of Levy's Department Store, where blacks could buy clothing but could not eat in the restaurant. The mezzanine houses a theater, which is a facsimile of an African American church sanctuary, where Law and other leaders reflect on Savannah's civil rights struggle. A visual montage of West Broad Street's people and its commerce gives visitors a glimpse of its history. The second floor features lecture halls, classrooms, and a computer room. It also has a video/reading room and an African American book collection for children.
When touring the museum we found the current exhibits to be compelling but found opportunities for improvement. These are framed in the following strategic questions:
How can we optimize the space in the museum?
How can we make the displays more interactive?
How can we inspire the visitors that come to the museum?
How can we make the museum operations sustainable?
How can we attract more people to the museum?
Approach
The goal of our Graphic Design team was to modernize the brand identity and show how it can be applied to social media and the exterior of the building. Our Service Design team redesigned the visitor experience by considering each stage, (pre-service, during the service and post service).
Result
Although our concepts for the revision of the museum were created through rapid prototyping techniques, they have the potential to make a positive and lasting impact on visitors from around the world who share a glimpse of the struggle for African American civil rights.
