TWO RIVERS, WI
H A M I LT O N W O O D T Y P E & P R I N T I N G M U S E U M
H I S T O RY / M A K I N G / E X H I B I T I O N
H A M I LT O N W O O D T Y P E & P R I N T I N G M U S E U M
H I S T O RY / M A K I N G / E X H I B I T I O N Proposal by Anna Mahnke
H I S T O RY Ever Since 1880. “When people see wood type they often remember the classic ‘Wanted’ poster,” says Historical Society board member Jim VanLanen. “If you discover the other printed items of our nation’s graphic history, you’ll find wood type in almost every historical society collection. You’ll find printed documents and posters that help illustrate how people communicated with each other. Whether it was the sale of horses or land, political rallies, booklets, packaging or circus posters - wood type helped express the message of that day.”
MAKING A Working Museum The Museum, at 45,000 square feet, is no doubt one of the largest fully functional workshops in the world. Not only do the thousands of visitors who come through every year get to see how wood type was made at the factory, students, artists, typographers and designers visit to take workshops and actually put their hands on and use the collection to create works of art and scholarship in our pressroom at the Museum. To be able to use the type and cuts and a press to make a print can broaden a design student’s understanding of typography and color and layout, and artists make work with wood type that would have surprised and delighted Ed Hamilton, the company’s founder.
EXHIBITION With 1.5 million pieces of wood type and more than 1,000 styles and sizes of patterns, Hamilton’s collection is one of the premier wood type collections in the world. In addition to wood type, the Museum is home to an amazing array of advertising cuts from the 1930s through the 1970s, and all of the equipment necessary to make wood type and print with it, as well as equipment used in the production of hot metal type, tools of the craft and rare type specimen catalogs.In addition to the museum’s array of historical artifacts it also exhibts contemporary artwork and prints from both resident artists, staff, and many visiting artists.
EXSISTING PROGRAM HISTORY
MAKING
EXHIBITION
THE CURRENT MUSEUM The Hamilton Wood Type Museum’s mission is “to advance the understanding of American printing and design heritage by documenting, archiving and reproducing the history and images of American letterpress printing. Its premier collection of printing type, engravings, library, prints and equipment support scholarship and education at all levels by preserving through use, research and demonstration.”
SHIPPING AND
TYPE TYPE WALL WALL
STAFF PRESSROOM
TYPE & PRESSES & GLOBE DISPLAY MAIN MUSEUM DISPLAY
RAMP RAMP UP UP
LNOTYPE/PRESSES/ FINISHING EQU. DISPLAY
DESK DESK
ELEV ELEV
VIDEO VIDEO ROOM ROOM INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
CAFETERIA CAFETERIA
RESIDENCY PRESSROOM
HAMILTON HAMILTON FURNITURE FURNITURE AND AND APPLIANCES APPLIANCES DISPLAY DISPLAY
COAT/STORAGE COAT/STORAGE ROOM ROOM
GALLERY With With mobile mobile walls walls
TYPE TYPE
BATHROOM BATHROOM
WORKSHOP PRESSROOM
RETAIL RETAIL STORAGE STORAGE AND AND SHIPPING SHIPPING
RETAIL RETAIL
DOCENT DOCENT DESK DESK
BATHROOM BATHROOM
STAFF STAFF DESK DESK
MAIN SPEAKERS MAIN MAIN ENTRANCE ENTRANCE
LOUNGE LOUNGE
PHOTO PHOTO STUDIO STUDIO
STAFF STAFF OFFICE OFFICE STAFF STAFF WORKSPACE WORKSPACE STAFF STAFF OFFICE OFFICE
C I R C U L AT I O N CURRENT
PROPOSED
ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES The current museum layout has clear divisions of program that inhibit museum visitors from experiencing the museum i n i t s e n t i r e t y . T h e c i r c u l a t i o n i s r a t h e r l i n e a r, w h i c h c a n b e advantageous for curation of the museum’s chronological displays, but a hinderance to workshop visitors. How can a visitor have more autonomy and a self-guided experience as well as guided?
D AY L I G H T S T U D I E S
The museum currently features several beautiful instance of natural daylight. The main museum space, as well as the staff pressroom, are flooded with elegant light from a series of skylights. The gallery and entry have large windows that face souther n exposure as well as views of Lake Michigan.
Residency Pressroom
Staff Pressroom
Development of Wood Type + Workshop
Workshop/Pressroom (visitors)
Storage
Globe Collection + Auditorium
• Presses • Type Collection • Hamilton’s Influence
Commons/ Gathering (Rotating Gallery + Displays)
Boiler Print Station (staff) Intro to Print and Typography
Donor Wall
Library Gallery
Reception
Retail
Lockers
GROUND LEVEL
Lounge Entry
Storage
Staff Archives (visable storage)
Lounge/Cafe Patio UPPER LEVEL
T H E M U S EU M R EI M AG I N ED The new museum design provides visual and experiential connections that draw visitors throughout the history, process, and making of wood type and print by creating visual and material connections between programatic elements. This design explor es these connections thr ough openings and new sightlines, both inside and out, as well as thr eshholds of material changes and pivot walls that cr eate flexible spaces as well as interactive envir onments. The new design r epositions and connects the pr ogramitic str engths of HISTOR Y, MAKING, and EXHIBITION so that visitors with the intent to explor e history will be integrated and able to observe history’s influence on the curr ent making pr ocess, and visa versa, those ther e to print will be woven into the history of type and print of which they ar e still using to make today.
REIMAGINED PROGRAM HISTORY
MAKING
EXHIBITION
OPENINGS The new design incorporates a specific typology of new openings that create sightlines and frame certain experiences within the museum. Openings frame exhibits and artifacts, undiscovered spaces beyond or above, glimpses from the outside in, inside out, moments of transition, and moments of pause. They further connect the visitor to the entire museum experience.
OPENINGS / SIGHTLINES SIGHTLINES
EXSISTING OPENINGS
NEW OPENINGS
OUTSIDE-IN
GALLERY/MUSEUM LOOKOUT
(UPPER LEVEL)
INSIDE-OUT
TRANSITION
LOOKOUT
MAIN MUSEUM
SECTION (WEST)
H I S T O RY
EXHIBITION
MAKING
GALLERY/LIBRARY
THRESHOLD Thr eshold moments change material as well as functionality, they engage the visitor. Pivot walls separate the library/gallery as well as the auditorium, allowing for public or private functionality.
THRESHOLD/INTERACTIVE At the thr eshold that divides the museum (HISTOR Y) space and the print shops (MAKING) interactive display pannels, that also oporate on a pivot, occupy the exsisting openings. Visitors ar e able to touch the raised r elief of wood block, flip the panel, and either see its print or infor mation about that specific piece of type.
ANNA MAHNKE This pr oposal was designed by Anna Mahnke, a first year graduate student in the Masters of Ar chitectur e pr ogram at the University of MN. The design was a r esult of a studio course entitled “Reimagining the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum” Special thanks to Lacey Br own for graphic design collaboration for the “categories of type” interactive panels. Additional thanks to Bill and Jim Moran for their devotion and attention to such an incr edible pr oject. T o the futur e of Hamilton! anna@annamahnke.com