A Transformational Moment

New Welcome Center Presents Unique Opportunity for Exhibitions and Curatorial Team

by Eric Detweiler

Trained as a figurative painter, Jim Koerner came to view the new Welcome Center as a blank canvas. CBMM’s exhibition designer and exhibits manager drew inspiration from classic artists who expertly employed color, texture, and shape to guide the eye as he worked with his colleagues to design an engaging experience and make the space equal parts functional and fascinating.

The new Welcome Center represents a transformational step for CBMM’s guest experience, and an opportunity for CBMM’s Exhibitions and Curatorial team to highlight never-before-displayed artifacts and re-interpret old favorites in the gleaming new space.

The results of this careful planning process and organizationwide efforts to bring the vision to life will be unveiled when the

building opens its doors this fall. Housing three exhibition spaces, a reception desk, restrooms, and the Museum Store, the new Welcome Center exits onto the Joan & Ned Hennighausen Family Veranda for views of Fogg’s Cove

“These moments don’t come often,” Koerner said. “Being in the position to shape an entire new segment of a museum is a huge opportunity and a responsibility that we haven’t taken lightly.”

CBMM’s Exhibitions and Curatorial team has been involved in the project every step of the way. That meant years of planning while working with architects at Annum Architects and then the construction crew at Gilbane before exhibition installation could begin this summer in the countdown to opening.

The exhibition construction was a collaborative process, led by Director of Curatorial Affairs & Exhibitions Jenifer Dolde with support from everyone in CBMM’s Center for Interpretation, which includes Education and the Shipyard in addition to Exhibitions and Curatorial. Together, they handled the design, scripting, and fabrication to fill the building in a way that both showcases the depth of CBMM’s collection, and shines a spotlight on the stories behind key artifacts.

At times, the major lift was literally a major lift. Like when the Shipyard team, led by Vice President of Shipyard Operations Christian Cabral, stepped in to help with hauling the small craft from storage, getting them ready for display in the exhibition Water Lines: Chesapeake Watercraft Traditions, and then placing them in the building on their cantilever racks. Or when the curatorial team aided a U.S. Coast Guard certified lampist in moving a historic Fresnel lens piece by piece into its new home next to the Welcome Center entrance.

“The exhibitions in the new Welcome Center are the culmination of CBMM’s successful collaborative approach, bringing together our various skills, strengths, and perspectives as we challenge each other to create an innovative and engaging guest experience,” Dolde said. “With the considerable support of every department across CBMM, and on an accelerated schedule, this modest team has achieved a high quality installation that rivals the work of a professional design build firm.”

From a curatorial perspective, the goal was to have these exhibitions tell personal stories that illuminate the rich and diverse history of the Chesapeake in a way that appeals to guests of all ages, interests, and learning styles.

Constructed on a wall that evokes the chop of the Bay, the new orientation exhibition—titled Navigating the Chesapeake’s Maritime Culture—uses photos and artifacts to set up the themes found across campus.

Water Lines offers an examination and exploration of the individuals who built and used the boats on display, and the forthcoming Stories from the Shoreline exhibition will expand on the storytelling in the current Waterfowling exhibition to include more about the ecology of the Bay and the experiences of the people who have called the region home over time.

This fresh approach required new research into the collection to build out the visual identity and scripting of the exhibitions through the reinterpretation of artifacts, many of which have been in storage and will be shared with guests for the first time. The tale of Black oysterman Fillmore King and log canoe Alverta shared by Chief Historian Pete Lesher in this issue’s Curator’s Corner feature is just one example.

“Everything about Water Lines is more human focused,” Dolde said. “Within Chesapeake culture, boats have been the setting for myriad experiences, connecting and supporting communities defined by the water. They are material evidence of the lived experience of individuals and groups and of our maritime heritage."

With artifacts selected and stories collected, the challenge was organizing and arranging the exhibitions to maximize the experience.

Koerner used research on crowd dynamics and wayfinding theory to design a layout that will be intuitive for guests and keep the traffic flowing efficiently while ensuring that the different areas complement each other and present a similarly modern look and feel.

There's a flyway window where birds from Stories from the Shoreline will extend into Water Lines, and the small craft showcase wraps into the Museum Store with mass production boats on display there. A specially designed model boat case that fills the hallway leading into the store helps improve sightlines and create flow within the space.

It’s a design aimed at capturing the imagination from start to finish: The Fresnel lens and a sprawling floor map of the Chesapeake greet guests coming from the parking lot, and the new store, featuring stylized ceiling tiles and a historic photo of Crisfield’s Horsey Brothers Department Store, exits onto the terrace with an excellent view of the Miles River.

“What excites me is the cohesiveness of it all and being able to seam everything together,” Koerner said. “Each of these different parts comes together to create the whole, and it’s designed to flow from one thing into the next to be a fully tied-together experience.”

After so much planning and effort behind the scenes, the Welcome Center’s once-blank canvas has blossomed into a fully realized work of art nearly ready for guests to enjoy. For all involved, there’s palpable anticipation to be able to share these new stories and spaces with CBMM’s community.

“After months of work to develop the interpretive approach, write the script, research and select supporting images and objects, design the look and flow of the space, and fabricate the complex mounts and signage, we are thrilled to invite guests to explore models and watercraft from our collection for the first time,” Dolde said. “Navigating the Chesapeake’s Maritime Culture and Water Lines provide an introduction and lens through which CBMM’s entire campus can be experienced in an entirely new way.” ★