RWD designed This is Richmond, Virginia for the Valentine for its reopening after major renovations. The exhibit tells the story of the larger community of Richmond; the city’s unique blend of history, culture, and people.

This project’s primary design challenge was to move away from traditional design methodologies in favor of a more uncommon approach that lends itself to the project particulars. The exhibit presents conventional material and intangible culture together, telling plural histories through a common point: the city. The color red was chosen to create a striking contrast of cases against the clean white lighting and bright white walls, as well as to direct the line of sight. No one part of the exhibit is more important than another, and this is conveyed through repeating lines, strong branded colors, and an overall cohesive look and feel. Every detail of the exhibit design was carefully considered, from the custom artifact mounts to the exhibit text to the stunning execution of a hand-painted map of Richmond by local artist Nancy Beck that covers the entire floor of the space.