THE PROJECT | The iconic 1969 Woodstock festival was not held in Woodstock, NY but rather in nearby
Bethel Woods, and most of the famous site is now part of the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts.
A new visitor center tells the story of the famous three days of peace and love, and provides context and background for the turbulent social period. Visitors can get a sense of the extraordinary event, and explore its cultural legacy. The exhibit is entertaining as well as educational, immersive and interactive.
Bethel Woods, and most of the famous site is now part of the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts.
A new visitor center tells the story of the famous three days of peace and love, and provides context and background for the turbulent social period. Visitors can get a sense of the extraordinary event, and explore its cultural legacy. The exhibit is entertaining as well as educational, immersive and interactive.
ROLE | I was the lead graphic designer on the project for DD and CD while on staff at Gallagher & Associates.
DESIGN FIRM | Gallagher & Associates
Schematic Design Phase Graphic Elevation | A graphic timeline will help visitors recall and understand the cultural and historic background leading to Woodstock — the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and the rise of rock musicians.
Schematic Design Phase Graphic Elevation | At the center of the exhibit is an AV theater that immerses the visitor in the Woodstock experience. Projection surfaces overhead and on all sides help visitors feel the music, the changing time of day, and the less than ideal weather of the event. Exhibit structures suggest the stage scaffolding and most larger graphics were printed on stretchy fabric that wrapped complex curved frames. Key artifacts include a motorcycle owned by one of the event organizers and a reconstruction of an iconic "hippie bus" mini-theater.
The finished exhibit is richly layered with sound, image, pattern, iconic symbols, quotations, and dramatic lighting.
Image: Gallagher & Associates
Image: Gallagher & Associates
Graphics in some areas were direct prints to compound-curved wood structures to capture the earthiness as well as the "psychedelic" youth culture of the period. Image: Gallagher & Associates
Construction Documentation | The final graphics package worked out fabrication and layout details for all graphic elements in the visitor center.
