DOCUMENT | SELECTED DESIGN WORKS OF DAVE GOTTWALD

MATERIALS CATALOG NO. 27B/6 | COLLECTIONS FILE NO. 02223662

OMCA Gallery of california history reinstallation

The Oakland Museum of California completely redesigned and rebuilt their History Gallery over a period of several years (2008–2011), along with their Art and Natural Sciences galleries. The overarching theme of the new 30,000-square-foot permanent gallery space is "Coming to California," emphasizing the profound impact of the state’s successive waves of immigration.

I served as the lead graphic designer on the project for over two years, working on a diverse core team hired by OMCA which included Senior Curator Louise Pubols, the overall direction of Kathleen McLean, the exhibition design of Gordon Chung and Dirk Dieter, and the support of graphic designers Auburn Leigh and Amanda Boesen.

Throughout the gallery's fourteen main sections, I designed and developed a master wayfinding system, historic typographic voices for each era; period-accurate ephemera, maps and diagrams; propping, and whole themed environments.

COMING TO CALIFORNIA was the recipient of a 2012 Excellence in Exhibition Award from AAM, with special distinction for "Exemplary Inclusion of Community Voices."