Dubuque, Iowa

Within a 14,000 square foot facility, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is really three museums in one. The Riverways gallery forms the natural and cultural history portion of the museum. In RiverWORKS, a sort of miniature children’s museum, kids play and learn amongst water-powered interactive exhibits. And in Rivers to Seas, an aquarium-like setting, visitors meander amongst schooling fish, sea snakes, and encounter activities intended to foster stewardship. As Senior Exhibit Designer, Brent Johnson worked with a talented team to develop a dynamic experience where visitors delight in face-to-face encounters with sharks, battle a 100-year flood, pilot a barge, and meet Mark Twain, Lewis and Clark, and other historic river icons.

Photography by Jay Rosenblatt

Project Team

Client – National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium

Exhibit Design – Christopher Chadbourne & Associates, Brent Johnson, Lead Exhibit Designer

Media – Monadnock Media

Lighting – Hefferan Partnership

Fabrication – Hadley Exhibits