Lake Wales, Florida

Bok Tower Gardens of Lake Wales Florida has a new Reception Hall and Garden History Gallery. Completed at the close of 2019, the two distinct projects comprise over 4,000 square feet of newly designed space. The Exhibition Gallery interprets the vision of founder, Edward Bok, the talents of his design team (including Olmsted, Yellin, and Medary) and the construction of "The Singing Tower." In addition to historical exhibitions, a Sanctuary and Stewardship area invites guests to contemplate their role in sustaining fragile ecology. Signature experiences include an interactive model of the tower, digital scrapbooks that feature photos and footage of the design and construction of the tower and gardens, numerous artifacts from the Garden’s archives, and a full-scale replica of one of the finial herons that crown the top of the 205-foot carillon tower.

Project Team

Client – Bok Tower Gardens

Exhibit Design – Brent Johnson Design

Content Development – ObjectIDEA

Media – HD Interactive

Fabrication – Hadley Exhibits

Detroit, Michigan

Brent Johnson Design was challenged to completely reimagine the visitor experience within this intimate 550 square foot gallery space at the Federal Reserve Bank. The goal was to develop a new presentation that made the role of the Federal Reserve and monetary policy engaging for all guests that visit the facility – no small feat. A guided experience led by a docent, surrounded by a choreographed media presentation was developed to set the stage. The dramatic conclusion featured a mechanized unveiling of the money handling area that processes more than $64 million dollars in a single day, and the vault which holds an average of $4 billion dollars!

Project Team

Client – Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Detroit Branch

Exhibit Design – Brent Johnson Design

Media – Boston Productions

Fabrication – Explus

New Windsor, New York

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor commemorates the sacrifices of America’s servicemen and servicewomen killed or wounded in combat. Its mission is to collect and preserve the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across generations. Completed in August 2015, the 3,000 square feet of exhibits include dramatic images, artifacts, numerous media elements, and the personal stories of individuals who have sacrificed so much for our nation’s freedom. The space is respectful and emotionally moving.

©2015 Christian Phillips Photography

Project Team

Client – Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc.

Exhibit Design – Brent Johnson Design

Media – Northern Light Productions

Lighting – Available Light

Fabrication – Split Rock Studios

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

USS Yorktown, an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during World War II, has enjoyed service as a museum at Patriots Point since 1975. In addition to exhibits telling the stories of those who served and fought onboard, the ship houses numerous aircraft from the 1940s through the 1980s. Looking to increase attendance and enhance the visitor experience, Brent Johnson Design was hired to develop a master plan for the museum, design a new media-rich entry area, and create immersive experiences in different spaces on the ship, such as the Engine Room.

Project Team

Client – Patriots Point Development Authority

Exhibit Design – Brent Johnson Design

Content Development - ObjectIDEA

Media – Northern Light Productions

Richmond, Virginia

Opened in August 2015, the Story of Virginia exhibition covers pre-European contact through present day, and is the only display in the commonwealth to touch on all of Virginia’s history. This 10,500 square foot exhibit at the Virginia Historical Society brings visitors close to real objects, combined with immersive environments, large graphics, interactives, and AV/multimedia experiences; all serving multiple visitors with different ways of learning. Signature artifacts include George Washington’s diary, Patrick Henry’s eyeglasses, a slave-era whipping post, and the knife used by John Brown during his raid on Harpers Ferry.

Project Team

Client – Virginia Historical Society

Exhibit Design – Brent Johnson Design

Content Development – ObjectIDEA

Media – Northern Light Productions

Fabrication – Hadley Exhibits

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Overlooking the Arkansas River and towards Oklahoma, the exhibits at the U.S. Marshals Museum will narrate the accounts of the U.S. Marshals Service’s early days, from its founding in 1789 through its deep involvement in the American Frontier; and it will share the stories and artifacts of the Service through the 20th century and to today. The galleries will combine traditional exhibition methods and a western vernacular with interactive technologies and contemporary design details. The museum is anticipated to be open in 2018.

Project Team

Client – U.S. Marshals Museum

Exhibit Design – Brent Johnson Design

Content Development - ObjectIDEA

Media – Northern Light Productions

Los Angeles, California

Brent Johnson Design partnered with The Scenic Route on the development of a master plan for The NEW Petersen Automotive Museum, with a full redesign of the interior exhibits, interpretive and wayfinding graphics, immersive environments, and AV concepts. Hundreds of valuable and famous vehicles will be on display within the museum’s 300,000 square feet of galleries when it reopens in December 2015.

Project Team

Client – The Petersen Museum

Museum Planning & Concept Design – Brent Johnson Design

Fabricator – The Scenic Route

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

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Louisiana State Museum opened just months following Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. The galleries occupy two 18,000 square foot floors, organized by local themes that have influenced U.S. history – the Louisiana Purchase; the Slave Market; Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court; and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. These stories are told with artifacts, AV elements, and interactives. Using both literal and abstract reproductions, along with colorful graphics and multimedia, visitors are immersed in the rich colors, materials, and diverse textures of Louisiana’s vibrant history and modern multiethnic scene. Brent Johnson led the design effort and worked closely with the exhibit fabricator during the design-build process.

Photography by Jay Rosenblatt

Project Team

Client – The State of Louisiana

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

Media – Northern Light Productions

Fabrication – Explus

Columbus, Georgia

As the Lead Exhibit Designer for this project, Brent Johnson was responsible for providing creative vision and direction. Telling the story of the National Infantry and the U.S. Army’s history of fighting and winning wars, the museum’s 65,000 square feet of exhibits opened in the spring of 2008.

At the heart of the museum is a multimedia presentation, entitled The Last 100 Yards. Utilizing large- scale video projections, realistic scenes of battlefields and buildings, cast figures, smoke, explosions, and an original music score, visitors walk an immersive journey through more than 230 years of Infantry history, from the American Revolution to the Gulf Wars. Surrounding The Last 100 Yards are a number of artifact-rich chronological galleries and The Hall of Honor.

Photography by Jan Rosenblatt

Project Team

Client – National Infantry Foundation

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

Media – Pyramid Studios, Donna Lawrence Productions

Lighting – Available Light

Fabrication – Design Craftsmen

Abilene, Texas

This 14,000 square foot visitor center tells the epic story of West Texas during the last one hundred years of its frontier days, when the region was a crossroads for different cultures and characters. In collaboration with the media developer, Brent Johnson Design developed a linear experience that melds re-created environments, media, authentic objects, and interactives; bringing powerful human stories to life. The museum reopened to the public in the spring of 2013.

Project Team

Client – Frontier Texas!

Exhibit Design – Brent Johnson Design

Media – Pyramid Studios

Fabrication – Exhibit Concepts