Reynolda House
Anniversary Memorial
The Reynolda House Museum of American Art displays a premiere collection of American art ranging from the colonial period to the present. Housed in the elegant estate of the R.J. Reynolds family, the museum opened its doors in 1967.
The Design Office Of John Murph was invited to offer concepts for a retrospective wall display that encapsulated the heritage and contributions of the museum as it celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Brand Strategy | Exhibition Design
Our solution leveraged the visual of the house itself as a vehicle for organizing the timeline of the museum’s history.
Instead of pursuing a conventional timeline presentation, with significant dates strung along a ‘measuring ruler’ configuration, the house itself – which is, after all, the brand – was leveraged as an organizational structure.
The assorted windows that add so much distinction to the architecture were co-opted into visual panels that highlighted key milestones in the museum’s history.