The Donald W. Reynolds Museum Permanent Exhibition at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Virginia
Art at Large, Inc. & Charles Mack Design, Inc. worked with the curatorial team on behalf of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association to design and produce a timeless, multi-layered exhibit telling the story of how Mount Vernon came to be.
The Brief
Upon their founding in 1853, the Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA) set out to restore the Mount Vernon estate and collection to its former glory from its state of disrepair following Washington’s death. This ambitious journey remains one of the most resounding, successful undertakings of a preservation effort to this day. This exhibit illustrates the fruit of that labor through the display of hundreds of reclaimed treasures now featured in the Mount Vernon collection.
Through these objects—spanning 10,000 years ago to modern day—visitors are acquainted with the stories of the many people who have inhabited the grounds as residents, laborers, and visitors.
Planning
The team worked in tandem to build the atmosphere of the estate into the aesthetic of the exhibit—from the timeless beauty of the land to the esteem of Washington the Statesmen and family figure, juxtaposed with the conditions of the enslaved individuals that carved out identities of their own despite living in bondage.
The exhibit plan, casework, palette, and graphics treatments needed to reflect these themes while visually organizing the interpretation that would contextualize and enhance each priceless object.
Story of an American Icon features
The Mansion’s Original Weathervane | Washington’s Dress Sword | The Presidential Chair | “Nelly's” Harpsichord | An Indigenous Hunter’s Spear Tip | A Brick Handmade by an Enslaved Laborer named Gunner
The project required custom illustration of historically-informed silhouettes of enslaved individuals as well as period-appropriate motifs
The exhibit incorporated various AV components including a “Play Nelly’s Harpsichord” simulator to increase interactivity and accessibility of the content material.
Charles Mack worked with curators to design intricate case layouts, mounts, and material specification to ensure visibility and protection of all the exhibit objects.
A Continued Effort
The exhibit’s concluding gallery honored the spirit and ongoing archaeological, interpretive, and restorative initiatives being championed by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. In addition to fine art, ephemera from esteemed patrons, and one-of-a-kind artifacts, the gallery featured a lenticular of the Mansion before and after restoration, as well as 3D models peeling back the layers of the preservation effort.
Scope of Work included
Exhibit Drawings from Concept Development to Fabrication including plan view, elevations, paint plan, casework, platforms, renderings, and lighting plan
Graphic treatment of all interpretation from Concept through Design Development to Final Art Production
Custom illustration and image creation
Art production, management, and consulting of graphics schedules with 200+ items
Accessibility above and beyond ADA compliance and multi-media delivery in partnership with staff, ADA consulting partners, and AV production company
Project management through Installation
Images MVLA & Art at Large, Inc. • Print, Fabrication, & Installation by Blair Inc. • AV elements by Mount Vernon & Duke & Duck