WW1&WW2
World War I and World War II exhibitions
New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.,
Opened November 2005
TEA provided the floorplans, case designs, and graphic design for these two significant exhibitions, which both opened on Veterans Day 2005. The World War I exhibit simulates the geography of the trenches, zig-zagging along a path in which graphics and artifacts tell the story of the involvement of New York Troops in the “War to End All Wars.” A Simulated trench-case, incorporating both a display area for the museum’s rich collection of weapons, uniforms, and other personal memorabilia is surrounded by sandbags, created by burlap bags filled with buckwheat hulls—a clean and lightweight solution to simulating sandbags. The graphics provide an interpretive backdrop for a large field piece captured from the Germans at the end of the war. The World War II exhibit featured large maps and smaller graphic panels that evoked the feel for this war, against which weapons, uniforms, flags, and other items were mounted. In both cases, these exhibitions evoke the sacrifice of New Yorkers in the face of these conflicts, telling the story of the battles without romanticizing war.
