McConnell Chao Exhibition fabricated by exhibit fabrication firm MurphyCatton
A surprise gift turned into an inspirational addition to the University of Louisville’s Ekstrom Library in Louisville, Kentucky. David Jones, a Louisville philanthropist donated $1 million to make way for the Civic Education Gallery full of exhibits, interactive kiosks and detailed graphic panels to educate visitors and tell the stories of U.S. Senator, Mitch McConnell and former Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao.
Holding his position since 2006 as Republican Minority Leader, McConnell is one of the top-ranking Republicans in the 110th Congress. His wife, Elaine Chao, was the first Asian-Pacific woman to be appointed to a president’s cabinet and was the only cabinet member to serve under George W. Bush for his entire administration.
In late fall of 2008, Northern Kentucky firm, MurphyCatton, was selected as one of the key fabricators of UL’s new library exhibit gallery. Among the collection of artifacts included an assortment of papers and personal memorabilia such as books, childhood baseball albums and family photos of McConnell and Chao. MurphyCatton fabricated and installed numerous graphic panels spanning the space that take visitors on a historic walk through McConnell’s and Chao’s childhoods, political careers and marriage. There are two 10 minute videos showcasing McConnell and Chao’s stories and MurphyCatton built four interactive kiosks that allow visitors to take a sample citizenship test, learn about the anatomy of an election and experience McConnell and Chao’s lifetime of achievements. The casework and trim throughout the exhibit featured stained maple and 9 glass wall artifact cases as well as one free standing vitrine.
Thanks to the contribution of David Jones and to the lives of McConnell and Chao, the University now has a monumental piece of history to offer visitors and the Kentucky area. MurphyCatton was honored to play a role in building the gallery and the opportunity to pay tribute to the preservation of such important American and Kentucky history.
For more on MurphyCatton visit http://www.murphycatton.com and see what we’ve been up to for the past 25 plus years!
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
