Exhibition Visual Communications

Acts of Projection: Magic Lantern Shows and the U.S. Civil War was an exhibition at Drake University’s Anderson Gallery exploring how nineteenth-century magic lantern shows were used to depict and process experiences of the U.S. Civil War. Curated by Dr. Maura Lyons and students in Drake University’s Art History Curatorial Seminar, the exhibition brought together historic hand-painted glass slides, period projectors, projected imagery, and a site-specific contemporary work by artist Johnny DiBlasi.

For the exhibition, I designed the visual communication system and supporting materials, including the exhibition catalog, promotional pieces, and interpretive graphics. The design established a cohesive visual identity that complemented the historical material while supporting the exhibition’s curatorial narrative and visitor experience. Through the integration of typography, imagery, hierarchy, and layout, the communication pieces connected historical and contemporary approaches to projection while reinforcing the exhibition’s exploration of projection as both a visual technology and a means of expressing cultural memory, anxiety, and trauma.