Agency history, 1995-

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Subject

  • Aber, Harold E
  • Briggs, Nigel
  • Brown, Clare
  • Denison, Michael
  • National Museum of American History (U.S.) Office of the Assistant Director for Exhibits and Public Spaces
  • National Museum of American History (U.S.) Office of the Associate Director for Public Services
  • National Museum of American History (U.S.) Office of Program Planning and Design
  • National Museum of American History (U.S.) Office of Public Spaces Design and Planning

Category

Agency History

Notes

  • This is an agency history. It does not describe actual records. The Smithsonian Institution Archives uses these histories as brief accounts of the origin, development, and functions of an office or administrative unit to set that unit in its historical context. To find information on record holdings, please double-click the highlighted field "Creator/Author", which will open on a brief view of relevant records.
  • Annals of the Smithsonian Institution, 1995-1996
  • Smithsonian Directory, 1999, 2002
  • National Museum of American History website, 2006-2023
  • LinkedIn, Clare Brown, https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarebrown/, accessed March 20, 2023
  • LinkedIn, Mike Denison, https://americanhistory.si.edu/about/departments/design, accession March 20, 2023
  • The Office of Program Planning and Design appears to have come into being in 1995 as a result of a reorganization of the Office of the Assistant Director for Exhibits and Public Spaces which saw several staff members shifted into the Office of the Associate Director for Public Services in 1996. Harold E. Aber, previously Chief of the Design Division, Office of the Assistant Director for Exhibits and Public Spaces, was appointed Director of the Office of Program Planning and Design, serving 1995-2013. In or around 2002, the office became known as the Office of Public Spaces Design and Planning and then in 2014 the office was known as the Design Studio. The Design Studio was responsible for all design in public access areas and spaces including: exhibits, assembly areas, circulation corridors, exterior grounds, and retail venues such as museum stores, cafes, and cafeterias. Their work included 2D and 3D design applications for signage, graphic design, and wayfinding to support numerous museum functions. Aber served as Acting Director of the Design Studio from 2014-2016. Nigel Briggs served as Assistant Chief of Design, 2017. Clare Brown was appointed Chief of Design in 2017 and served until 2020. From 2020 to 2022 the Chief of Design position was unfilled until the fall of 2022 when Michael Denison became Head of Design.
  • For a history of the larger creating unit, refer to "Forms part of " above.

Repository Loc.

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520

Date

  • 1995
  • 1995-

Topic

  • Design
  • Museum stores
  • Space utilization
  • Signs and signboards
  • Architecture
  • Historical museums
  • Museums
  • Museum exhibits
  • Museums--Space utilization
  • Architectural design

Form/Genre

Mixed archival materials

Local number

SIA AH00257

Full Record

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