Darwin Complete.

Here are a few overview shots of the Darwin exhibit that opened Friday 10/9 at the Sam Noble. Generally we have 2 years to plan and execute such an exhibit. We turned this one around in 3 months.


To complicate matters, our graphic designer left for grad school during this period and we had to conduct a search to find a new one. I am happy to report that we were successful and the new recruit was able keep the project on-track.



Needless to say, I am extremely proud of my staff and the quality/quantity of work they produced for this exhibit.


Time to start working on the next one.

First peek at the Darwin exhibit.

Here are a few shots items made with the 'Bot for the Darwin exhibit that opened on Friday. The exhibit features all of Darwin's publications as first editions, courtesy of OU's History of Science collection.






All of the books are housed in casework that has mill work based upon a "shanty" feature from the HMS Beagle. This example houses "Origin of the Species." With the exception of the tubular vitrine and a extruded aluminum armature, all details were produced in-house with the ShopBot. Each case features an ABS deck, case furniture constructed from acrylic sheet and solid surface counter-top material, as well as the MDF sidepieces as pictured here. The casework is reusable - the sidepiece can be themed to match the exhibit, or a generic maple version that blends with our existing cases can be used.









Here is a marine iguana from the Galapagos housed in a plexi tank filled with an alcohol solution. Bottom base is solvent cemented into tight-fitting groove. The lid was machined with a larger groove to accommodate the application of a low VOC silicone. A series of vent holes were placed in the groove to allow for the silicone to neatly ooze out so the lid could be easily assembled.



What seems like some simple case furniture that bisects the space is actually an attractive gentle curve. This feature is not just aesthetic - the curve give the assembly great structural integrity using a relatively thin sheet of material for the divider, while the cap on top makes the cross-section similar to an "I" beam.

I'll post some more photos of the completed installation later this week.