Wright Brothers Content Document
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Wright Brothers Content Document Exhibition #3 – Wright Brothers “The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age” exhibit shows the history of the Wright brothers, their many accomplishments, and the impact they had on aviation and the world. The main artifacts in this gallery are, the original 1903 Wright Flyer, reproductions of two of the gliders, a kite created before the Wright Flyer, and an original Wright St. Clair bicycle. The exhibit is styled in an early 20th century look that fits the history and artifacts being presented. Exhibition Space Gallery 107 is a windowless gallery that is approximately 5000 square feet with a 20 ft. high ceiling and a separate entrance and exit. All galleries will be delivered by the Revitalization project to the design team as black boxes with open ceilings and a lighting grid. The electrical and IT will be updated facilitating more cutting edge interactive and visitor experiences. Final electrical capacity and specific material finishes have not been defined and the contractor will be responsible to coordinate with the COTR the final black box details which are being developed. Contractor shall be responsible for verifying that they have the latest version of the Black Box description. Exhibition Scope The National Air and Space Museum seeks the services of talented and creative exhibit design professionals to assist in the updating of the existing Wright Brothers exhibition that will be moving to a new location but retaining its message, script, images, and artifacts, in essence, keeping same overall look, feel and style of the current exhibition. The main message of the exhibition is to explain who the Wright brothers were; what did they achieve; and what was the immediate impact of their invention on the broader world. Currently, The National Air and Space Museum (NASM), has an exhibition called “The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age” in gallery 209. Opened in October 2003, this exhibit shows the history of the Wright Brothers, their many accomplishments, and the impact they had on aviation and the world. The main artifacts in this gallery are, one of the original 1903 Wright Flyers, reproductions of two of the gliders and a kite created before the Wright Flyer, and an original Wright St. Clair bicycle. The exhibit is styled in an early 20th century look that fits the history and artifacts being presented. As a part of the revitalization of NASM, The Wright Brothers exhibit will be updated and moved from gallery 209 to gallery 107. The Wright Brothers gallery is being moved to this space to fit with the overall theme of the museum and will be around other early flights exhibits. This will be a “turnkey” process, as in updating the exhibit but keeping the same design of the exhibit. However, many areas of this exhibit need to be significantly updated or completely rebuilt. Gallery 107 has a different layout than gallery 209, most notably that gallery 107 is flipped. The flipping will require a change in the flow of the gallery and the overall design will require a reconfiguration. In order to reconfigure the existing design to fit within the new space the gallery will need to be completely rebuilt and is priced as such. However, if parts can be salvaged for the new gallery and can save on costs they will be used in the new space. The components that have been identified as complete rebuilds are most notably, the Wright Brother’s house, Salon, Workshop (overhead entrance treatment), Wright Flyer platform will require rebuilding so that they fit the new gallery space. The files for the existing murals exist and will not require a new design but will require some modifications to fit the new space. The fencing around the Wright Flyer may be reusable, but some portions will have to be redone to fit the new arrangement of panels that currently rest on top of the fencing. In addition the team would like to keep the existing cases with slight upgrades (powder coated metal) support legs for the new gallery. Many of the mechanical interactives need to be fixed so they can either display the desired effects better or will be changed to computer interactives to give a better experience. Much of the hardware of the computer interactives will be upgraded as well as the interactives themselves. There are additional items that didn’t exist in the gallery 209 exhibit will be added. Family labels will be added to some portions of the exhibit in order to explain these areas in easier terms. Labels for audio panels and some of the new interactives will be added. All of the graphic panels will be redesigned using existing content and design. General replacements for lighting, flooring and walls will need to be done. The 2-D cutout figures will have a new updated laminate which reduces glare. Some information panels will change configuration so they can be read more easily. The artifacts that are currently on display will be moved to the new space by NASM Collections staff who will handle all artifact for this exhibit to include de-installation, transportation to UHC for condition reporting, conservation, etc. and transportation to NMB for re-mounting as required. This exhibit does not require any artifact incoming loans or gifts. The Wright Brothers exhibition in galley 209 is currently scheduled to be de-installed beginning on December 9, 2019 through to April 2, 2020. Under the current schedule galley 107 (zone 3) will be available for remounting from October 19, 2020 – June 21, 2021 (8 months). The existing gallery 209 (zone 5) will be de-installed from October 19, 2020 – January 1, 2021 (3 months). Given this timeframe once the artifacts are removed from display (10/20) they can undergo Collections processing and conservation for a re-installation within the last two months of the gallery space remount schedule (4/21 – 6/21). During this time climate controlled storage (artifact dependent) will be required as the artifacts are processed and prepared for remounting. We will need to take into account that for 6 months the Wright Flyer and St. Clair Bicycle may be off display and evaluate how that effects the gift agreement that requires both artifacts to remain on display at all times. Big Ideas: • Innovation – How did we learn to fly? What people and ideas contributed to the invention of the airplane? • Industrialization: How did technical change and improvement occur, 1903‐1914? What factors led to technological advance? How did aviation grow to become an important industry? • Globalization: A technology without borders ‐ what role did government play in fostering aeronautical progress? What impact did varying levels of government support have on aeronautical progress in different nations? Was early aviation a global technology? What elements promoted technology transfer? • Flights of the Imagination: How did public perceptions of the potential of the airplane change attitudes toward science, technology and the future? What sort of individuals emerged as representatives of the new air age? Exhibition Goals The Exhibition core team is imagining a space where millions of museum visitors will: • Share the excitement of early flight with visitors. • Help visitors understand the birth of the relationship between government and the aeronautical industry. • Underscore the extent to which aviation was a global enterprise. • Understand the broad social, cultural, economic and political impact of flight on the world. • Explore factors supporting innovation and technological progress. WB:000-L1 THE WRIGHT BROTHERS & THE INVENTION OF THE AERIAL AGE The invention of the airplane by Wilbur and Orville Wright is one of the great stories in American history. It entails the creation of a world-changing technology at the opening of an exciting new century, an era full of promise and confidence in the future. At the center of the tale are two talented, yet modest, Midwestern bicycle shop proprietors, whose inventive labors and achievement transformed them from respected small-town businessmen into international celebrities. The influence of their invention on the 20th century is beyond measure. The transport by air of goods and people, quickly and over great distances, and the military applications of flight technology have had global economic, geopolitical, and cultural impact. The Wrights’ invention not only solved a long- studied technical problem, but also fashioned a radically new world. This exhibition explores who Wilbur and Orville Wright were, what they achieved and how they did it, and the world’s initial reaction to their revolutionary invention during the first decade of human flight. October 11, 2003, page 1 WB:000-L2 The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age This exhibition is made possible through the generous sponsorship of: Alcoa Additional support provided by: The Alvin, Lottie and Rachel Gray Fund Fred and Barbara Telling SI National Board Fish and Neave The Gayle H. and Peter Bickers Foundation The Funger Foundation, Inc., NormaLee and Morton Funger Daniel Greenberg, Susan Steinhauser and the Greenberg Foundation Leighton and Carol Read Mr. and Mrs. B. Francis Saul II October 11, 2003, page 2 WB:000-L3 “Round Trip” by Alan Stone Shortly after the Wright brothers’ historic flight at Kitty Hawk, Albert Einstein introduced the world to his Theory of Relativity, which had intriguing implications regarding time travel. Imagine taking a round trip on an airplane moving at the speed of light. While time would seem to pass normally both for you and for the people you left behind at the airport, it would actually pass much more slowly for you. When you returned, you would be younger than those people at the airport. How much younger would depend on the amount of time your trip had taken and your relative velocity during the trip.