Video description: Visitors walk through the Library's gallery looking at displays and watching a large projected film on a curved wall.
The MLK Jr. Memorial Library
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library stands as a pivotal landmark in Washington D.C. In collaboration with Studio Joseph, Openbox, and Workhorse, Bluecadet worked to revitalize the library by creating films and an interactive map for a core exhibition, showcasing the library's extensive local history collection and connecting with the community through D.C.'s history of activism.
Community-led design
The engagement began with eight months of community-based design research and prototyping, completed in partnership with Studio Joseph and Openbox. Profoundly informed by what we learned about the community’s interests and perspectives, the exhibition tells the ongoing story of activism in Washington, DC, through the lens of its key figures, including Martin Luther King Jr., Mayor Marion Barry, and grassroots organizers.
Local connection in frame
We collaborated with the library’s curatorial team to produce three films that explore key connections between Martin Luther King Jr. and the city, such as his support of DC home rule and his association with Nannie Helen Burroughs, a trailblazing civil rights activist and advocate, who was also one of his early supporters.
The films leverage motion graphic animation and archival imagery, with a contemporary approach. To produce them, we defined a visual and motion style that built on the exhibit’s graphic design concept and also helped the assets feel vibrant, active, and relevant to a modern audience.
Mapping your DC story
Our work also included an interactive map featuring user-generated content. In addition, we advised on the integration of oral histories throughout the exhibit space.
Creative Partners
Studio Joseph
Workhorse
Colloqate
Kubik Maltbie
Openbox
Dan King
Explore More
Video description: Visitors activate selections on a touchtable, choose words from a tray to create their own message, and touch a button to begin an animated projection.
Video description: Visitors see and interact with exhibits at the visitor center including animated historical imagery projection-mapped to the interior of a huge rotunda, projected historical photos on translucent panels of fabric, and interactive stations showcasing current and past students of the school.