Posts By: Bluestone and Associates

Willow Springs, Illinois Interpretive Master Plan; Exhibit, Graphic and Habitat Design, Fabrication and Installation We were chosen to create all of the exhibits in a new building that was to be the reincarnation of Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, the oldest and most heavily attended nature center in Cook County’s Forest Preserve District. We paid…

Great Lakes, Illinois Research, Writing, Concept Development, Graphic Design, Exhibit Design, AV Design, Fabrication, Installation We were hired to design the exhibits in a new, 10,000 square-foot Visitor Center at the Navy’s Great Lakes Naval Training Station. To build an understanding of the rigorous, nine-week training program all new recruits must pass through before graduating,…

Facility Master Plan
John G. Shedd Aquarium

Posted 5:42 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Chicago, Illinois Facility Planning, Interpretive Concept Development and Planning While serving as the Aquarium’s Vice President of Planning and Design, Paul led a three-year Facility Master Planning process which set the course for the evolution and expansion of the aquarium over the next 15 years. At the heart of the plan was the concept of…

Sagawau Environmental Learning Center

Posted 7:03 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Lemont, Illinois Interpretive Master Plan; Exhibit and Graphic Design, Fabrication and Installation Originally known as Camp Sagawau Nature Center, this teacher-training facility was selected by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois to receive a brand new building on its original site. Our office was chosen to tell the story of the original 160-year-old… Read more »

Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois Exhibit Design, Fabrication and Installation With a recording booth and permanent story-gathering space already in Chicago, we were hired by StoryCorps to rethink the public’s experience of the space and create a more welcoming, intuitive and enjoyable one. Our intent was to bring the visitors into a one-on-one encounter with… Read more »

Rockford, Illinois Exhibit, Graphic, Identity and Branding Design, Fabrication and Installation The conversion from historic local nursery to arboretum and botanical garden is just one of the stories that the Klehm team wanted their visitors to discover as they walked the trails of this venerable landmark in Rockford, Illinois. We were hired to uncover and… Read more »

St. Charles, Illinois Exhibit and Graphic Design, Fabrication and Installation Here, a white oak tree was to be the spokesman for the status and history of oaks and oak woodlands throughout Kane County. We recreated a highly-detailed white oak tree, sliced it into three vertical sections and exploded them out over a linear stretch of…

Naperville, Illinois Exhibit, Graphic, Wayfinding Design, Fabrication and Installation Close to the confluence of the East and West branches of the DuPage River, the Naperville Park District built a new interpretive center and trail system to help visitors explore the stories of geological, human and natural history that abound above and below the surface of… Read more »

Glenview, Illinois Research, Writing, Concept Development, Graphic design, Exhibit Design, Fabrication, Installation Hired to create the first new permanent exhibit since the opening of the museum, we worked with the Kohl staff to envision a highly interactive exhibit focused on harvesting energy from nature. We designed, tested and built four hands-on exhibit stations about wind…

Chicago, Illinois Research, Content Development, Interpretive Writing, Interpretive Design, Habitat Design, Exhibit Design, Wayfinding Design and Design of Donor Recognition Signage Shedd was already the country’s largest aquarium in 1985 when it began planning for an expansion which would double its size. The goal was to bring killer whales and beluga whales to the Midwest for…

Visitor Center, Great Lakes Naval Training Center

Posted 10:03 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Great Lakes, Illinois Research, Writing, Concept Development, Graphic Design, Exhibit Design, AV Design, Fabrication, Installation We were hired to design the exhibits in a new, 10,000 square-foot Visitor Center at the Navy’s Great Lakes Naval Training Station. To build an understanding of the rigorous, nine-week training program all new recruits must pass through before graduating,… Read more »

Chicago, Illinois Research, Content Development, Interpretive Writing, Interpretive Graphic Design, Habitat Design, Exhibit Design, AV Design The flood cycle of the Amazon River was at the heart of this story. We needed to invent a large-scale, immersive exhibit experience which would fit sensitively within a 1927 historic structure and occupy fully 1/3 of its footprint….

Chicago, Illinois Research, Content Development, Interpretive Writing, Interpretive Design, Habitat Design, Exhibit Design, Wayfinding Design and Design of Donor Recognition Signage Shedd was already the country’s largest aquarium in 1985 when it began planning for an expansion which would double its size. The goal was to bring killer whales and beluga whales to the Midwest for…

Rush University
Medical Center

Posted 5:53 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Chicago, Illinois  Research, Content Development, Writing, Exhibit Design, Graphic Design, AV Design, Fabrication, Installation The challenge here was to design, build and install, on a very low budget, exhibits that chronicled the history of nursing students, their teachers and nursing education at this medical center and its three predecessors. The project was to serve as…

Knoch Knolls
Nature Center

Posted 9:20 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Naperville, Illinois Exhibit, Graphic, Wayfinding Design, Fabrication and Installation Close to the confluence of the East and West branches of the DuPage River, the Naperville Park District built a new interpretive center and trail system to help visitors explore the stories of geological, human and natural history that abound above and below the surface of…

School of Nursing
University of
Wisconsin-Madison

Posted 8:46 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Madison, Wisconsin Interpretive Exhibits, Audiovisual Exhibits and Interpretive Graphics With Past as Prologue as our underlying theme, we set about creating interpretive exhibits and graphics for a variety of spaces throughout the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s new state of the art Signe Scott Cooper School of Nursing. Working closely with the school’s brilliant and visionary Dean,…

Hidden Oaks
Nature Center

Posted 10:21 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Bolingbrook, Illinois Interpretive Master Plan; Exhibit, Graphic and Wayfinding Design, Fabrication and Installation Hidden Oaks Nature Center occupies land that abounds with archaeological, geological and natural history. We utilized the trails, deck, roof and porches of the building and its interior spaces, including the restrooms, for interpretive storytelling. Sculptures along the approach trails introduced visitors to…

Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society

Posted 7:06 pm by Bluestone and Associates & filed under Project.

Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois  Research, Writing, Concept Development, Graphic Design, Exhibit Design, Fabrication, Installation As President of the Rogers Park/ West Ridge Historical Society for three years, Paul was given the responsibility of finding the Society a new home which would be affordable, have room for the Society’s collections and a marked street presence. After… Read more »

Glenview, Illinois Interpretive Planning, Exhibit Design, Habitat and Graphic Design,  Construction Administration We were hired by the Glenview Park District to work with the team at The Grove to re-envision all interpretive and live animal exhibits in The Grove’s Interpretive Center. The new direction for the building is a focus on Robert Kennicott, a son…

Aurora, IL Interpretive Exhibits, Audiovisual Exhibits, Research, Writing, Graphic Design, 3D Design, Fabrication and Installation We worked with the City of Aurora to create exhibits for their GAR Memorial Museum. Installed in a hall built in 1878 in honor of those who served in the Civil War, our exhibits tell the stories of locals from Aurora who… Read more »

Glen Ellyn, Illinois Research, Writing, Graphic Design, 3D Design, Fabrication and Installation We were hired by the Glen Ellyn Park District to tell the story of this historic park through interpretive signage, in addition to designing and installing wayfinding, entry and building identification signage.