Collaboration is key
Working with other like-minded creatives is always an exciting experience because everyone wants the same thing, a jaw-dropping finished product. With the tight timeline for this project, we felt the pressure to deliver an amazing experience and give an accurate representation of what Ruth E. Carter has achieved over the past three decades. From coordinating across several time zones, working with Demeatria Boccella (Fashion Africana) as well as the Heinz History Center, designing pieces for installation and coordinating with film studios that produced these movies, there was always a unique challenge that led us to what was ultimately a very successful opening night and overall exhibition.
Ruth E. Carter’s ability to develop an authentic story through costume and character has made her one of the most sought after and renowned costume designers today.
The design
One of the challenges in designing the museum installations was creating an identity system for films of such a wide subject range that span over 30 years. Through the use of vibrant colors, imagery from the films and type treatments, we were able to create a system that allowed viewers to easily distinguish rail cards to the corresponding film backdrops and vice versa.
Demeatria Boccella of FashionAfricana brought together Ruth and the team at Actual Size.
The vision was to inspire, entertain, arouse visitor’s curiosity, and promote learning about the Heroes and Sheroes of our time.
We would like to congratulate Ruth on her Oscar win for Best Costume Design for Black Panther.