February, 10th 2022

As a replacement for class on Tuesday, February 10th, our Brand Identity class took a field trip to Lowell’s Whistler House Museum and the Lowell National Park Visitor Center.

The goal of this trip was to get an understanding and develop ideas of how our class could physically represent and formulate our space for Merrimack’s 75th Anniversary exhibition. In order to do this, our group had to physically visit, sit and observe how professional atmospheres utilize space, form, and function.

Our first destination was Lowell’s Whistler House Museum of Art, which is known to be the birthplace of James McNeil Whistler, an American painter, famously known for painting the Portrait of the Painter’s Mother (Pictured Above). Alongside this famous painting, the Whistler Museum was a great representation of how we could design our exhibition. This opinion is due to the fact that those working at the Whistler House successfully implemented both physical artifacts in the space, while simultaneously utilizing wall space for paintings, wall graphics, and label cards. The McCoy Art Gallery, while obviously smaller than the Whistler House, will hopefully use both the physical space and the wall to display artifacts and information.

Our next stop was still in Lowell, MA. However this time we headed to Lowell National Park, specifically the visitor center. This site acted more as a historical museum rather than art, however, the goal was still the same. Study and recognize unique and interesting ways that a space can be used and filled in order to apply the same approach to our own exhibition. The National Park, which can be seen below, was the best representation of how we, as a class, may approach our exhibition.

The National Park in Lowell MA was a great spot to visit in order to become inspired. The visitor center uses an abundance of wall graphics, and epherma to promote their brand and the artifacts that are being showcased. Walking through the visitor center inspired me to picture how we can both display our artifacts, but also bring the walls of the McCoy Art Gallery Alive.