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NEW YORK and PHILADELPHIA—6 April 2006—The Chemical Heritage Foundation has selected Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) to design a signature exhibition space at CHF headquarters in Philadelphia. The new space will use CHF's world-class resources in art, artifacts, rare books, and oral histories to tell the story of chemistry as an exciting human drama in the history of science.
"The history of chemistry is glorious and infinitely varied," said Arnold Thackray, president of CHF. "Through the innovative work of Ralph Appelbaum and his team, we will be able to present the many and varied treasures of CHF in new and compelling ways, in order to share the great heritage of chemistry with both scholars and the public at large."
Construction preparation has already begun at CHF's facilities at 315 Chestnut Street, across from historic Independence Mall in Philadelphia. The new exhibit space will open in 2008.
"The most successful exhibitions are catalysts for powerful personal experiences that change not only our ideas about content but also the way we think about ourselves," said Ralph Appelbaum, president of RAA. "We believe that CHF has a powerful set of personal stories to tell. Our ambition is that visitors will come away transformed."
About Ralph Appelbaum Associates
With a staff of more than 60 specialists in various design and communication disciplines, RAA provides comprehensive services to clients with challenging missions in the areas of public education, public-space and institutional design, capital fund-raising, and the promotion of new products and programs. The firm is best known for large-scale, permanent museum projects requiring a marriage of complex educational content with physical environments that are at once compelling and smoothly operational. Other projects cover a wide range of services that address special needs and special phases in institutional or corporate development.
During the past two decades, RAA has completed more than 200 commissions in the fields of social, cultural, and natural history at a variety of museums, memorials, and heritage projects in over 50 cities worldwide. Currently, the office is completing commissions in 23 states and 10 foreign countries. More than 25 million people visit RAA-planned and
-designed museums and learning environments each year. RAA has offices in New York, London, and Beijing. Additional information can be found on RAA's website at www.raany.com.
CHF Exhibition Design Team
The design team for the CHF project includes senior RAA staff who helped to create the Glass Innovation Center at the new Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, in 2000 and the Intel Museum in Santa Clara, California, in 1999.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation serves the community of the chemical and molecular sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the future. CHF maintains a world-class collection of materials that document the history and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries; encourages research in its collections; carries out a program of outreach and interpretation in order to advance an understanding of the role of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries in shaping society.
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