PASSION FOR HISTORY page 3
/-
close-knit. Within the group of percent of Asian, Hispanic or
[exhibit designers], there's a very, African-American descent; 50
very small number of people. And percent women.
Ralph's the best."
"Appelbaum is at the top of the
The designer has a personal curve when it comes to doing ex-
connection to the museum. hibit developments," Ms. Camp
"African American history is in- said. "[He and his associates]
separable from America's histo- were fearless. I would ask them
ry," said Mr. Appelbaum, who to do things in this exhibit that
lives on Long Island with his wife they had never done. Then I'd
and 11-year-old son but spends hear, 'Wow, that's amazing."
a lot of his time at various mu-
About a year-and-a-half into
seum sites, visitor cen-
ters and educational
environments through-
out the country.
With more than 90
projects in his corporate
portfolio, Mr. Appel-
baum is a busy man. He
runs the largest inter-
pretive museum design
firm in the world. With-
in the 15,000 square feet
of space in the cast-iron
district of SoHo, Mr. Ap-
pelbaum's associates —
designers, technology Images of songstress Josephine Baker lead into the
and media specialists, museum's core exhibit.
architects, writers and
editors — spent hundreds of the exhibit's development, Ms.
hours fine-tuning Detroit's core Camp realized the voice of the ex-
exhibit.
hibit wasn't right.
One powerful display includes
`The exhibitors weren't telling
an 80-foot structure the size and the story from an African-Amer-
shape of one of the ships used to ican perspective," she said. 'They
transport African captives to the had labeled people like 'negro
Americas. The ship is full of life- minister, 'enslaved African.' Why
like figures, and 50 pairs of emp- label us? We're the ones who are
ty shackles displayed beneath the telling the story. It's our voice, so
transparent floor represent those they didn't need to label us."
who died during the journey. A
Once that was understood, Mr.
fully equipped studio created the Appelbaum and associates got
models from which many of the back into gear and created a stel-
parts of the exhibit were built.
lar exhibit.
After graduating from Pratt
"I never heard the word
Institute with a bachelor's degree `can't,' " Ms. Camp said.
in industrial design, Mr. Appel-
Although the opening-day
baum joined the Peace Corps and hoopla is past, the museum con-
spent several years in South tinues to hear public acclaim. Vis-
America and with the U.S. AID itors are streaming in, trying to
mission as design adviser to gain some insight on a very dif-
southern Peru. He founded his ficult subject. And as they do,
own company in 1978.
they catch a bit of Mr. Appel-
His office staffs reflects the di- baum's passion as well. ❑
versity of American society: 20
A Common
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lead the class down
A Jewish couple donates the sail fora
slave ship in Detroit's new Museum ofAfrican
American History
/ the aisle of our annual
College Bound special
\ section on Friday May
CALL YOUR
uilder Mickey Bennett Bland's models.
calls it a "genesis" for
Mr, Bennett, also a ship en-
him. Maybe he means it thusiast, was impressed with
put the wind in his sails. the craftsperson's latest cre-
While repairing the roof of ation for the new Museum of
the home library of Dr. Robert African American History in
Bland, dean of the Lewis Col- Detroit,
lege of Business in Detroit, Mr.
"He told me the story of en
Bennett spied a collection of slavement, and it reminded me
nautical books and scribblings of the Holocaust," says Mr.
of nautical terms on a slip of Bennett, of Bennett and Son
paper, and the two struck up Building in Southfield. 'We got
a conversation about Dr. COMMON PAST page 26
\\\
16, 1997.
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