Interpretive Planning • Exhibit Design
Design Division, Inc. 91 Gray Street Amherst MA 01002 413 549 0510
Ellis Island Immigration Interactive
Client: U.S. Park Service
Budget: $150,000
One of the most popular and intriguing original permanent exhibits at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum allowed a group of visitors to explore the distribution of nationalities across a map of the United States. Limited by the technology available at the time of its design, it did not convey the information in an effective visual fashion. It also utilized dated census information. Design Division redesigned the exhibit employing the latest technology and the most recent U.S. Census information available. All nationalities used in this interactive were self-identified on the 2000 census. Unlike the original design, which displayed the information on one 10 digit LED display, the new design employed an expansive rear-projection screen that graphically and interactively communicated the information to visitors on a map of the United States.