As a lover of all things historic and maritime, it was my pleasure to be called upon by the Seaport Museum in New York to develop creative programming and build excitement around their upcoming Exhibition on the famed French Deco-era ocean liner, SS Normandie. For the uninitiated, Normandie was a marvel of her time – a floating palace whose interiors, both in scale and luxury, were credit with rivaling Versailles. The crown jewel of France’s French Line sailed between Les Havre, France and New York, becoming as much a part of our city’s history as that of Paris.
First came the name – DECODENCE – which I assembled quite naturally given the sumptuous interiors of the ship and its iconic Art Deco design. I petitoned LALIQUE, the design firm responsible for much of the interior fittings (including chandeliers, walls, and china) that graced Normandie’s decks, to re-issue a special edition of their classic Cabochon cocktail ring. They indulged my fancies, and we decided on a special range of colors and commemorative engraving that would read Normandie – Lalique – 1935, the date of the maiden voyage. These rings were to be sold exclusively in the Museum shop.
Next was the creation of a memorable take-away item – a fresh take on the exhibition t-shirt. For this I reached out to the always brilliant fashion designer Jeremy Scott – himself the type of Surrealist artist that had taken the world by storm at the time of Normandie. He came back with a fresh, tongue-in-cheek design that was the perfect compliment to the exhibition!
Step three was creating an online presence that matched the level of design and wit of the show and its accompanying elements. I collaborated with art director extraordinaire Casey Maher to develop a capsule site that captures the spirit of DECODENCE but remained true to the historic and maritime heritage of the Museum. The result was a spot-on website that aided the exposure for the show tremendously.
The exhibition itself was spectacular. The amazing collection of furnishings, interior accoutrements, and ephemera were almost exclusively the property of collector and Little Brown Creative Director, Mario Pulice, a respected fixture in Art Deco circles.
The show opened to rave reviews with our opening party and a plethora of publicity for both the exhibition and its accompanying elements. We even worked on special editorial promotions with Daily Candy and Refinery 29! I’m so excited that we are able to make the public aware of what a New York City cultural gem we have in the Seaport Museum!
Special thanks to the museum leadership, my creative partners, and Lalique for indulging my ideas and helping to make this show a smashing success!
Check out some of the press here:
