Exhibits portfolio.9.19.section.1

Exhibits Portfolio
Laurie A. Sedicino, MA MHP
Museum Curator
~ Creative Exhibits
~ Thoughtful Storylines
~ Engaging displays
Section 1

I have included many samples of the exhibitions
I have curated in this PowerPoint so you can get
a visual feel for my style, understand some of the
challenges I faced in each of the exhibitions, and
notice the evolution of my professional growth.
Thank you for taking the time to peruse my
exhibitions portfolio.

1. Georgia State University Student Project, Atlanta, GA,
2003
 RICHS: The Store that Married a City
2. Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, Atlanta, GA, 2005-2007
 The Hand-Crafted Book: Dard Hunter’s Legacy
 Hidden Imagery: The Mystery of Watermarks
3. Legacy Museum on Main, LaGrange, GA, 2007-2012
 Area Covered Bridges: Timbers of Grace and Strength
Contents

This exhibition was a class student project
that featured the story of Morris Rich,
Hungarian immigrant, who rose to own
the most famous mercantile establishment
in the South. The exhibit, with its
affectionate portrayal of the store, focused
on the store’s unique relationship with
its customers.

The exhibit was displayed in the original
1923 storefront windows of Rich’s
department store in Atlanta, GA, now the
General Services Administration federal
building and won the 2003 National
Council of Public History Project Award.
“…If Rich’s decided to sell green shoes at
Christmastime, everybody else would sell
green shoes at Christmastime, too…”
Civil Rights leader Julian Bond
Greatest accomplishment:
Scouring area antique shops for items with
the Rich’s label for the display…and, aware
of the Julian Bond quote, finding these
green shoes with the Rich’s label inside!

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum
Atlanta, GA
1 of 2
The Hand-Crafted Book:
Dard Hunter’s Legacy

The Hand-Crafted Book:
Dard Hunter’s Legacy
2 of 2

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum
Atlanta, GA
1 of 2

Hidden Imagery:
The Mystery of Watermarks
2 of 2

Legacy Museum on Main
LaGrange, GA
1 of 1
Area Covered Bridges:
Timbers of Grace and Strength
Photographs of regional covered bridges
displayed in conjunction with the nationally
recognized temporary Smithsonian exhibit,
Covered Bridges: Spanning the American Landscape.

Permanent Exhibit:
LaGrange, GA
Opened 2007
Wheels of Change:
History of West Georgia
The exhibit depicted the
development and changes
of the West Georgia/
East Alabama region from
earliest settlement to
present with use of hands-on
interactives, experiential elements,
audio wands, and creative displays
of artifacts, documents
and photographs.
1 of 7

Wheels of Change
2 of 7
AASLH
(American Association
of State and Local History)
2010 Award of Merit
in recognition of
“project excellence.”
CHALLENGE:
To work with a diverse exhibit team in the task
of taking a broad history and refining it into a
succinct presentation with artifacts, documents
and photographs that best captured and
interpreted the story.

Wheels of Change
3 of 7
Display cases:
Artifact, document, photograph

Hands-on interactive
to demonstrate
1821 Land Lottery
procedures
Wheels of Change
4 of 7
GAMG
(Georgia Association
of Museums and Galleries)
2009 Award
in Permanent Museum Exhibition over
$100,000 category
for “an astute story…
with inclusive content and
dramatic visual impact.”

Wheels of Change
5 of 7
Interactive addition of indirect topics and
artifacts. This “surprise” element was my
original idea/concept and was incorporated into
exhibit design.

Civil War Section
Use of photographic overlay leaves
haunting visual impression
of the loss and drama
of this historic period.
Wheels of Change
6 of 7

My idea to transform a
hallway into a replica
of a covered bridge
experientially
illustrated the design
used by Master Bridge
Builder and ex-slave
Horace King.
Wheels of Change
7 of 7

Celebrating 100 Years
of Boy Scouting
in West Georgia
LaGrange, GA
1 of 3
The Boy Scout exhibit displayed
selected historic objects from
regional sources, but most objects
were personal items loaned by local,
former Boy Scouts and their
families. The exhibit focused on the
distinction these mementoes held in
the memories of their owners and
how each person recalled the value
of the experience that the object
represented as they offered their
treasured loan with pride.

Boy Scouts
3 of 3
CHALLENGE:
The gallery displayed selected historic pieces
from regional and national sources but most of
the objects – uniforms, badges, photographs,
and memorabilia – were personal items loaned
by local Scouts, former Boy Scouts
and their families.
The “artifacts” were not of historical value
but of personal significance.
My challenge was to interpret and communicate
their meaning ~ proud recollections of growth
in aptitude and character ~
while maintaining
a tasteful
exhibit
appearance.

Working with Cotton from
‘Can See to Can’t’
During planting and harvesting,
Every possible daylight hour
Was spent working in the fields.
It was often known as working from
“can see to can’t.”
CHALLENGE:
To tell the personal story of West
Georgia cotton farming not found
on the lines of history books.
LaGrange, GA
1 of 5

Cotton farmers lived in a fragile
balance with nature. They
studied variables such as soil,
insects, climate and seasons.
With as many nuances in
growing a crop as there
were farmers in West
Georgia, the exhibit
revealed many of the tasks
that were tied to beliefs in
the pages of an almanac,
experience, the moon,
folklore or the weather.
In truth, cotton farming
was a “gambler’s trade.”
Can See to Can’t
2 of 5

CHALLENGE:
Limited time (two months) to put this exhibit
together, further restricted by the lack of cotton
farming artifacts in our own collection. I scoured
my contacts of colleagues, community members
and potential “leads” with every bit of
resourcefulness and skilled networking necessary
to secure the artifacts and support objects that fit
the unique story and setting I envisioned .
Can See to Can’t
3 of 5

“…Life was lived
by the drama of the agricultural cycle
with its richness and drudgery…”
Can See to Can’t
4 of 5

The boll weevil – a clumsy, long-snouted,
hump-back insect measuring about one-fourth
of an inch – fed on unopened seed pods (bolls)
and buds of cotton plants in the spring.
Can See to Can’t
5 of 5
c. 1930s boll weevil “mop”
c. 1917 boll weevil catcher

Exhibits portfolio.9.19.section.1

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