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The FLMNH put great effort into selecting a team that could best contribute to conceptualizing, designing
and building a state-of-the-art exhibit on the history of Florida. The steering committee charged with the story
line and the scientific integrity of the exhibit is composed of curators, collections managers, and education
specialists from the FLMNH.
Dr. Doug Jones, Director of the FLMNH and Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology Dr. Bruce MacFadden, Associate Director of Exhibits and Public Programming and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Dr. David Webb, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Dr. Steven Manchester, Curator of Paleobotany Dr. David Jarzen, Paleobotany Collections Manager Mr. Kurt Auffenberg, Invertebrate Researcher and Exhibits and Public Programs Collection Manager Mr. Roger Portell, Invertebrate Paleontology Collections Manager and Researcher Mr.Russel McCarty, Vertebrate Paleontology Preparator Dr. Betty Camp, Director of Education, Exhibits and Public Programs Dr. Gina C. Gould, Fossil Hall Project Coordinator The principal designers, architects, engineers, and contractors:The conceptual design was provided by Ralph Appelbaum Associates Incorporated (RAA), a premier museum exhibit design firm, designer of the six fossil halls, the Rose Center, and the Hall of Earth History at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York City. The principal designer of the hall was a Chicago-based architectural firm, VOA Associates, Inc., designers of numerous museum exhibits, including The Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, Florida. Mr. Ian Breheny was the FLMNH's in-house Exhibit Designer, graphic artist and illustrator. The University of Florida's Campus Planning and Construction Management's Project Manager was Howie Ferguson, P.E. The principal construction contractor was Rattler Construction Company, a minority-owned firm based in Gainesville, Florida.
The Artisans:A multitude of talented people is necessary to realize any exhibit. An exhibit on fossils, however, requires an even wider array of specialists. These include specialists skilled in preparing, reconstructing, and mounting fossil skeletons, blacksmith artisans, sculptors, illustrators and muralists. The Fossil Hall team included both Florida Museum artisans, as well as contracted artisans around the country. Steve and Suzan Hutchens restored and mounted several skeletons, including the oreodont, jaguar, peccary, skunk and hare. Matt Smith of the Natural History Museum in Livingston, Montana restored and mounted our larger skeletons, including a giant ground sloth as well as the bear, a personal interest of Matt's. Richard Webber of Museum Productions in New York City designed and built a steel sculptural rendering of the 1-million-year old 10-foot tall Terror Bird, Titanis walleri. John B. Patterson built the Shark Jaw Entrance, the Prologue Quarry Wall, and the 12'x12' fossil shell wall in the Pliocene Gallery. |