October 2011

Three Unified Exhibitions Create a Compelling and Informative Experience at New York Law School

Along with developing comprehensive environmental graphics, wayfinding sign, and donor recognition programs for New York Law School’s expanded and renovated lower Manhattan campus, Poulin + Morris was commissioned to create dynamic and informational exhibitions spanning 4 floors of the School’s new main building located at 185 Church Street.

Upon entering the lobby, visitors are greeted with a mural honoring Maurice Greenberg, an esteemed alumnus and generous supporter of the School. The mural includes a portrait of Greenberg and a brief biography of the School’s chairman and successful CEO. A commanding graphic element consisting of bold yellow, horizontal bars contain notable quotes by Greenberg illustrating the indelible impact his experiences at the School have made on him.

The second level features an exhibition entitled “How We Teach” which celebrates notable faculty- student partnerships with    in-depth visual presentations. Summaries of these real-world projects, portraits of participants, personal quotes, statements from colleagues and clients, published articles and headlines are presented alongside recessed wall niches with reader rails providing further detail and context to the stories displayed. The first 3 projects featured in this changeable exhibition showcase diverse and successful collaborations between faculty and students in challenging, and often high profile, cases. For example, The Public Interest Book Search Initiative aka The Google Project questions the controversial settlement proposed in a class action lawsuit brought by authors and publishers against Google for scanning millions of books and then making them available online. The Securities Arbitration Clinic teams participating students with small investors who have lost money due to dishonest stock brokers and offers free legal services to victims unable to afford legal assistance and represents them in securities arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The 6 students involved in the Racial Justice Project filed an amicus curiae brief in a racial discrimination case presented to the Supreme Court in 2009. The team argued on behalf of the City of New Haven, Connecticut defending a controversial decision to eliminate the results of a promotion exam for firefighters on the basis that the exam violated the Civil Rights Act of 1965.

Levels three and four of the new building host an expansive chronologically-organized timeline which traces the School’s history from 1891 to the present, highlighting significant events. Each event is presented as an individual vignette, communicating a specific story on a core value with related layers of historical information and data. Images and narrative text chronicle the School’s history as well as the accomplishments of distinguished alumni. The layering of images, text, and graphics coupled with bold colors create a seamless, unified exhibition experience integrated throughout the public spaces of the building.


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