MyEconomy
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Richmond, VA
2010
Growth of Living Standards Wall This double-height, super-graphic timeline with embedded artifacts extending the length of the gallery illustrates and interprets how the increase in people’s living standards – largely fueled by innovation – is directly connected to the economy.
Project Description
This 6,000-sf permanent installation in the bank lobby demystifies the role of the Federal Reserve System in the economy and its impact on Americans’ quality of life for audiences including middle-school students, teachers, families and adults. Themes include how economic choices affect individuals and the economy; the role of the growth of living standards in expanding economic choices; the importance of price stability to the growth of living standards; the Fed’s role in promoting price stability; and defining moments in price stability, such as the Great Depression and the Great Recession. Concepts are interpreted through a series of collaborative, fun high- and low-tech interactive exhibits and immersive, sophisticated, engaging media to encourage greater understanding and appreciate of the role of the Fed in visitors’ lives.
Interpretive Strategist / Content Developer
Developed interpretive goals and exhibit concepts, conducted content research and consulted with Fed economists, historians, and educators. Interviewed key figures for media elements and created preliminary film treatments. Wrote all content outlines, exhibit narratives and final panel text.
With Victoria Biddle Design, Unified Field
Defining Moments in Price Stability On the mezzanine above the gallery, three historic vignette scenes evoke “great” periods in US economic history – the Great Depression of the 1930s, the 1970s’ Great Inflation, and the Great Moderation from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Each vignette, appropriately themed for the period, presents a 2-3 minute film featuring historic film clips and a former Fed Chairperson discussing in plain terms what caused each “Great,” what the Fed did in response, and lessons economists learned from each.
eConcentration Game Visitors can explore some of the innovations featured in the Growth of Living Standards Wall in this digital version of the matching game “Concentration” by matching an image of the invention to the year it was introduced.
Name Your Price Interactives In this market visitors can buy and sell treats, clothes, bikes, and cell phones as a buyer or seller at one of the stations and working with a friend or someone new to negotiate an agreed – or equilibrium – price.