For Exhibit Concepts, one of the most impactful projects we’ve ever completed as a company was the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Exhibit Concepts led the fabrication and installation of the museum, alongside museum designer Gallagher & Associates. When asked, many Exhibit Concepts employees point to the Memorial Museum as the most significant project of their career.
This 17,000 square foot museum was completed in 2001 and is housed in the Historic Journal Record Building across the street from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. We completed work refurbishing the museum in 2014. The Memorial Museum is a learning institution consisting of permanent and temporary exhibits, interactive computer stations, artifacts from the bombing, and the Memorial archives. Visitors to the Memorial Museum can witness the magnitude of the destruction through dramatic audio/visual presentations, interactive exhibits, murals, and displays of poignant artifacts.
The Memorial Museum means so much to us as a company that we’re sponsoring a group of eight employees to run and walk the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on April 28, 2019. The Marathon event is the Memorial Museum’s largest fundraiser, and it’s about much more than running: it’s a celebration of life.
The Exhibit Concepts employees participating in the half marathon event are from departments all over our company, from fabrication and account management to marketing and creative. We asked them about the personal significance of the race to them, and here are some of our favorite responses:
“There are a few different reasons why I wanted to run. It was a unique opportunity to challenge myself in an event I have never done before, and not just in a physical sense. The mental discipline in this challenge is what’s more motivating for me. My other reasons expand beyond the actual race itself. The Oklahoma City bombing was the first major event that I was cognitively able to understand at the time when it was happening. It stuck with me. Fast forward 20 years, I then got to work on a few projects for the Memorial and Museum. Running the race, for me, is to pay respects and to support the mission of the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum.” – Tony Accrocco, Designer
“It’s great to be able to run the race in support of the OKC National Memorial and Museum and all that ECI has done to help make the museum a reality. On a personal note, I’m also very excited to be able to push myself through training to get a PR.” – Misty Boyd, Project Manager
“The significance of this race for me is the opportunity to see the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum in person and see some of ECI’s work out in the world.” –Priscilla Esatto, Designer
“April 19, 1995 holds special significance to me. As a new military spouse, this was the day my husband of less than 6 months reported to his first duty station. We drove up to Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina with no personal experience of terrorism or war in America and checked into the base motel. The azaleas were in full bloom and the air popped with the promise of a bright future. The moment we turned on the television we realized the true uncertainty of being a military family. We watched in horror and disbelief, wondering how this could happen-and what did it mean for our lives. Of course, we would go through those feelings many more times in the 20 years following that beautiful spring morning.
I consider it an honor to participate in the marathon, paying tribute to not only the lives that were lost, but also to the civilian rescue workers, United States Air Force, and Oklahoma National Guard who arrived within the hour of the blast that day. Additionally, the opportunity to see firsthand how ECI continues to support and facilitate the Memorial Mission Statement to “offer comfort, strength, peace, hope, and serenity” will be truly rewarding.” –Regina Henning, Account Manager
We’ll be following along on our Exhibit Concepts employees’ journey through training and race day in the coming months. To learn more about the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum, visit their website.
