FORGING A CONNECTION EXHIBIT
Larger than life wall murals and artifact display cases showcase the formative first 5 years of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team.
In the Summer of 2013, The Buffalo History Museum approached Joseph E. Gambacorta, DDS, founder of the Buffalo Hockey Experience & Museum, about exhibiting his extensive collection of Buffalo Sabres hockey memorabilia. The OW|EN team was brought into the project to design the one-time exhibit and develop its accompanying narrative.
OUR CLIENT
THE BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM
Services Provided:
Research & Evaluation, Artifact Acquisition, Copywriting, Design & Development, Production Management, Installation
Location:
The Buffalo History Museum – Buffalo, New York
Our research led us deeper into Dr. Gambacorta’s collection, exploring the early history of the Buffalo Sabres, focusing on the team’s beginnings. Utilizing rarely-seen candid photos and action shots, we produced seven large 11’ black and white canvas prints that hung between the columns in the Museum’s atrium, each creating a vignette to highlight a significant event in the team’s history.
First-year Sabres artifacts were presented in wall-mounted display cases that were custom built for this exhibit. Within the cases, inset photos (some printed on the back glass panels) and informational panels provide additional context for the wall prints. Artifacts featured in the exhibit included a custom-mounted set of wooden hockey sticks of the famed French Connection, game programs, goalie Roger Crozier’s #1 jersey, the 1975 President’s Trophy, and every home game ticket stub from the team’s inaugural season.
The “Forging a Connection” exhibit opened on February 21, 2014 in the main atrium of the Buffalo History Museum, a grand location with walls 11 feet in height and over 53 square feet of wall space. In addition to the main exhibit, OW|EN created a special logo for the project and a set of five collectible postcards to commemorate the opening.
Initially intended as a transitional show for the space, the run of the exhibit was extended by two months due to its great success. At the time, “Forging a Connection” drew the largest crowds the museum had ever seen for a single exhibit.
