As part of a $57.9 million, two-wing, 28,733-square-foot expansion of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) in Downtown Atlanta, design firm Cooper Carry has completed the substantial reimagination of the center’s Human Rights Gallery and the creation of a new Activation Lab. Executed by the firm’s Experiential Graphic Design Studio, the newly renovated spaces are the culmination of the visitor journey — where past struggles meet present challenges. The Human Rights Gallery helps people understand human rights in a global and local context, and the Activation Lab gives them tools to take action.

The Human Rights gallery takes on the theme of “Everyone. Everywhere: The Global Human Rights Movement,” featuring an array of stories from across the globe that reinforce the importance and urgency of protecting our universal human rights. The Activation Lab motivates visitors to act and affect change by giving people tools and resources to design their own action plans that safeguard these rights in their everyday lives. Both exhibits are located on the uppermost floor of the building, where visitors can reflect on their experience at the NCCHR, connect Atlanta’s legacy in civil rights to global struggles, and consider their unique role in defending human rights. 

“Heightening interactivity, modularity and cultural relevance for a diverse spectrum of local, regional and global visitors were focal points for our team during the design process,” said Paul Bowman, Director of Cooper Carry’s Experiential Graphic Design Studio. “Our design mantra was to view each display and exhibit in both the Human Rights Gallery and Activation Lab as an immersive opportunity to encourage visitors to recognize that change is a collaborative effort, and we must individually contribute to securing our shared rights.” 

Cooper Carry worked with Liba Beyer to organize content visually – using a hierarchy that supports different learning styles. Whether the visitor prefers to skim or dive deep into museum content, there’s something for everyone. Tactical and analog methods create a visceral and memorable experience that encourages visitors to actively engage with the information presented through each exhibit. 

Upon entrance to the gallery, visitors are met with an eight-foot display that introduces the “Everyone. Everywhere” theme. Moving further into the gallery, freestanding totems created from stacked, colorful cubes, spin to reveal contemporary struggles and wins for people around the globe. The cubes are brightly hued, featuring bold colors like cobalt blue, yellow, orange and pink, with a cohesive medley of photos and text that dive into topics like health, refugees and discrimination. 

On a wall titled, “What’s your ethical footprint?,” the design team created display cases highlighting human rights around a range of products, from a soccer ball to chocolate, that offer takeaways on how seemingly simple choices impact equity. Another exhibit features a looped movie that illustrates a map of the world, intended to spark joy about what we globally share as humans. 

“We began the design process by creating a graphic style guide for the exhibit that included standards for unique typography, striking color palettes and image treatments that are fresh and powerful. We were inspired by handmade protest signs and graphics from grassroots movements to make the information feel urgent and memorable,” continued Bowman. 

Having to work within the existing 10-year-old spaces, challenges became opportunities. A display called “Humans Behind Human Rights” uses preexisting columns in the space as a spine to host flippable displays about the people behind key human rights protections. These columns also provide space to display large text to identify exhibit sections. The universal declaration of human rights, which states “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” is outlined above an expansive wall display that invites visitors to explore their individual human rights through photos representing each. Looking through peepholes at each image reveals each universal right with prompts to engage visitors along the way. 

In addition to finding creative solutions for updating the 10-year-old Human Rights Gallery, the design team was challenged to work within a tight budget and short timeline. Cooper Carry implemented a variety of strategies to allow these spaces to evolve and create future cost efficiencies. Sustainability and resiliency were central to Cooper Carry’s work, an important consideration in the ever-evolving world of museum exhibits. 

From modular furniture to updateable content panels and conversation spinners, everything is built to adapt to current events and future movements. In contrast to traditional exhibit materials like MDF, acrylic or PVC-based substrates, which are often heavy, non-recyclable and carbon-intensive to produce, Cooper Carry selected three types of engineered paper-based boards that are lightweight, structurally rigid and fully recyclable. They are made from renewable resources, have recycled content or are recyclable, often FSC-certified, and designed for clean disposal or reuse. Their printability and modularity allowed the team to reduce installation time, minimize waste and support the Center’s need for flexible, changeable content — all while significantly lowering the environmental footprint of the exhibit.

For additional adaptability, Cooper Carry left space towards the rear of the gallery for revolving exhibits on tour. The current installation is called “A Mile in My Shoes,” – a shoe shop-formatted environment which implores visitors to try on the shoes of others while listening to their unique stories of triumph. 

A key design consideration was ensuring each exhibit was accessible to all, with the design team making sure typography was legible to people with color blindness or other visual disabilities. Cooper Carry championed ADA guidelines for accessibility to ensure all information is accessible, going beyond in some cases to meet the spirit of the legislation, duplicating information in some areas at lower levels to ensure access for everyone from those in wheelchairs to kids.

The Activation Lab is a highly modular space that encompasses a series of wall displays, interactive quizzes, tables and modular seating for workshops and breakout sessions. A “What Type of Changemaker Are You?” quiz takes up one section of the lab, while another section offers tactical recommendations for how to get involved with efforts to preserve human rights. Tables feature wheel of fortune-style interactive spinners with conversation starters and other prompts that encourage discussion and reflection.  

“We’re proud of the way we were able to work within the existing footprint of the space that allowed the NCCHR to save on costs, while still delivering an exceptional new experience on time,” said Steve Carlin, Senior Associate and Experiential Graphic Design studio manager. “Incorporating sustainable, equitable solutions that will allow the museum to evolve was a hallmark of our approach and represents how the NCCHR is a champion for innovative and considerate strategies.” 

For more information about Cooper Carry, please visit https://www.coopercarry.com/.