This project involved the design of exhibition graphics for Reclamation: Art & Culture of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council, presented by New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU). The exhibition centered the present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe—comprised of the surviving Indigenous lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region—and formed part of a broader effort to reassert tribal presence, authorship, and narrative within contemporary cultural institutions.
The work was developed in close collaboration with tribal leadership to ensure cultural accuracy and responsibility. Visual decisions were guided directly by the Tribe, including the use of basket patterns specific to Muwekma Ohlone cultural traditions. These elements were not decorative, but intentional—serving as markers of lineage, continuity, and sovereignty rather than generalized Indigenous symbolism.
The exhibition system included wall panels, interpretive signage, and object labels, as well as a dedicated panel recognizing project stakeholders and sponsors. Typography and layout were approached with restraint and clarity, allowing cultural content to remain central while maintaining museum-grade legibility and hierarchy. The resulting design balances institutional presentation standards with community-led visual authority.
Created entirely in Adobe Illustrator, the project demonstrates strengths in exhibition design, typographic systems, and culturally competent visual communication—supporting Indigenous-led storytelling within a public museum context.
Tools: Adobe Illustrator
Deliverables: Exhibition wall panels, signage system, interpretive labels
Focus: Exhibition design, cultural competency, Indigenous visual systems
Deliverables: Exhibition wall panels, signage system, interpretive labels
Focus: Exhibition design, cultural competency, Indigenous visual systems
