Doctor’s Bag Exhibit

an Unusual offering

This exhibit in the waiting area of the Swedish MS Center reveals the story behind a doctor’s bag and related equipment that was given to the Center’s Medical Director.

Project:
Doctor’s Bag Exhibit

Gallery Type:
lobby case display

Our Role:
Exhibit design (Content development including writing and illustrations;artifact layout; mount making; Case design)

Project Partners:
Swedish MS CEnter, Seattle, WA; QuasI AKA joshua Levine (mounts), Seattle, WA; Sandy owen design (graphic design), Seattle, wa

Photos:
Brady harvey

How the practice of medicine has evolved

The medical kit featured in the exhibit once belonged to Dr. E. W. Minty, a resourceful rural doctor whose career spanned from 1933 to 1978. The exhibit explores Minty’s exploits while offering a meditation on how the practice of medicine, including treatment for MS, has evolved.

A series of fortunate events

The story of how Dr. Minty’s kit came to be displayed at the Center is a study in serendipity. During an appointment with the Center’s Medical Director, James D. Bowen, MD., Curious Beast founder Ken Burns complimented the doctor on his striking medical bag. This led Bowen to reveal that he had often mused about creating an exhibit about a bag given to him by a patient who’d inherited it from her father. “I’m the guy that can help you with that”, Ken responded.

Storytellers & Designers

Curious Beast’s role in creating this compact exhibit was multifaceted. We developed the storyline; composed the artifact layout; brought in a trusted colleague to build and install discreet mounts for the 40 artifacts; created the copy and illustrations for graphics; and designed and shepherded fabrication and installation of the casework.

panel art.jpg

Point of Departure

The Doctor’s Bag Exhibit now serves as the starting point for tours of the MS Center.