On 5 March, USS Midway Museum Chief Executive Officer Rear Admiral (Ret) Terry Kraft hosted the monthly CVIC Restoration team meeting, which included the Midway exhibits team, professional design group, and senior leadership of NIP and NIP San Diego. Remote dial in members included NIP Chair Vice Admiral (Ret) Bob Sharp, Vice Admiral (Ret) David "Jack" Dorsett, Captain (Ret) H.E. Williams, and others.
Admiral Kraft began the meeting by speaking about the soon-to-be-completed Engineering and Damage Control (DC) displays. The professional design studio and Midway team members involved in those efforts gave a presentation that educated everyone about how Midway focuses on experiences vice exhibits.
“It’s all about the guest…how to create long-lasting memories,” explained Christine Murray, a member of the professional design studio. Murray and Ariel Efrom worked on both the Engineering and DC build for Midway and walked the meeting participants through the process of finding a main theme, or “north star”, that guides design decisions. “It’s not what we tell them, it’s what we want them to understand,” they explained. For example, the “north star” for the engineering spaces is “Unsung Heroes.” The immersive experience revolves around the critical work done by sailors in spaces that are often hot, loud, and very dangerous. Touch screens, gamification, test, challenge, and role play help guests virtually experience the chaos of a ship fire.
The designers’ presentation prompted the NIP team to begin discussing the vision for CVIC: who is the target audience? What is the main idea, or “north star”? What is the storytelling strategy and experience strategy? What should the guests “understand” about intelligence at sea?
Donated artifacts will play a large part of the experience. The project participants appreciate all the NIP members who have been spelunking for gear and already contributed important pieces of history.
The project is moving rapidly, with the next meeting scheduled for April. The date for opening the CVIC display remains May 2025. Many heartfelt thanks to docents Diana Guglielmo and Phil Eaton, both of whom keep the machine running.