The Luce Museum at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville opened in 2008 with an abundance of historical displays set to showcase the unique history of the University. Available to students, faculty and the Platteville community, the displays and archives explore the University’s rich historical references dating back to the 1860s. The museum’s designer, James Hibbard, explains, “The goal of the museum is to give everyone who comes through an understanding of what UWP was and where it is going. It tells the story of UWP’s history and that of Southwest Wisconsin.”

One piece of the school’s history occurred in 1959 when John F. Kennedy conducted a lecture at the university. To commemorate his appearance, a display was created featuring his lectern, an article and photography of him speaking.

The display was created by the print experts at Artisan HD who specified ½” Gatorfoam bard. The foam board was direct printed and serves as the display’s main background. Artisan chose to use a series of Kodak Metallic prints that were mounted to acrylic and adhered to the foam board using various custom depths of Gatorfoam spacers. This creates a layered effect that was further showcased with the use of a Museum Back framing upon installation.

Patricia Ballweg, Archives Assistant at UWP describes, “With the decision to update the Kennedy display, I enlisted the help of graphic designer Nicole Felder. With her design in place, I looked for a company who would be able to bring the vision to fruition. Artisan HD offered the types of materials and size of design we were looking for. The final product is exceptional and is a cornerstone of the UW-Platteville Luce Museum.”

Gatorfoam is a high-performance foam board comprised of extruded polystyrene foam bonded between two layers of wood-fiber veneer. Made in the US, Gatorfoam/Gatorboard is both dent and scratch resistance, making it the perfect material for interior displays.

Information courtesy of the Luce Museum & Artisan HD