A Traveling Hall for American Ingenuity
How do you transform a concept such as entrepreneurship into a place people can explore?
Lorenc Design approached that question by giving the Hall of Giants mission a flexible physical form: a traveling exhibit conceived as a kit of parts, able to adapt to museum galleries, vacant retail spaces, and other venues across the United States.
“Franklin to Musk” begins with a short introductory film, then draws visitors into a circular journey through American ingenuity past and present. Along the inner face, paired stories connect entrepreneurs across generations. Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, for example, become part of the same continuing story: different eras and technologies, but a shared willingness to imagine a new future and build it. The outer face expands the narrative through related inventions, quotations, and milestones, including the evolution of the telephone.
Bold, color-saturated portraits give the exhibit its human scale. Madame C.J. Walker, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk appear not as distant names in a timeline, but as vivid personalities whose ideas changed daily life. The portraits create immediate recognition from across the space, while layered objects, media, artifacts, and graphic panels invite a closer look.
At the center stands the concept’s most memorable element: a sculpture of an elongated human figure lifting a circular form overhead. The sculpture was adapted into the Hall of Giants logo, allowing the identity to move seamlessly between two and three dimensions. As a mark, it is simple and unmistakable. As a sculpture, it becomes a gathering point and a symbol of human ambition—the individual literally bearing the weight of a big idea.
Interactive moments extend the experience beyond observation. One proposed area explores Alexander Graham Bell and the development of the telephone. Another follows Henry Ford and the evolution of the Model T, with an assembly activity designed to involve younger visitors directly. Near the end, a voting area invites guests to nominate or support influential entrepreneurs and innovators. A retail area near the entrance completes the journey with exhibition-related merchandise.
The larger goal is educational and optimistic: to help young visitors understand that innovation is not abstract. It is the result of curiosity, persistence, risk, and work. By making those qualities visible—and by placing historic and contemporary figures in conversation—the traveling concept turns the story of American enterprise into an experience that can meet audiences where they are.
Lorenc Design developed this traveling-exhibit concept in collaboration with the Hall of Giants team. Today the Hall of Giants is has decided to debut with a permanent museum rather than a traveling exhibit, and is currently identifying that site.
To follow the project’s current direction and learn more about its mission, visit hallofgiants.org.
