by Paul Caputo
When I first became involved with NAI back in 2002, I was struck by how fully the definition of interpretation could be applied to my chosen field of visual communications. The description of a “communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections” can certainly be applied to graphic design in its many manifestations (print, web, multimedia, etc.). NAI defines interpretation as a mission-based communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the meanings inherent in the resource.
When someone makes the mistake of asking me a question about graphic design, I compare the process to developing an interpretive program. I talk about starting with an overriding concept (or theme) and making sure that every subsequent decision supports that larger concept. In graphic design, this means that when one makes decisions about type, color, composition, format, and materials, there’s no room for computer defaults or “I just thought it looked nice.” Every decision must be meaningful.
In interpretation, individual interpreters develop programs based on themes. Decisions about what and how much information to include, what activities may be appropriate, and how the program is presented all relate to this larger message. Good interpretive sites or agencies also operate with a specific goal—a mission—in mind. Every decision about what sorts of interpretive media or programs should be featured, who should conduct and oversee those programs and exhibits, and what sort of facilities should play host to visitors should all relate to the site’s or agency’s mission.
This is where the tangential field of architecture comes into play in the world of interpretation. A visitor who steps into a nature center that is designed to reinforce the importance of conservation is well on her way to a meaningful experience before she encounters a single exhibit, brochure, or interpreter. A carefully planned and designed sustainable facility accomplishes the important task of reducing or eliminating environmental damage, but it also is part of a message. It is a source of meaning.
This issue of Legacy includes three feature stories that introduce readers to outstanding natural and cultural interpretive facilities that practice what they preach. Jay T. Schneider’s “The Land Ethic in the 21st Century” tells the story of the first building recognized by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as carbon-neutral in operation—the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The site honors the memory of Aldo Leopold and his ground-breaking work, A Sand County Almanac, not just by remembering him, but by endorsing and implementing his conservation ethic. “Eielson LEEDS by Example” by Joshua Becker introduces readers to the Eielson Visitor Center in Denali National Park and Preserve. The building is the first designed and funded by the National Park Service to achieve a platinum LEED rating, the highest achievable. In “Rocky Mountain Green” by Katherine McIntyre, readers will discover the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler, British Columbia. The center, also LEED-certified, does not simply house the treasures of two First Nations cultures, it was designed and conceived of by members of those Nations to reflect their values.
Also in this issue, you will find an interview with Allen Washatko of the firm The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc., responsible for the design of the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. A commentary by Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts, a college professor, details the next generation’s self-imposed emphasis on sustainability. And finally, the Visitor’s View by Sonya Welter takes readers to Duluth, Minnesota, for a day at the Hartley Nature Center.
In his book Understanding Media, Marshall McLuhan says, “The medium is the message.” One of the graphic design decisions related to this magazine is that it is printed on recycled paper, not just because it’s a better choice for the environment, but because it reinforces NAI’s core value to support healthy environmental practices. The sites featured in this issue have made similar decisions about their “media”; their sustainable facilities are the canvases on which their messages of conservation are painted.
Paul Caputo, art and publications director for the National Association for Interpretation and co-author of Interpretation By Design: Graphic Design Basics for Heritage Interpreters, can be reached at pcaputo@interpnet.com. Send letters to the editor intended for publication to legacy@interpnet.com.
