Bryan Condra

About Bryan

My experience working as an exhibit designer at the Smithsonian Institution in DC, The Chrysler Museum in Norfolk and the Contemporary Art Center in Virginia Beach, and for the last ten years at the Museum of History & Culture has inherently been a very hands-on job. My responsibility is to essentially present a visual story to visitors that has been content developed by curators, graphic designers, and myself. I create the visual aesthetic by presenting the story copy, objects and props, and other contextual imagery in a visually dynamic way by using color, sound, projections, and tuned gobo and track fixture lighting. I create initial storyboards and 3D Vectorworks and Sketch Up construction drawings to pre-visualize the three-dimensional space. I also design, and create all the construction drawings for all necessary build-out by fabricators, and off-site contractors, and engaging in much of the in-house production myself. My goal is to also present stories with historical accuracy and dynamic content. In my initial designs, I use Adobe Suite including Photoshop and Illustrator for detailing 3D drawings I initially construct in Vectorworks or Sketch Up. These 3 dimensional drawings are essential for initial ideation presentation to staff and other stakeholders. My experience as an automobile line technician for BMW and a restoration technician for Rolls Royce has given me the resources for mechanical repair techniques including MIG welding, metal forming, and electrical wiring. I have experience in construction, finishing, and fabrication techniques, and by knowing these, helps with realizing initial ideas for exhibit presentation. I often work with contractors and other fabrication houses for off-site construction, and must always be mindful of deadlines, changing install dates, and dwindling budgets. We maintain an extensive well equipped production shop with an array of tools for metal brass braising, wood forming and cutting, and drilling machines, including extensive AV, and multi-use speakers and voice over drivers. I use extensive gimbal and closed backed track LED lighting to illuminate objects, image and copy panels, and wayfinding. I also design GOBO lamp lenses and fixtures. I have extensive experience with JLG man lifts, scaffolding, and rigging.