Boston City Hall was transformed Friday night, December 10, 2010 as Design Museum Boston held the opening reception for their inaugural exhibit: Creative Capital: Designed in Boston. After much anticipation, the museum team followed through on a vision to educate the citizens of Boston on design through the use of common public spaces.

City Hall was full of citizens who were happy to spend an evening within its walls and meet other members of the community; for many of the over 200 attendees, it was the first time they truly admired the public building. The brutalist atmosphere of the third floor entrance was revitalized through a colorful LED display provided by sponsor Philips Color Kinetics in Burlington, MA. Mingling was encouraged by a generous donation of mini burritos and UFO beers from local favorites Boloco and Harpoon Brewery. Music also filled the space through the L1 compact speaker systems from Bose. The entire evening was generously sponsored by the Boston Society of Architects.

The exhibit itself is located on the 9th floor of the building, the hallway bustled with interested visitors learning about the 11 different design projects that are highlighted in the show. Many of the designers who were featured also attended the event and were happy to discuss their projects. The Somerville based design firm, VDA Productions, partnered with Design Museum Boston to create the panels. David Breen, Principal Designer/Founder of VDA, said he was eager to collaborate with Design Museum Boston from the first time he heard about the museum in the Boston Globe back in February. New England based AIR Graphics also supported DMB by providing banners, posters, and books for the event.

During the evening, the founders took a moment to welcome guests and thank the volunteers who took part in the creation of the project. As a start up, they are supported by passionate and dedicated individuals who understand the potential the museum has to increase public understanding of design. “This is where it all comes together,” said Co-founder Sam Aquillano, “all our hard work, the dedication of our volunteers, the support of our sponsors, it all adds up to a great exhibit for Boston and it’s just the beginning.”

Of course, this event and exhibit could not have happened without the commitment and support of the City of Boston and the Boston Redevelopment Authority. They provided the venue along with the organizational push to bring it all together. The Design Museum Boston team is grateful for the broad community support and they are already planning their next exhibit.

Images by Ben Gebo.

Images by Cory White.

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