James R. Wilkins CCC Interpretive Center

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

Riggs Ward was contracted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service to plan and design the new exhibition space in the James R. Wilkins Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Interpretive Center in Edinburg, Virginia. RWD developed the script and graphic and schematic designs for the exhibition. Working with the Forest Service, they also researched and selected the exhibit's artifacts and imagery. The exhibit was created with the intention that it be accessible, educational, and entertaining for all audiences.

Visitors are greeted with dramatic life-size dioramas depicting CCC fieldwork and replicas of local foliage. Through touchscreen and hands-on interactive components, guests are invited to participate actively in the story of the exhibit. These interactions include an area where young visitors can dress in the uniforms of different environmental organizations. A collection of artifacts, including numerous tools used by the CCC, are displayed and interpreted throughout the entire exhibit, some of which can be touched and examined.

Using the story of the local Camp Roosevelt (the first camp of the CCC), the exhibit discusses the larger theme of the CCC's contributions both regionally and nationally to the natural and cultural histories. By connecting that history to the Forest Service's continued care for the land, the program illustrates how proper stewardship of natural environments can reap ecological, social, economic, educational, and recreational benefits. This exhibit is currently under construction.