Ralph Appelbaum Associates

On January 28, 2024, The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan, welcomed the public to view its new core exhibition. Beginning with Concept Design in 2018, RAA was asked to conceive an entirely new pedagogical approach, narrative, and design for the 15,000-square-foot exhibition. The project had some specific emphases: it wanted to foreground Jewish experiences over those of the perpetrators, give prominence to Michigan survivors’ testimonies, and make it highly amenable to the school groups that comprise its core audience (of whom the vast majority are non-Jewish).

RAA developed a new interpretive program for the museum, with a carefully considered experiential balance between the Introductory and Outro pieces, a comprehensive timeline, a set of nine Inquiry Zones, a suite of three Resistance Alcoves, and several other standalone zones.

The new permanent exhibition has been redeveloped as an inquiry-based experience that positions visitors as active investigators exploring the central theme: “How could this happen?” The museum empowers visitors in their search for the answers, making it an educational journey over which they feel ownership.

The exhibition immerses visitors in the history of the Holocaust while also exploring central themes through Inquiry Zones. In these, visitors will discover how to “unpack” various evidentiary sources, including objects, photos, documents, and film.

The museum re-opened its doors to a combination of Holocaust survivors, project supporters, and the general public at a very well-attended opening that featured Paul Williams and James Cathcart in a panel discussion.