"Reality to Fantasy: The Evolution of Theme Park Design"
2002-01-13 until 2002-02-15
Design Museum, at University of California, Davis
Davis, CA, USA United States of America

Have you ever wondered how the attractions were created in a theme park, or imagined how you would design a theme park yourself. The Design Museums exhibition, Reality to Fantasy: The Evolution of Theme Park Design opened January 13, 2002 at University of California, Davis is about that design process and how it begins, from blue-sky ideas to final realization.

Theme park attractions begin with a mythology, or established story, and are designed around that theme, with enhancements that involve theatrical design; graphics; interior and architectural design; mechanical engineering; even marketing and advertising. The varied disciplines all need to mesh for a successful attraction, so designers must work on many levels and parameters--striving to retain as much of the original concept as possible.

This exhibition will allow viewers to walk through a fantasy world as they learn firsthand about the theme park design process.

Paul M. Newitt is a 1980 graduate of the design department at UC Davis. He has done freelance work in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area in graphics and catalog design, writing and self-publishing, photography, electronics, and scale model construction. Newitts main interest is in museum, corporate trade show, and exhibition design. As a student of theme park design, and having worked with Walt Disney Imagineers, Newitt has learned about the Disney approach to designing theme park attractions.

In 1999, Newitt designed and installed a science fiction museum in Old Sacramento, called Travels Through Time, which featured a Jules Verne room, an H.G. Wells laboratory, and science fiction television memorabilia. The museum, featured in the March 2000 issue of Starlog, a national science fiction magazine, closed in November 2000. One of Newitts previous installations, Moonliner Cafe was part of the Design (Gallery) Museums 1997s Design Alumni Show.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of California

Other Important Exhibitions in California