Grade 13 · a vocational technology learning center, by urbanicityEvery building, vessel, and meal is the output of a chain of trades.
The museum walks that chain: eleven galleries, a rotating program of 4-foot printed panels, a reading room, and demo bays shared with the school shops. Panels are the museum's publishing unit — printed, shown, lent, and archived online.
Galleries
| # | Gallery | Content | Anchor object / demo | Sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | The Chain of Trades | One building survey→occupancy; one ship keel→sea trial; one hotel groundbreaking→first guest | 1:50 sectioned building model; ship hull cross-section | 1,500 |
| G2 | Tools | Hand → power → CNC/robotic tools by trade; touch stations | Chronological tool wall; CNC mill under glass | 1,000 |
| G3 | Fire & Metal | Forge, foundry, welding, shipfitting | Live welding booth; forge demo | 1,200 |
| G4 | Stone, Timber, Steel | Masonry, carpentry, structural steel; the vertical push | Riveted column; joinery bench; curtain-wall unit | 1,500 |
| G5 | Water, Air, Power | Plumbing, HVAC, electrical | Cutaway mechanical room | 1,000 |
| G6 | The Sea | Shipbuilding, marine engines, navigation, life at sea | Outboard cutaway; hull mold; lifeboat | 1,200 |
| G7 | Hospitality & Table | Kitchens, hotels, service; tourism economics | Historic kitchen line; front desk through eras | 1,000 |
| G8 | Body & Care | Cosmetology, barbering, nursing, EMS | Barber chair lineage; ambulance kit evolution | 1,000 |
| G9 | Measure & Map | Surveying, drafting, GIS, drones, BIM | Transit→total station→drone; live GIS table | 1,000 |
| G10 | Hall of Makers | Local tradespeople, oral histories | Portrait wall + audio | 1,000 |
| G11 | Student Yard (outdoor) | Rotating student-built structures | Changes each term | 8,000 |
4-foot panel program
Panel spec
48 × 36 in (or 36 × 48 portrait) · aluminum composite, UV print, matte laminate · title 120–150 pt, body 24–28 pt, nothing under 18 pt · ≤ 250 words, ≤ 3 minutes · one hero diagram, one data graphic, one “see it / try it” callout, QR to the long reading.
Series A · What a Trade Is6 of 12 in the board
One panel per flagship trade: what, tools, day, pay, path
Series B · The Chain4 of 8 in the board
Process chains: survey→skyline, keel→sea trial, farm→plate, wire→light
From Survey to Skyline
Series C · The Vertical Push9 of 10 in the board
Why and how cities go up; trades by floor; land price vs height
Curtain Wall
Land Price vs Height
Steel Frame 1885
Who Builds a Tower (trades by floor)
Why Cities Go Up
Wind, Load, Sway
Series D · Tools Through Time0 of 10 in the board
Object biographies: hammer, level, torch, lathe→CNC, drone
Series E · The Sea0 of 8 in the board
Hull building, outboards, charts, STCW
Series F · By the Numbers0 of 8 in the board
Infographic-only: wages, openings, workforce age, costs
Series G · Makers0 of 12 in the board
One local person per panel; QR to oral history
Series H · Safety4 of 6 in the board
OSHA, LOTO, fall protection, hot work