Designer David Korins Collaborates With USC Shoah Foundation For Creative Direction On Museum Experiences

USC Shoah Foundation-The Institute for Visual History and Education (USC Shoah Foundation) announced a collaboration with David Korins Design-whose founder David Korins is the critically acclaimed designer behind Broadway smash hits Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen-to bring USC Shoah Foundation content into museums and other organizational spaces for public exhibitions. As such, Korins will work as Creative Director for each collaborative exhibit, providing design leadership in the work with museums to display USC Shoah Foundation content, programs, and innovative storytelling technology.

USC Shoah Foundation and Korins previously partnered to create an immersive virtual-reality experience at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival for the premiere screening of the award-winning film, The Last Goodbye-the first-ever Holocaust survivor testimonial presented in room-scale virtual reality, a fully immersive experience.

"The challenge of the bringing such important content to life is an immense one, and David's ability to create designs that both prepare and aid visitors as they learn and reflect is truly unique," said USC Shoah Foundation Executive Director Stephen Smith.
"Creating empathy and ensuring the viewer emerges from the experienced enhanced and moved is our goal, and one that aligns beautifully with our mission as an organization."

Korins is an internationally recognized, award-winning Creative Director and CEO of his eponymous 18-person creative suite in New York City. Comprising of an expert team of designers, producers, managers, and fabricators, the company has been the touchstone of his work, creating 360-degree, fully immersive, holistic experiences responsible for the some of the biggest stars, brands, and events worldwide.

"It's an honor to bring my passion for storytelling and creating immersive experiences to a preeminent organization dedicated to collecting and preserving genocide survivor testimonies," said Korins. "In these trying times, it's more important than ever to bear witness to these atrocities and to never forget. Curating survivors' testimonies into one of a kind experiences across the globe is sure to be a high water mark in my career and I'm committed to creating transformative experiences that enable our visitors to feel deeply connected to these emotionally powerful stories."

Korins' body of work spans all visual platforms. In live performance and theater, he has brought to life the environments for Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, along with 20+ theatrical productions including the upcoming premiere of Beetlejuice. Korins is the creative director and designer of Hamilton: The Exhibition, a 35,000 square-foot fully immersive walkthrough experience chronicling the life and times of Alexander Hamilton slated to open in 2019. He has worked as Creative Director for Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Sia, Andrea Boccelli, and more, to bring their musical visions to the stage. He has designed immersive installations for several music and arts festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza, SXSW, Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands, and has collaborated on multiple occasions with the Gagosian Gallery and Sotheby's to curate exhibitions in New York and across the globe. His film and television experience includes series on HBO, CBS, Bravo, IFC, and PBS, the 2018 Grammy Premiere Awards, and FOX's Grease: Live!, for which he received an Emmy award.

"When a museum is exhibiting our materials, David's ability to create an optimum experience and atmosphere that taps into the emotional aspects of the content creates real value," said Smith.