Reflections From the Fab Shop: NOLA's World-Class Museum Scene

Over my 22-year career, I've had the pleasure of being a fabricator for a wide variety of projects all over the United States, including items for broadcast television for CBS, TNT, and ESPN, film projects, experiential marketing activations, and exhibits for a variety of museums, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, historical organizations, and other educational institutions. 

I've been lucky to work with some of our nation’s top brands and organizations, but many of my favorites are right here in New Orleans. This city has such a wealth of institutions here that have garnered a national (and even international) pedigree, and sometimes I’m still a little awestruck that I’ve gotten to work with many of them.

The National WWII Museum. The Louisiana Children's Museum. Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium. The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. The New Orleans African American Museum. Sazerac House. The Bucktown Bird’s Nest Learning Pavilion. All of these places have a very special place in my heart.

I've spent actual years of my life at The National WWII Museum. My first few projects there were BB’s Stage Door Canteen, USS Tang Submarine Experience, the L.W. “Pete” Kent Train Car Experience, and Road to Berlin between 2011 and 2014 while I was at Solomon Group. I'd been a scenic fabricator for eight years prior to that, but as a lover of history, having the opportunity to be an integral part of fabricating and installing all of these experiences that patrons still enjoy to this day was such a meaningful experience for me. 

As time went by, I continued to have more opportunities to develop a relationship with the Audubon Nature Institute while working at Solomon Group. It was a blast to work at the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center and on the Asian Elephant exhibit at Audubon Zoo with some of the best creatives and scenic artists around.

Now that Downtown FabWorks has been able to integrate itself into this incredibly important community, I would really like to thank The National WWII Museum, the New Orleans African American Museum, the Audubon Nature Institute, the Louisiana Children's Museum, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, and Sazerac House for being wonderful and important clients of ours over the last five years. 

Lauren and the gang at LCM are an incredible team, and their wonderful ideas make that place so special for Louisiana kids and their adults. Kenneth at the MSJE is a knowledgeable executive director who runs a tight ship and heads up a wonderful space that showcases Jewish culture in the American South. Gia and Ashli at the NOAAM are wonderful visionaries who are in the process of making that place one of the most important tellers of the Black experience in New Orleans. And Audubon just hired a wonderful new CEO who has a fantastic vision to coincide with the hard work of folks like Jackson and Katherine at the zoo and the aquarium.

There is so much more to New Orleans than the French Quarter and Bourbon Street (as nice as those places might be). Our town is steeped in culture, history, ecology, and amazing stories—and we are privileged to have institutions and people here who dedicate their lives to telling the world about it. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to get to be a small part of that, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for this wild and wonderful place we call home.

Dan Krall may have 20+ years of exhibit experience, but the Downtown FabWorks staff collectively has a couple hundred years more! We partner with zoos, museums, and other members of the themed attractions and events industries to design and fabricate immersive experiences, themed environments, and more. Ready to build something new and amazing for your guests and patrons? Visit our website to see how we can bring your vision to life.