KEROUAC, ON THE ROAD

Lowell, MA

Exhibit Design: Proun Design, LLC
Exhibit Fabrication: WB Inc.
Area: 1,500 sq. ft.
Budget: 45k
Opened: 2007

AASLH 2008 Award of Merit

Kerouac is back!

The original 120’ long scroll manuscript on which Jack Kerouac wrote his beat anthem “On the Road ” returned to Lowell on the 50th anniversary of it’s publication. Typed on 12’ lengths of tracing paper taped together, Kerouac completed this first draft in 3 weeks—one paragraph.

The exhibit features the scroll, listening stations, displays of personal and family artifacts, and interpretive graphics chronicling his Lowell roots, the road trips that inspired the novel, his influence on the Beat Generation, and his final years in Lowell. At the end of the exhibit, you are invited to leave your own thoughts at a typewriter that belonged to the Kerouac family.

If you have ever picked up a Kerouac novel or are just curious about the meteoric life of this literary genius, it would be well worth a road trip to Lowell. It’s MAD!

proun worked closely with the Park and curators from UMass Lowell to develop a dynamic graphic language that includes bold colors, dramatic image treatments, and the integration of quotes into the architecture of the gallery. We provided all exhibit design and graphic services and coordinated the fabrication and installation.