Joseph R. Smallwood Arts & Culture Centre

Wayfinding Signs

The Joseph R. Smallwood Arts and Culture Centre has been Gander’s performing arts mainstage since 1976. Everyone in town knows where the seats are and if they don't, the incredible ushers are always available to help.

A full house of tourists, every other night of the summer, was never a reasonable possibility… until it happened. So many people came from away to see Come From Away that the usual way of showing the way, became a formidable weight. No one knew where to go. The ushers are pros and they handled it. However, why not make things easier on them and the visitors? Theatre manager Leslie Hewlett hired me to design some simple, visual wayfinding signs that I’m hoping will do just that.

First up. The ACC logo is now visible over the front and back doors. Previously the doors were simply labelled “THEATRE”. And while it says “Joseph R. Smallwood Arts and Culture Centre” in the front, it says “Steele Community Centre” on the back, where the parking lot is and most visitors enter.

The back door hallway has two intersections that now have some guidance from arrows and door signage. For the front entrance and lobby we've hung signs from the ceiling so people can find a path to their seats from anywhere in the room.

The bathrooms and cloakroom signs have a new, modern, icon system and a big boost in contrast and legibility.

The ticket office and art gallery signs can now be read much further away. Previously they were two inch high lamacoids.

Don't hate the old signs, I engraved some of them.

The signs were produced by Gander Signs a new local shop offering cutting edge sign fabrication. They also worked with the ACC building manager on the installation.

Come From Away: You are Here

Creating a sense of place

Don’t let me trick you into thinking that visitors were completely lost when the show opened in 2023. There’s a 30ft Come From Away sign on the side of the building. On the inside it literally says “You are Here” in over 650 places.

"The Newfoundland & Labrador Departmtent of Tourism Culture, Arts and Recreation" along with Come From Away: You are Here, Nav Canada, Quidi Vidi Brewery and Browning Harvey chipped in together and created an immersive lobby experience. Jessica Waterman led the project as creative director. Olivia Wong of Perfect Day Canada provided art direction for the CFA brand visuals and sponsor representation. Printing and installations by PJ Sports.

I created a wallpaper pattern that combined the show’s brand (a map) and a series of illustrations by Jessica representing settings from the musical. It runs behind the merchandise table and into an alcove where visitors can take pictures for the ‘gram.

We also designed a pinboard map, branded the bar for the sponsors and turned the windows into an ATC tower window for Nav Canada.

The set of Come From Away: You Are Here, designed by Shawn Kerwin included hundreds of hand-knit squares, knit by volunteers from the community, in group sessions organised by Jessica Waterman. Some of them were displayed in the Art Gallery along with a simple book designed by me, featuring the artists' stories. I also designed some signs to introduce the exhibit.

I did not design the 30ft sign. However, the sign that it replaced is a highlight of my career. It was a life size print of an 8ft x 24ft painting of RCAF Station Gander during WWII. It was painted by me and about 11 others in a project partially funded by the CFA Plane People. There's a self portrait of me playing a Ferry Command technician right in the middle. The original painting hangs in the domestic lounge of Gander International Airport. It’s hard to get a picture of it without the Sunwing signs. I helped design them though so… in they go.