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Joel Kauffmann
Joel Kauffmann possessed a passion for communication as a teaching tool. A fan of museums and exhibitions, Joel focused on making such experiences highly interactive and fun for visitors. This part of his work began in 1987 when he was called upon to help design and produce the Menno-Hof Visitor Center in the heart of Indiana’s Amish country. It culminated with his work as content creator for the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
Museums, Visitor Centers and Major Exhibitions:
Menno-Hof (1987-2015) – Program design, scripting, and production for the Mennonite and Amish visitor center in Shipshewana, Indiana.
[Visit: https://menno-hof.squarespace.com/]
Nazareth Village (1996-2002) – Program design, scripting, and production for a first-century farm, village and visitor center illuminating the life of Jesus of Nazareth; Nazareth, Israel.
[Visit: https://nazarethvillage.com/]
Imagine the Future (1998) – Concept and script development for a traveling exhibit about Christian stewardship for Everence, Goshen, Indiana.
From Abraham to Jesus (2005) – Scripting and development for a traveling archeological exhibit in concert with the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Anabaptist Heritage Center (2005-2015) – Program design for a proposed Mennonite and Brethren museum and visitor center at Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania.
Farm World (2009) – Program design and development work for a faith-based museum on the history of agriculture in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Discovery Center (2009) – Development work for a major, new visitor center for Nazareth Village, Nazareth, Israel.
Passages (2010-2011) – Program development and audio-visual scripting for a major, traveling Bible exhibition funded by Hobby Lobby Corporation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Museum of the Bible (2011-2015) – Content creator for the 400,000 square foot Museum of the Bible, located two blocks from the National Mall in Washington, DC. At the time of his death, Joel was developing content for a device visitors carry as they explore the museum to enhance what they see with extra text, videos and photos. He was also writing the scripts for an 8,000-square-foot recreation of Nazareth in the museum.
[Visit: https://www.museumofthebible.org/]
“When we started the Museum of the Bible . . . Joel was the first person that I thought of to
help. It was instant. He had to be part of it.”
–Cary Summers, former president, Museum of the Bible]
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