Rumbo a California
A Collection That Deserved a Stage
The Arhoolie Foundation reached out after seeing our microsite work for the African American Museum in Philadelphia — they needed an online exhibition for the Strachwitz Frontera Collection, the world's largest collection of commercially recorded regional Mexican music. The focus: the Mexican American experience in California, documented on recordings going back to the early 1920s.
Architecture Built Around Goals
Through discovery conversations with the Foundation's director and curator, we established what the exhibition needed to accomplish and what assets were available. From there we developed the site architecture — sections covering leaders, record labels, songs, musical styles, and artists who carried the tradition forward — organizing a century of cultural history into a navigable, layered experience.
A Palette That Found Its Balance
We proposed two initial directions: one subdued and earthy, one vivid and bold. The final palette merged both — bright enough to honor the energy of the music, grounded enough to feel rooted in its history. When presenting song categories, we drew visual inspiration from the jukeboxes of the era, connecting the design language directly to the world the music came from.
Built to Play — and to Last
The site includes a music player customized to reflect the exhibition's visual design, and a bilingual English/Spanish experience built to reach the community whose history it documents. Launched in 2022, the site drew nearly 8,000 visitors in its first three months, earned coverage on California radio and Univision, and was shared with the Recording Academy for their web presence.