Gizmo Art Production, Inc. served as the fabricator and installer for the Ishi Exhibit Tour at the California Indian Museum & Cultural Center (CIMCC), with exhibit design support from S2 Associates.
Client: California Indian Museum (CIMCC)
Category: History & Heritage Museum
Location: Santa Rosa, California
Date: January 2009
Among California Indians, few figures are as widely recognized as Ishi. When he emerged near Oroville in 1911, he was incorrectly labeled the “last Yahi” and portrayed as a “primitive” relic of the past. Brought to the University of California’s Museum of Anthropology by anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, Ishi lived there for five years, sharing cultural knowledge with researchers and the public before his death from tuberculosis in 1916. Following an autopsy in which his brain was removed, his remains were repatriated decades later under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
This exhibition reframes Ishi’s legacy by centering California Indian voices and contemporary scholarship, challenging outdated narratives that have shaped public education for generations. Through photographs, sound recordings, artifact displays, and interpretive graphics—presented in partnership with the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology—the exhibit offers a more accurate and culturally grounded perspective.
This project required durable, modular fabrication for repeated installation while maintaining museum-quality standards. Gizmo engineered and installed custom exhibit structures, graphics, and display components to ensure portability, longevity, and professional presentation.
Services Provided: Museum Exhibit Fabrication · Custom Exhibit Structures · Graphic Production · Museum Exhibit Installation
