Author | Lightnews

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 4d

2/2 Our 2014 map case project required a high-security solution. Built with 1-inch thick glass ordered from a company that supplies prison guard towers.
As projects go, it was a big lift; 12 guys carried the door into the building.
When it comes to big projects: use your knees, not your back.

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 4d

1/2 The Louvre smash and grab was tragic. Thieves cut through a high-security display case. The case was designed to resist forced entry—but not, apparently, a determined team with power tools and a plan.
Museum security teams everywhere: checking their cases twice.

2025 Louvre robbery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 5d

3/3
Exhibit fabrication isn’t just about building walls and cases. It’s about honoring history, translating design into reality, and making sure every artifact has its moment. Tennessee, thanks for letting us be part of your story.

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 5d

2/3
The Tennessee State Museum tells the story of the state—from prehistoric fossils to political firsts. D&P had the honor of fabricating and installing exhibits that bring these narratives to life. No fiddles were harmed in the process.

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 5d

1/3
It’s #NationalTennesseeDay, and we’re raising a virtual glass of sweet tea to the Volunteer State. Home to country music, civil rights milestones, and one very impressive museum.

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 7d

3/3
Change is rarely linear. Whether it’s a snake shedding legs or a museum rethinking its narrative, transformation is full of surprises. Fossils like this remind us: the path forward is often anything but predictable.
#FossilFriday

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 7d

2/3
Museums played a key role in the research, helping decode a fossil that didn’t just crawl out of the past—it rewrites part of it. Evolution doesn’t follow a straight line. Sometimes it loops, detours, and leaves behind limbs.

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 7d

1/3
A Jurassic fossil with a twist. This ancient reptile might be the long-sought missing link between lizards and snakes. With a body built for slithering and limbs that hadn’t quite gotten the memo, it’s a snapshot of evolution mid-transformation.
#FossilFriday

Mysterious Jurassic reptile may reveal how snakes lost their legs

Scientists were left stunned by the hook-toothed, 167-million-year-old fossil which blends reptile characteristics.

www.newsweek.com

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 11d

2/2 The exhibit was called “Luxe de Poche”—Pocket Luxury.
The items were small enough to slip into a coat pocket.
The payout? Potentially millions.
Turns out, the smaller the object, the bigger the temptation.
#MuseumCrime #LuxuryLoot #ExhibitSecurity

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 11d

1/2 #MuseumCrime, pocket edition.
You loan something to a friend, expecting it back.
The British Crown loaned 18th-century luxury items to a Paris museum—snuff boxes, perfume bottles, gold trinkets.
Then thieves showed up for a smash-and-grab with an axe.
🔗

Brazen Paris Museum Heist Triggers $4 Million Insurance Payout

A heist by axe-wielding thieves resulted in the theft of seven highly-prized treasures from a Paris museum, including two royal snuff boxes.

news.artnet.com

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 12d

2/2
From the thunder of hooves to the quiet elegance of Shaker design, Kentucky’s history is rich with moments worth preserving. We’re proud to help share those moments—one exhibit at a time.
Here’s to Kentucky: where history and heart meet.
#NationalKentuckyDay #ExhibitFabrication #MuseumExhibits

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 12d

1/2
Happy National Kentucky Day!
Celebrate the Bluegrass State—where tradition, storytelling, and craftsmanship run deep. At D&P, we’ve had the honor of bringing some of those stories to life as the fabricators and installers of exhibits at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 14d

3/3
Uniqueness means more than rarity.
Cera blends scientific value, emotional resonance, and visual impact.
It’s the kind of object that sparks curiosity. Want to learn more? Cera isn’t in a museum (yet), but her brethren are. #FossilFriday #VisitAMusuem

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 14d

2/3
People gravitate toward rare and extraordinary objects.
They seek the unexpected.
They imagine Cera’s story—a baby dinosaur who roamed 66 million years ago.
A fossil like this invites wonder.
#FossilFriday

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 14d

1/3
Discovered in South Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation, “Cera” is the first baby Triceratops ever uncovered.
Named after the character from The Land Before Time, little Cera is 14 feet long and was just four years old.
A small dino with a big legacy.
#FossilFriday

Rare Baby Triceratops Fossil Poised for Mammoth Sale

The auction house renowned for selling contemporary art says its responding to "client demand" with the sale of a juvenile Triceratops.

news.artnet.com

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 18d

2/2 “It’s not the sexiest place to buy,” said one advisor, “but it could present the right opportunity for a savvy buyer.”
Translation: if you don’t mind a little white-collar crime in the provenance, there’s a Basquiat with your name on it.
#MuseumCrime #ArtMarket #ProvenanceWithHandcuffs

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 18d

1/2 #MuseumCrime meets the art market.

Basquiat, Picasso, Diane Arbus—works seized from a financier linked to the 1MDB scandal are now headed to auction via the U.S. Marshals.
When provenance includes federal agents, you know the backstory’s wild.
🔗

US Government to Auction Works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, and Diane Arbus Purchased with Funds from 1MDB Scandal

The artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso and Diane Arbus were surrendered by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and producer Christopher McFarland.

www.artnews.com

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 19d

3/3 At D&P, we’ve been fabricating exhibits for 75 years.
Our present is built on the foundation of our forebearers—just like Gdańsk.
Every project we take on is another layer in the strata.
#Archaeology #MuseumMaking #LegacyInTheDetails

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 19d

2/3 People have lived, worked, and built in the same places for generations.
Cities aren’t just mapped—they’re inherited.
Every sidewalk might be paved over someone’s workshop, home, or cemetery.
#Archaeology #UrbanHistory

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 19d

1/3 #Archaeology alert: A knight’s skeleton was found beneath the streets of Gdańsk, Poland.
But the real twist? The remains were part of a whole town buried under the modern city.
Layers of life, stacked through centuries.
🔗

Archeologists discover scoop of history underneath ice cream shop: A medieval knight

Other major discoveries have been found at the Polish site in recent years, including remains of small cottages from the 12th and 13th centuries.

www.usatoday.com

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 21d

3/3 Extraordinary beginnings don’t happen alone.
Just like a fossil reveals a turning point in evolution, a truly interactive exhibit results from many minds converging: curators, designers, fabricators, educators.
The magic is in the layers we build together.
#FossilFriday #Teamwork #MuseumMaking

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 21d

2/3 This fossil shows traits of both catfish and carp, suggesting a shared ancestor.
It’s a rare glimpse into the murky waters of fish evolution—and a reminder that even the most common species have extraordinary beginnings.
#FossilFriday #Paleontology #FishFacts

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · 21d

1/3 #FossilFriday just got fishy—in the best way.
A 55-million-year-old fossil found in Wyoming is rewriting the evolutionary story of catfish and carp.
Turns out, these freshwater favorites have deeper roots than we thought.
🔗

Prehistoric fish fossil rewrites evolution, reveals origins of catfish and carp - The Valley Vanguard

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valleyvanguardonline.com

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Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · Aug 14

What’s your favorite “destiny meets security” museum moment?

Design and Production Incorporated @dandplorton.bsky.social · Aug 14

#MuseumCrime isn’t always about success. Sometimes it’s about the attempt. And sometimes, it’s about the poetic justice of a failed plan.