Kyle Wickline

Work / Wing Luke Museum

Looking Back, Looking Forward: production overview

Prepared by Kyle Wickline · May 2025 · For Framework and the Wing Luke Museum

About this document

I wrote this production overview for Looking Back, Looking Forward, a community event the Wing Luke Museum held on May 24, 2025. Framework produced it with students from a University of Washington Communication Leadership course led by Sandy Cioffi, which used rapid prototyping to explore storytelling on emerging platforms such as AR, VR, and AI. I was the course’s teaching assistant and, working freelance for Framework, managed the project. In the work plans, “UW” means the course team.

It’s recreated here as a web page, with a few edits for publication:

  • Individual names are removed from the work plans, which show which organization owned each task.
  • Supplier links and order-status columns are removed, a museum visitor figure is described instead of quoted, and one line about neighborhood conditions is shortened.
  • Some wording in the context section is tightened for the web.
  • The design brief and the “strengths to build on” point come from earlier planning notes for the same project.

For my role, the team, and how the day went, see the case study.

Event poster: Wing Luke Museum, Looking Back Looking Forward. Help the Wing Luke Museum reimagine the historic Eng Family homestead parking lot. Your voice shapes the future of our neighborhood. May 24th, 2025, Saturday 11am to 2pm, Eng Family Homestead, 611 8th Ave. South, Seattle. Stop by for interactive activities, artmaking, and refreshments.
The event poster. The QR code is blurred here.

Event overview

  • EventLooking Back, Looking Forward
  • DateSaturday, May 24, 2025
  • Time11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • LocationCanton Alley and the Eng Family Homestead, 611 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 (the “opportunity site”)

Context

  • Centennial figure, not institution. 2025 is what would have been Wing Luke’s 100th birthday (he was born in 1925). The museum is happy to weave that personal milestone into the storytelling, but the May activation’s primary purpose is to co-create a community vision for the newly acquired opportunity site.
  • Eng Family Homestead opportunity site. Wing Luke recently purchased the historic Eng Family Homestead at 611 8th Ave S, a rare single-family residence with an adjoining L-shaped lot that backs onto Canton Alley. The house is being renovated, and the May event is the public’s first chance to imagine how this space, and its alley frontage, could become a multi-use cultural campus.
  • The neighborhood. The Chinatown–International District is dealing with visible homelessness and concerns about safety, and many long-time AAPI residents now live in the suburbs. Wing Luke wants the alley to be a safe, festive gathering space again, one that brings long-time residents and newer audiences together.
  • Strengths to build on. The museum already runs programming events and food tours, hosts an annual celebration in the alley, and has existing connections with local schools.

Program goals

  • Gather community input on how the Eng Homestead and Canton Alley should serve the next generation.
  • Engage with the neighborhood and position the Wing Luke Museum as its cultural center-point.
  • Attract new audiences, especially families, who are currently a small share of visitors.
  • Generate earned media and revenue to support museum operations.

Design brief

What Framework wanted the activations to be:

  • Technologically interesting
  • Interesting as storytelling
  • Exciting enough to attract people to make the drive
  • Open to several levels of engagement, perhaps including an online one
  • Focused on the future: the museum tells AAPI history, and this should help people envision what the CID and the Wing Luke could look like over the next 100 years
  • Built around a bean-planting activity

Two words to design to: “Exciting.” “Attractive.”

Event activations

Each activation below has a guest journey, three engagement levels (good, better, best) so it could be scaled to the time and budget available, staffing, a concept render, a work plan split between Framework and the UW course team, and a supply list.

  1. Welcome / Story Alley
  2. Story Booths
  3. Color the Future
  4. Tea + Talk
  5. Sprout the Dream (bean planting)
Site map titled Wing Luke Activation, Looking Back, Looking Forward. Two blocks between 7th Ave and 8th Ave S, with Canton Alley S running north to south. Numbered markers: 1, Story Alley, in the alley beside the Wing Luke Museum; 2, Story Booth, along the museum building; 3, Color the Future, 4, Tea + Talk, 5, Sprout the Future, and 6, Food, all on the Eng Family Homestead lot south of the cross street. Scale bar shows 50 feet.
The site map I made for the event in Datawrapper. Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Style guide

The event’s colors and type, used across signage, decals, and printed pieces.

  • #75838A
  • #B69037
  • #BDB4A3
  • #8E945E
  • #BF3132
  • #E46B2E

Font: Proxima Nova

1 Welcome / Story Alley

Guest journey

Entering the alley, guests walk through a balloon arch inviting them in. On the ground, they see old photographs painted in chalk, guiding them from the past to the future. As they walk down Canton Alley, they’re invited to sit on white benches and hear stories from the past. Decals on the benches tell guests where to sit, and directional speakers repeat the brief (two- to five-minute) audio stories.

Engagement levels

Story Alley engagement levels
Level 1: GoodLevel 2: BetterLevel 3: Best
  • Stories play on repeat, generating whispers throughout the alley
  • Stencils on the brick wall
  • Arrangements of balloons
  • Boxes with anticipatory messaging and visuals to hold balloons
  • Motion sensors detect when guests are nearby and begin playing the audio story
  • Guests sit on a target printed on the bench, and only then does the audio story begin to play

Staffing: One or two staff to make sure the tech works, guide participants, and answer questions.

Concept render of Canton Alley: a balloon arch in red, gold, and green over the alley entrance, potted shrubs, white benches with Sit Here decals, chalk photo stencils on the pavement, and a painted arrow labeled Future.
Concept render (AI-generated) used as the paper prototype.

Work plan

Story Alley work plan
FrameworkUW
  • Four story benches:
    • Wing Luke to curate the audio stories: at least four, about three minutes each (due 5/20)
    • Wing Luke to curate four or five photographs for stenciling (due 5/19)
    • Graphic design for the bench decals, to the printer by 5/19
  • Write the copy printed on the balloons
  • Acquire balloons and all other supplies unless otherwise specified
  • Install the Linograph chalk stencils
  • Prepare and install balloons and planters
  • Produce a map at the entry to the alley; Wing Luke to staff a booth
  • Signage and site map
  • A sprout-themed walkway stencil to guide guests down the alley
  • Find older photos of the alley through faculty connections
  • Prepare speakers and audio
  • Send the curated images from Wing Luke to be Linographed
  • Order speaker components
  • Coordinate with a student creative (additive)
Supplies
  • 4 white benches (rental)
  • Balloon arch kit (est. $22)
  • Balloon pump (est. $16)
  • Linograph stencils
  • Balloons
  • String
  • Spray chalk
  • 5 planters with flowers

Media assets: audio stories, photos for stencils, graphics for benches.

Note: It would be good to have the stories printed on the bench decals, so it still works if the tech fails.

2 Story Booths

Guest journey

Guests step into the recessed doorway and spot a vintage rotary phone resting on a small table beside a laminated postcard-style prompt. The moment they lift the handset, a hidden DFPlayer Mini inside the phone plays a one-minute archival story of early Canton Alley. A gentle beep follows, inviting them to complete the bilingual mad-lib printed on the card. Speaking their chosen words and full sentences into the phone, they record a personal vision of the future. A pocket-sized digital voice recorder tucked beneath the table captures the audio automatically and stops when the handset is returned. Visitors walk away having heard the past, voiced the future, and contributed a unique clip that staff later upload to a shared gallery.

Engagement levels

Story Booths engagement levels. Level 2 is highlighted in the plan.
Level 1: GoodLevel 2: Better Highlighted in the planLevel 3: Best
  • Guests pick up the phone and the story plays on a loop. They write their vision for the future on a pre-printed postcard with the mad-lib-style prompt.
  • Guests pick up the phone, which starts the audio story. They record their responses about envisioning the future into the phone, and the recordings are later used for an exhibit.
  • Level 2, plus the responses are displayed on screens installed in the windows above the story booth.

Staffing: One staff member per story booth.

Concept render of three recessed brick storefront doorways, each with a Story Booth sign, a small wooden table, a stool, and a rotary phone.
Concept render (AI-generated) used as the paper prototype.

Work plan

Story Booths work plan
FrameworkUW
  • Work with Wing Luke to get the audio stories, and send the audio files to the UW team
  • Graphic design for signage: inviting guests into the space, directions on how to begin, and a privacy notice for guests
  • Print the signage
  • Decorate the space inside each booth (baseline, level 1)
  • Clean out the booths and prepare the space for installation
  • Print the mad-libs
  • Mad-lib-style prompt generation (students)
  • Phone modification and tech
  • Source three rotary-style phones
  • Clarify decor creative options (additive)
Supplies
  • 3 comfortable chairs for guests
  • 3 side tables (preferably vintage)
  • Gaffer tape
  • Double-sided tape
  • Hot glue
  • Sanitizing wipes
  • Pens and markers
  • Mad-lib prompts
  • 1-watt mini speaker that fits inside the rotary phone
  • Battery
  • Microphone
  • Signage described above

Open question: Translations available?

3 Color the Future

Guest journey

Guests enter the opportunity site and see a blank canvas with the prompt “Someday this site could be…” Each guest adds to the vision of the future, showing what they imagine for their community. The prompts place guests in the shoes of a future community member engaged with the site.

Engagement levels

Color the Future engagement levels
Level 1: GoodLevel 2: BetterLevel 3: Best
  • Guests draw what they want to see for the opportunity site and the larger neighborhood on butcher paper over 8′ × 4′ plywood attached to the fence
  • An AI engine (ChatGPT) where guests describe what they want and then see it appear on a screen
  • One or two iPads on stands with an “imagination engine” (a computer) that sends images back to the iPad
  • Level 2, plus an LED screen showing images of the past alongside the AI-generated ones

Staffing: Two staff members.

Work plan

Color the Future work plan
FrameworkUW
  • Wing Luke to provide images of the opportunity site’s past
  • The analog exercise: obtain the plywood and supplies
  • An iPad or computer with a handheld color printer to print AI-generated images (planning on ChatGPT for now)
  • Design and curate prompts for participants in a speculative-fiction style (test the prompts)
  • Design the background canvas, and how to keep it from becoming a total mess
  • Research an iPad rental option for Wing Luke to rent
  • The AI imagination engine
Supplies
  • 2 six-foot folding tables (rental)
  • Butcher paper
  • Paint pens
  • Box of 2-inch binder clips
  • Trash bin
  • Wet wipes
  • Sandbags and mounting supplies for the plywood

Note: Archive the public art piece for Wing Luke’s future use.

4 Tea + Talk

Guest journey

Guests are welcomed with a free cup of locally sourced tea, take a seat at placemat-lined tables, and join facilitated conversations about the future of the Eng Homestead site. Each placemat carries playful prompts, space to sketch ideas, and a QR code that opens a short survey.

Engagement levels

Tea + Talk engagement levels
Level 1: GoodLevel 2: BetterLevel 3: Best
  • A table with prepackaged tea and snacks. Conversation starters provided.
  • Conversation starters and surveys on a printed placemat. Tea served by a local vendor from a tea cart.
  • Level 2, plus full tea sets, with tea poured by waiters. This is the full radical-hospitality version.

Staffing: Two staff members.

Concept render of a long wooden table on a lot between brick buildings, with people seated at paper placemats, a Tea + Talk banner, string lights, and a green vintage tea cart.
Concept render (AI-generated) used as the paper prototype.

Work plan

Tea + Talk work plan
FrameworkUW
  • Source the tea cart, including everything that goes with it (cups, napkins, and so on): Wing Luke
  • Create a survey: printed paper copies, multilingual, available at the welcome table and at Tea + Talk
  • Table decor other than placemats, coordinated with a UW student
  • Design the laminated placemats and conversation starters
Supplies
  • 6 foldable tables
  • 6 red tablecloths
  • 18 foldable chairs
  • 2 trash and compost bins

5 Sprout the Dream

Guest journey

An interactive planting and AR activation where guests “plant” their hopes for the next 100 years of Wing Luke and the CID. Participants sow real bean seeds in biodegradable pots and “plant” a digital seed by scanning a trigger with an iPad.

Engagement levels

Sprout the Dream engagement levels
Level 1: GoodLevel 2: BetterLevel 3: Best
  • Kids and adults plant their own beanstalk to take home after the event. Informational signage explains the beanstalk’s relevance to the Eng family.
  • Level 1, plus an AR experience where the beanstalk grows on an iPad we provide, with an audio story about the bean sprout business
  • The AR experience is part of a larger AR experience for the whole event, accessible on a personal device
  • A beanstalk metaphor about providing for family and community is integrated into the programming

Staffing: Two or three staff members.

Concept render of families planting seeds in a long wooden planter box under a green balloon arch, beside a Sprout the Dream sign with Chinese characters and a screen showing growing sprouts.
Concept render (AI-generated) used as the paper prototype.

Work plan

Sprout the Dream work plan
FrameworkUW
  • Create signage
  • Create a care info card for the beanstalks
  • A printed story on 4 × 8 plywood about the Eng Homestead
  • Agricultural-looking boxes that spell out “Sprout the Dream”
  • The Eng Homestead and bean sprout storytelling needs to be clarified: an analog way of explaining why this matters and why people are taking part. Connect it back to the opportunity site.
  • Develop the AR experience
  • Find photographic records of the Eng Homestead
  • Printed QR code stickers (or a trigger graphic) if self-guided

Tech stack: Adobe Aero for the AR experience.

Supplies
  • 4 to 6 iPads
  • Grown bean sprouts
  • 2 six-foot foldable tables
  • A container for the dirt
  • Water
  • Beans to plant
  • Informational card on how to grow a beanstalk

Note: If possible, integrate the theme of the bean sprout as a provider for the family and the surrounding community.

What the museum needs to provide

Items the Wing Luke Museum needed to provide, by activation and deadline
ActivationItem and quantityDescriptionDue
Story BoothsTables and chairsIdeally comfortable seating for listening to audio stories. Plush, old-style furniture preferred.5/23
Sprout the DreamAudio of the bean sprout business historyAn audio story about how the Eng Homestead came to be, its significance to the community, and the larger theme of providing for the family and envisioning a better life.5/20
Story Alley4 audio storiesAbout three minutes each.5/20
Story Alley4–5 photographs for stencilingHistoric photos of the Eng Homestead and the CID.5/20
Story Booths3 audio storiesTwo to five minutes each, generally about what life was like in the CID in the past; different from the Story Alley stories.5/20
Color the FutureHistoric images of the opportunity site and the Eng Homestead5/20
Tea + TalkFood and teaProcurement.

The case study covers my role, who did what, and how the event came together on the day.

Back to the case study