Telling a story about classified naval operations that took place long ago and quietly behind the scenes is far from easy. Even more difficult is to tell such a story in a manner that is highly immersive and engaging for museum visitors of all ages and walks of life.
The USS Midway Museum exhibits department, along with experience-design studio, FELT, and the San Diego chapter of the Naval Intelligence Professionals, took this challenging concept and turned it into a stunning reality when they brought to life the museum’s Carrier Intelligence Center exhibit in 2025.
“Top Secret: Inside the High-Stakes World of Naval Intelligence,” was an instant hit with Midway visitors and grabbed the attention of the International Awards Associate (IAA). This global organization evaluates and honors creative professionals in advertising, design and digital media.
In its ongoing commitment to highlight and honor the best in creative design, the IAA recently bestowed its prestigious MUSE Award on Midway’s newest interactive exhibit for excellence in the experiential and immersive exhibition category.
“I was delighted but not surprised that the exhibit was recognized,” said Mark Berlin, Midway’s director of operations who oversees the museum’s exhibits development. “It tells a unique story that few people are aware of – the behind the scenes of naval intelligence – through the lens of the Operation Desert Storm conflict from 1991 that many of our guests remember. The interactives in this exhibit are the best we’ve ever introduced on Midway.”
“Hearing that the Midway’s intelligence center exhibit received the MUSE Gold Award is incredibly exciting because it represents years of work dedicated to preserving a part of naval history that very few people ever saw or understood,” said Diana Guglielmo, a retired naval intelligence officer who played a key role in the design of the exhibit. “What makes the recognition so special is knowing that visitors can now walk into the exhibit and gain an appreciation for the naval intelligence professionals who worked quietly behind the scenes during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.”
The carrier intelligence exhibit was evaluated and scored by an international panel of experts consisting of technology professionals, scholars and industry leaders who work in galleries, libraries, archives and museums.
“It tells a unique story that few people are aware of – the behind the scenes of naval intelligence – through the lens of the Operation Desert Storm. The interactives in this exhibit are the best we’ve ever introduced on Midway.”
“The exhibition is distinguished by an inventive reuse of authentic, retired intelligence equipment and spaces,” said the Media & Technology Professional Network, he professional interest committee of the American Alliance of Museums that selected Midway’s new exhibit for the MUSE Award. “Top Secret transforms a once-hidden space into a deeply immersive experience, helping visitors feel the urgency, complexity and stakes of naval intelligence.”
Spearheading the development of the new exhibit was the creative team at FELT, led by creative director for visual design, Julie Flechoux, and creative director for content, Christine Murray.
“This was such a team effort,” said Christine, who is also one of the founders of FELT Design. When I heard about the MUSE, I felt like it validated every single person who contributed, every box we dug through to find just the right artifact and every question we asked, especially of our naval intelligence advisors. To see the exhibition recognized not only within the museum world, but by this international community of designers, storytellers and creative innovators is super gratifying.”
“This was our second project working with the creative team at FELT,” said Mark. “The first one was our engineering exhibit, which is great, but I think this one went even better. It’s an honor to have a front-row seat to the creative process that our talented exhibits team led and watching all the pieces come together to create an impactful experience for our guests. Having the subject matter experts of the naval intelligence professionals involved ensured that we got the facts right and their stories provided the human and emotional element to the exhibition.”
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