Barbara Charles and Bob Staples Oral History

Object number1994.007.0020

Date08/30/1994

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Staples & Charles

Oral history interviewer Bob Porter

ObjectVideo, Hi8

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumSony Hi8 videotape - master

DimensionsDuration: 41 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Barbara Charles and Bob Staples. Principals of the interpretative planning and design firm Staples & Charles Ltd, Barbara Charles and Bob Staples were planners and designers of the exhibition, "John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation," which opened on the sixth floor of the former Texas School Book Depository building in 1989. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on August 30, 1994 by Bob Porter. The interview is forty-one minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

Bob Staples passed away on November 30, 2021. In addition to this 1994 oral history, Staples and Charles joined Conover Hunt, project director for The SIxth Floor exhibit, for an informal roundtable conversation recorded on the Museum's 20th anniversary, February 16, 2009. Fifteen years later, following the passing of Mr. Staples, Barbara Charles participated in a lengthy one-on-one oral history at the Museum on February 19, 2024. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

Staples & Charles Ltd. was established in 1973 and remains in operation as of spring 2024. In addition to The Sixth Floor exhibit in Dallas, the design firm has worked on a wide variety of interpretative projects over the years, including The World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center at Monticello, the Kahn Building at Yale University Art Gallery and the South African Breweries Centenary Centre in Johannesburg.

Recalling their involvement in The Sixth Floor exhibit, project director Conover Hunt said in 2003: "Staples and Charles is probably definitely one of the top ten design firms in the United States. They had experience doing projects within historic spaces. It's a very important element to have because you have to do everything in a reversible manner when you change a space. Also, they're very well known for their respect for the content of the exhibit." - Stephen Fagin, Curator