Shockoe Institute
content strategy / art direction / email marketing / social media / event communications
Shockoe Institute
Client
Build awareness, deepen engagement, and support the Shockoe Institute’s mission ahead of the launch of Expanding Freedom, a 10,000-square-foot permanent exhibit opening in April 2026.
Objective
The Challenge
The Shockoe Institute is a newly launched national organization in Richmond, Virginia, dedicated to revealing the ongoing impact of American slavery. When I began working with the team, they were navigating the challenges of building a new institution from the ground up. This included defining new audiences, creating programming, and establishing a voice for a mission that demands historical accuracy and emotional resonance.
This work needed to:
Build awareness and trust before the public opening
Turn complex, historically sensitive topics into accessible content
Maintain consistent voice and visuals across all channels
Create sustainable systems for ongoing content production
The Approach
To establish the Shockoe Institute as a trusted voice, I built a content ecosystem designed to educate, engage, and mobilize audiences. My approach centered on creating foundational systems across four areas:
Brand-Aligned Strategy: I developed messaging pillars and tone guidelines grounded in their mission, ensuring every piece of content reinforced a clear progression: learn, reflect, act.
Social Media Campaigns: I planned and wrote multi-month campaigns introducing exhibit themes, using structured storytelling to move audiences from awareness to reflection and participation.
Email & Newsletter Communications: I designed monthly newsletters and announcement emails that balanced narrative storytelling with clear calls-to-action, driving traffic and donations.
Event Communications: I created marketing asset packages for the "Shockoe Institute Presents" series, including emails, RSVP pages, and social posts that spotlighted featured artists and themes.
Deliverables
Content system: messaging framework, voice guidelines, and recurring story formats
Social toolkit: templates for series content, program promotion, and supporter engagement
Email toolkit: modular newsletter structure with repeatable content blocks
Event comms kit: promotional materials for before, during, and after the event
Asset library: curated visuals and layout promotional guidelines for brand consistency
