Forum One collaborated with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum (SAWHM) to develop Becoming Visible, a digital exhibition that sheds light on stories from women’s history that have been excluded, obscured, or almost lost. Launched on International Women’s Day in 2024, Becoming Visible tells the stories of five remarkable women. It explores how their contributions have been recorded and remembered—and more broadly, how women’s stories have remained in a constant state of becoming visible, never fully coming into focus in American history.

Forum One’s digital storytelling approach emphasized grounding audiences in the historical significance of these women’s lives by capturing attention in the first 30 seconds through a powerful opening vignette narrated by actress Rosario Dawson. To build authenticity and emotional resonance, we created hand-drawn illustrations that animate and enrich each story.

Behind the scenes, the digital experience was designed with cutting-edge technology and inclusivity at its core. Built with React and Next.js, the site delivers an app-like, immersive feel tailored to the project’s unique needs. Accessibility was treated as a design principle from the start: audio transcriptions are seamlessly integrated, the opening vignette includes audio descriptions, and the entire site is fully keyboard- and screen reader-accessible. Every element was aligned with a central thesis and the museum’s mission, ensuring both cohesion and educational impact.