NEW CASTLE, DE.- Over the past 24 years, Staging Dimensions has quietly played a role in memorable moments in American history—providing custom-fabricated structures for events ranging from the Pope’s visit to Washington DC and Philadelphia to the fabrication of the World Record Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare. Now, the company adds another remarkable project to its fabrication portfolio: the preservation and installation of a monumental work of American art.


Reid Brakeley and Steve Szczerba carrying mural canvas panel.

In 1932, during the Great Depression, N.C. Wyeth painted "Apotheosis of the Family" as a commissioned mural for the Wilmington Savings Fund Society. The mural is the largest artwork ever created by the groundbreaking American artist. Nearly a century later and following several relocations, the mural has found a new permanent home at Jamie Wyeth’s Point Lookout Farm outside Wilmington, Delaware. But displaying and preserving the historic artwork inside the designated circular barn was a new challenge that required innovative solutions.


Custom fabricated pipe grid system installed at Point Lookout Farm. Mural panels were aired out with sandbags to adhere to surface panel.

Jamie Wyeth reached out to Scott Humphrey, CEO of Light Action, Staging Dimensions, The Pine Box Studios and Applied Electronics, in search of innovative lighting solutions for the mural. But when Humphrey assessed the overall project, he recognized a much larger challenge Jamie would face—mounting a support structure to showcase the historic mural.

Confident in his team’s ability to deliver a custom solution, Humphrey accepted the challenge. Staging Dimensions, based in New Castle, Delaware, specializes in both industry-standard staging systems and complex, custom fabrication projects. For this installation, the company had to engineer an entirely new mounting frame system—one that would not only safely frame the mural but also adapt to the unique, circular shape of the barn where it would be displayed.


Staging Dimensions installation team utilizing chain motor system to hang a glued mural panel.

“The uniqueness of the project is what made it so exciting to design. Our team took great care in making sure every detail was taken into consideration to ensure the final product was exactly what the mural required. Obviously, the artwork itself is what is on display for everyone to see, but the passion on our part is what will stay behind it forever,” explained Steve Szczerba, Design Engineer and Product Developer at Staging Dimensions.


A total of eight fixtures with integrated shutters were used to provide a soft focus to achieve a seamless blend for display.

Once engineering and fabrication were complete, a five-person team from Staging Dimensions traveled to Point Lookout Farm for the installation, working closely with mural conservators Kristin deGhetaldi and Brian Baade. The husband-and-wife team are veterans of prestigious restoration projects at institutions such as the Smithsonian and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.


Series of fabricated acrylic surface panels used for mural assembled on-site.

Justin Phillips, who has served as shop manager at Staging Dimensions for 17 years, was on-site to help lead the installation process. Despite his extensive experience in complex design and installation, the responsibility of handling such a priceless piece of art wasn’t taken lightly. “I dreaded working on this painting,” Phillips admitted. “I was nervous.”

That nervousness turned into meticulous craftsmanship as Phillips and the team of Steve Szczerba, Reid Brakeley, Dan Phillips, and Christian Monohan installed the curved pipe grid system on the barn walls, which the rib frame would hang from. While the Staging Dimensions team installed the pipe grid, Kristin, Brian, and their team meticulously glued the mural panels to the acrylic surface of each of the five curved frames ranging in size from 9’ long x 18’ 6-1/2” high to 14’ 9-3/4” long x 18’ 6-1/2” high. After a 24-hour cure time, the Staging Dimensions team hung the first of five panels using a chain motor system to raise the frame and hold it in place while it was mounted on the pipe grid system. This process was repeated over a seven-day period, and the final section was hung on Tuesday, July 30th.


Mural panel glued to custom fabricated acrylic surface panel.

Once the fabrication installation was completed, Light Action was tasked with lighting the mural. After a demonstration of multiple lighting fixture options at The Pine Box, Jamie Wyeth selected the Elation KL Profile FC Compact Zooming Ellipsoidal. A total of eight fixtures with integrated shutters were used to provide a soft focus to achieve a seamless blend. The fixtures were set to 50 degrees within four zones with two fishers overlaid on each zone to provide the widest and most even beam spread. Color temperatures ranged from 6500K, 5000K, 3200K, 2400K, and a special UV effect. The multiple color temperatures were used to accommodate viewing of the mural during different times of the day and night.

After seven days of intricate installation, the mural was privately unveiled to Brandywine Museum donors on July 30, 2025. Jamie Wyeth, who credits his grandfather N.C. Wyeth as his greatest early artistic influence, has now ensured that “Apotheosis of the Family” is permanently preserved for future generations. The public will have the opportunity to view the mural in person during special guided tours offered by the Brandywine Museum of Art beginning in late 2025.


Mural panel shown with fabricated pipe grid structure.

On August 21, 2025, the new location of the mural and its history were featured in The New York Times in the article “A Giant Wyeth Mural Comes Out of the Vault, Bearing Families’ Stories.”

About Staging Dimensions
Founded in 2001 in Newport News, Virginia, Staging Dimensions specializes in the manufacturing of permanent and portable staging systems including main stages, orchestra pit fillers, tiered riser systems, black box theatre seating risers, ADA ramps, performance stages, camera risers and spotlight towers, and staging accessories. In 2003, the company relocated to New Castle, Delaware and in 2013 the company expanded into a facility four times larger to support its growing operations. Today Staging Dimensions continues to lead the industry in standard staging solutions while carving out a niche in custom fabrication. It’s scenic division has delivered standout projects including: the Hot Wheels Double Dare Loop, scenic staging for the Papal visit to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., a dual-hydraulic mechatronic logo structure for the Philadelphia Wings Lacrosse Team and the custom 100-foot-tall take-off and landing ramps for the Hot Wheels Fearless at the 500” world record jump. Most recently, the company completed the custom fabrication and installation of N.C. Wyeth’s largest mural, Apotheosis of the Family, at Jamie Wyeth’s Point Lookout Farm in Delaware. More information is available at www.stagingdimensions.com.