Opening weekend celebration for the new Ancient. Massive. Wild. – The Bison Exhibit on February 9 to feature an appearance by the OKC Thunder’s Rumble the Bison.

 

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s newest exhibition, Ancient. Massive. Wild. – The Bison Exhibit, opens Friday, February 8, 2019. The temporary exhibition focuses on the iconic American bison through interactive experiences that combine history, artifacts and hands-on activities. Our opening weekend celebration from 10:00 a.m. – noon on February 9th will feature the Oklahoma City Thunder mascot, Rumble the Bison, along with other Thunder entertainers.

 

As part of Ancient. Massive. Wild., The Bison Exhibit, organized and circulated by the National Buffalo Foundation with appreciation to the Kauffman Museum in Newton, Kansas, celebrates the history and significance of the United States’ first national mammal. From its role as a primary provider for the Plains Indian people, to its years languishing on the brink of extinction — and its current comeback — the bison has long held a singular place in the American West. Ancient. Massive. Wild. – The Bison Exhibit will remain at the National Cowboy Museum until May 12, 2019.

 

“No creature more thoroughly embodies the West than the American bison,” said Museum President & CEO Natalie Shirley. “Bringing Ancient. Massive. Wild. – The Bison Exhibit to Oklahoma City, and enhancing that experience utilizing the National Cowboy Museum’s vast historic and artistic holdings, promises an exhibition unlike any this city has seen!”

 

The traveling exhibition will be augmented by the Museum’s permanent collection, which offers a rich display of paintings, photographs and sculpture depicting bison, as well as an interactive gallery for visitors of all ages. Also featured in the exhibition are elements celebrating the Oklahoma City Thunder and Rumble the Bison, including a Thunder drum and T-shirt cannon and a wall-sized comic book titled The Story of Rumble.

 

From February 8 – May 12, 2019, more than 40 bison-related public programs will serve to enrich the exhibition. These include a family sleepover in cooperation with the OKC Zoo that will feature a special visit by Rumble the Bison; a lunchtime lecture series supported by Oklahoma Humanities; a first-ever Wild Wits Trivia Night; a Bison Film Fest; a Bison and Beer Paint Night; Spring Break drop-in activities; even a bus excursion to see bison in the wild at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, a Nature Conservancy site near Pawhuska, Oklahoma.