OKLAHOMA CITY – The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is pleased to announce the grand opening of its first-of-its-kind, immersive, projection-mapped Find Your West exhibit, with 27 projectors and 768 LED tiles made up of more than 23 million LED lights and representing work from more than 50 people from five different countries. This state-of-the-art addition to the Museum’s experience was made possible through generous donations from The Harold Hamm Foundation, Continental Resources and Larry and Polly Nichols.

 

The 3,000-square-foot exhibit is the first museum project for Lighthouse Immersive, the world’s leading creator of projection-mapped immersive experiences. It features four vignettes, telling the stories of Cowboy, Native American, Ranching and Rodeo cultures, showing both the historic realities and thriving contemporary facts and imagery of these diverse and distinct Western cultures. Situated within The Cowboy’s West Hallway, the large-scale, floor-to-ceiling exhibit also encircles visitors in western vistas and tells the story of the migration West of America’s early pioneers by immersing them in the sights and sounds of the American frontier. 

 

“The long-time support of the Harold Hamm Foundation, Continental Resources and Larry and Polly Nichols has allowed the Museum to continue to be a world-class institution,” said Pat Fitzgerald, President and CEO of The Cowboy. “Their gifts provided the resources to be the first museum in the world to partner with Lighthouse Immersive to bring the future of museum experiences to our guests who come from all over the world to learn about and experience Western culture and history. This is an experience that will change how you view both historic events and the vitality of Western life today. This is just the beginning of how The Cowboy, with our partnership with Lighthouse Immersive, is changing how people will experience museums in the future.”

 

“Growing up in rural Oklahoma, I learned the values of hard work, grit and entrepreneurship…values that are synonymous with the West,” said Hamm. “This exhibit demonstrates those same values through the stories of Cowboys, Native Americans, Ranchers and Rodeos and elevates the experience of visitors. And it’s just the beginning of the incredible work and evolution of The Cowboy to change how museums are experienced everywhere.”

 

This project is part of The Cowboy’s "Live the Code" capital campaign announced last year, which will raise $40 million to modernize the Museum’s guest experiences and infrastructure.

 

“The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's collections allow us to tell the stories of the West better than anyone, and now we’re advancing the museum-going experience to make sure those stories connect with our guests,” said Larry Nichols, museum board member and capital campaign chair. “Today, museums are not just repositories for the important archives of our past, they are increasingly interactive. Collaborating with a world-class creator of experiences like Lighthouse Immersive elevates our storytelling and sets the bar for museum-based immersive experiences. Polly and I are honored to play a part in the establishment of this exhibit.”

 

Lighthouse Immersive produced the blockbuster Immersive Van Gogh exhibit, as well as Immersive Disney Animation, both of which have enjoyed runs in multiple venues worldwide. The Cowboy’s immersive experience is the first exhibit of its kind produced for a museum by Lighthouse Immersive.

 

“The Cowboy’s executive staff approached us after the success of our Immersive Van Gogh in Oklahoma City, and we’re so glad they did,” said Lighthouse Immersive Co-Founder Corey Ross. “We’re proud to have our best-in-class technology and capabilities to share these incredible stories of the West with the guests at The Cowboy, and we’re looking forward to bringing even more experiences to life in the near future.”

 

Lighthouse Immersive worked with David Korins, Emmy-winning creative director and principal designer of Korins Studio, to develop the layout and set design for Find Your West, which incorporates four vignettes: A tipi, a covered wagon, barn doors and a rodeo bucking shoot. Korins set design credits include the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” as well as multiple other Broadway, television, film and concert productions.

 

“Working on this exhibition was, for me, not just an honor but an incredibly fruitful and educational experience as well,” said Korins. “The museum staff and the curatorial team taught me so much about the legacy of the cowboy, the extraordinary depths of their collection and the magic of the West. I have always believed in the power of three-dimensional storytelling, and these are astonishing stories to tell. It’s a privilege to continue new and exciting work that adds to the cultural landscape of Oklahoma. And it’s thrilling to honor the rich past of the museum while solidly taking a step into the future.”

 

The opening of this first immersive experience is the first step to bring interactive, engaging experiences to The Cowboy. The Cowboy plans to work with Lighthouse Immersive again to open an immersive theater experience in a gallery in late 2025.