First Americans Museum

At First Americans Museum (FAM), visitors experience the collective histories of 39 distinctive First American Nations in Oklahoma. b+r had the honor of working with a talented team of curators, writers, narrators, artists, musicians, producers, and RAA, the exhibit firm, to craft four large-scale immersive experiences within the museum. 

The Origins Theater seeks to convey the stories of four tribes represented in the Museum’s OKLA HOMMA exhibition. The first immersive media experience visitors encounter, it is intended to spark a paradigm shift, allowing people to see the rest of the exhibition through the lens of shared cultural values. In Uprooted, filmed interviewees detail the impact of forced assimilation and removal on Indigenous people. Accompanied by large-scale graphics, interviewees are seated in a way to emulate the intimate environment of a conversation. The Exit Experience is a poetic animation of Seminole patchwork with ambient sounds and a voiceover montage of community members offering parting words. The Xchange is a gathering place that draws people together to explore the themes of the museum and the tribes of Oklahoma via an adaptable and living media playlist.

Each piece seeks to cohesively represent the diverse cultures, principals, and traditions of the tribes featured in the Museum, using media, light, and sound. Throughout the design experience, b+r worked alongside the FAM curatorial team, seeking the advice, knowledge, and approval of tribal members and the represented communities to ensure all media reinforced and amplified their voices while unifying the exhibition.

Credits:
Origins Theater: Randy Kemp (Choctaw/Mvskoke/Euchee), Rykelle Kemp (Mvskoke/Euchee/Diné/Choctaw), Raven Halfmoon (Caddo), Robin “Bihku” Williams (Caddo/Wichita),Jessica R. Harjo, MA, PhD (Otoe-Missouria/Osage/Pawnee/Sac & Fox)
The Xchange: Jeri Redcorn (Caddo)
The Exit Experience: Seminole Tribe

Select Photography by James Pepper Henry (Kaw/Muscogee) and Chuck Choi