FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Annie Oakley Comes Alive through Hologram Technology at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
“Hitting the Mark: Cowgirls and Wild West Shows” Gallery Opens to the Public
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (July 27, 2015) – The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame – the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage in their trailblazing efforts – will bring to life one of the Museum’s most iconic and celebrated National Cowgirl Hall of Fame Honorees, Annie Oakley, in the new Hitting the Mark: Cowgirls and Wild West Shows gallery now open to the public. Oakley will share her story in her own words through the magic of hologram technology. In addition, her wedding ring, hand written letters, and the one of the shotguns she used while traveling with Buffalo Bill Wild West Show will be on display for the first time. Visitors will also get insight into the private life of Annie Oakley, a side that is often over-looked.
The Hitting the Mark: Cowgirls and Wild West Shows gallery displays the historical significance of the cowgirls who performed in the Wild West shows from the 1880s to early 20th century. Visitors will be able to view archival footage projected on several hanging glass screens and colorful images of Wild West posters. Glass showcases specifically designed to reflect curves of femininity will feature rare artifacts including Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show parade flag, which is preserved by a Tru Vue Optium Conservation Grant from the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation and Tru Vue, Inc. The gallery will also house interactive activities for adults and children as well as computer-enhanced archival photographs that uniquely bring the time period to life. Local artist Janice Hart created a life-size statue of Annie Oakley which will display Oakley’s gun.
“The new ‘Hitting the Mark’ gallery will allow visitors to take a step back in time, and experience the pageantry and excitement from the days of Annie Oakley and Wild West Shows,” said Patricia Riley, Executive Director, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. “Visitors will get to see and hear Annie’s exact words and be in the presence of items that were personal to her. It will be an experience unlike any other.”
The Hitting the Mark: Cowgirls and Wild West Shows gallery follows The Grand Rotunda and Anne W. Marion gallery, which debuted May 2015. The Anne W. Marion gallery currently showcases Grace & Grit: Visions of the West by Terri Kelly Moyers exhibit, which includes cowgirls, western landscapes, and Hispanic women depicting the western lifestyle the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame preserves. The exhibit will run through Nov. 8, 2015.
Renovation of the first floor began late 2014 with three international firms. Projectiles, an architectural firm based in Paris, France; Goppion, museum display case designers based in Milan, Italy; and Electrosonic, an international audio-visual design and engineering company based in Burbank, Calif. Local contractors, Linbeck Group, Bennett Benner Partners, and The Projects Group are also on the project.
The second floor will close for renovation in early 2016 and is scheduled for completion in the fall. The second floor will transform into an expansive gallery, which will pay homage to the horse against a backdrop of the wide open spaces in the American West. The Museum will remain open to visitors throughout construction. This will mark the first makeover for the 33,000-square foot, two-story facility since it opened in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2002.
To keep up with the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame renovation process, visit www.cowgirl.net, and follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NCMHOF, Twitter at www.twitter.com/cowgirlmuseum, Instagram www.instagram.com/cowgirlmuseum, Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/cowgirlmuseum, and YouTube at: www.youtube.com/user/cowgirlmuseum.
About the Projectiles
Projectiles is a young architecture firm located in Paris France, made up of two architects and an interior designer. They emphasize practices that stand alongside fields of art and architecture. The firm has worked on projects at The Center of The Arts and Culture of Lebanon in Beirut, Lebanon, and The National Museum of Nancy, France. Most notably, they were principles on The Gallery of History of “Chateau de Versailles,” in France in 2013, and the Jean-Paul Gautier exhibition seen worldwide including Dallas, Madrid, and London. The firm’s accolades include the 2006 New Album of Young Architects from the Ministry of Culture; 2nd place in the International Design & Communication Awards of New York for the Jean-Paul Gautier exhibition; and special mention for design of the French Pavilion in 2014.
About Goppion
Goppion S.p.A. designs, develops and builds display cases and museum installations. Goppion’s began in 1952 in Milan after World War II as a small glass-making workshop. Today, the company is a partner that works alongside curators and exhibit designers to resolve all museum exhibition issues with dedicated engineering solutions that have come about thanks to experience collaborating with some of the most famous architects and museums throughout the world. New and prestigious projects keep the company busy on all continents while collaborations with some of the most important museums in the world – the Louvre, the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston – have led to more continuous relationships. The display case created for the Mona Lisa in 2005 garnered the company worldwide fame.
About Electrosonic
Electrosonic is a worldwide audio-visual company with extensive experience in designing, project managing, engineering and supporting AV systems and products. Founded in 1964, the company has always been among the first to apply new technology to create tailored, state-of-the-art solutions that meet the challenges of the professional AV market. With 50 years of experience working on complex projects, both large and small and in multiple geographic territories, Electrosonic has developed a reputation that is unsurpassed in the industry.
About Linbeck
Linbeck is a Texas-based, construction management company offering Construction Management at-Risk, Design/Build, Integrated Project Delivery and related construction services. Since the firm’s inception in 1938, the company culture is based on integrity and trust. Linbeck operates offices in Houston, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, Texas with projects throughout the US. Since 1989, Linbeck has won 14 AGC Build America Awards and was awarded the Grand Award for the 2010 top construction project, Dallas’s Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. (www.linbeck.com)
About Bennett Benner Partners
Bennett Benner Partners is an architecture and planning firm focused on thoughtful, meaningful design solutions through collaboration and personal service. The firm provides sustainable architecture, urban design and planning, interior design and landscape architecture services. Bennett Benner Partners has been based in Fort Worth for nearly 60 years.
About The Projects Group
Established in 2002 by a group of seasoned design and construction professionals, The Projects Group offers comprehensive program and project management services to companies, non-profit organizations and institutional entities needing to augment their Client/Design Team. Their hallmark is the proven ability to manage unique, architecturally significant and highly technical projects such as museums, performance halls, higher education facilities, LEED construction, and other culturally significant projects.
About the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West, and fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire. The Hall of Fame’s purpose is twofold: to preserve the history and impact of western women living from the mid-1800s to present day, and to foster an appreciation for their ideals and spirit of self-reliance. These women are the legacy of legends — artists and writers, champions and competitive performers, entertainers, ranchers (stewards of land and livestock), trailblazers and pioneers. The Museum is considered an invaluable national educational resource for its exhibits, research library, rare photograph collection, and award-winning distance-learning programs for grades K-12 and adults.
Located at 1720 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76107, the Cowgirl is open Monday (Memorial Day to Labor Day) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for children ages 3 to 12 and senior citizens (60+) and $10 for adults (ages 13+). For more information, please visit www.cowgirl.net or call 817-476-FAME (3263).
###
MEDIA CONTACT
Tara Trask
817-509-8969
ttrask@cowgirl.net