Client: The National Cowgirl Museum

Location: Ft. Worth, TX, United States

Completion date: 2019

Project Team

Industry Resource

Ideum

Ideum

Other

Miranda Due, Project Coordinator

Ideum

Client

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Overview

The Western Design Room invites visitors to step into a room filled with projections and explore western related designs and artifacts. The exhibit allows visitors to create custom objects by selecting pattern combinations and textures pulled from the Museum’s collection items. The exhibit utilizes three short throw projectors, blended with Pandora's box, and is run by visitors using an Ideum 65″ touch table. The immersive tapestry and digital application were made using Unity.

Goals

Ideum was challenged to create an experience that not only showcases collection items but also celebrates all of the designs in a cohesive and modern way. Ideum collaborated with the National Cowgirl Museum to make selections from the Museum's collections to serve as a point of inspiration. Although each selection has a unique style and design, western wear as a whole represents the spirit and scenery of the American West. Ideum designer Hillary Cleary re-imagined each artifact element and redesigned the elements to work together in a cohesive tapestry. The imagery of cacti, stars, horses, and flowers come together to paint a beautiful scene, and elements such as fringe and embroidery nod to the heritage of American Indian elements found in western wear throughout the years.

Process

The project began with a collaborative brainstorming session to determine what type of objects should be in the exhibit, and to what extent visitors would be able to customize their experience. Cowgirl boots, western shirts, and painted horse statues were eventually selected as the objects, and Ideum created 3D models of each to create the most visually compelling experience possible.
Ideum collaborated with the Museum to select items from their collections of western boots and shirts. Selections were made based on the stories behind the artifacts, the uniqueness of the design, and the overall cohesiveness the design could have within the full experience. Alongside the design and development process, Ideum prototyped a full-scale experience to allow all parties to make informed design decisions. The Museum made multiple visits to the Ideum studio to provide feedback on design and functionality.

Additional Information

https://ideum.com/