Strange as it may seem, America's greatest president
did not have a presidential library. In collaboration
with and for the State of Illinois, BRC Imagination
Arts created the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, redefining the possible in presidential libraries.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
plunges you into a fully immersive theatrical experience
of Lincoln's life and presidency.. one of the most
dramatic true stories of all time. The Library
also protects and presents rare artifacts and priceless
documents such as Lincoln's handwritten manuscript of
the Gettysburg Address.
The Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum's mission is
to fully engage the general public in the life and times
of America's 16th President. Visitors encounter
historical settings, interactive exhibits and theatrical
special effects that plunge them into the history, making
it real and personal. Highlight experiences include:
Ghosts of the Library - This spectacular Holavision® show weaves an enchanting tale about the mystery and discovery awaiting the scholar in a great historical archive like the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. During the show, state-of-the-art theatrical illusions combine with a dramatic live-action performance to bring the collection magically to life. Through the power of Holavision® special effects, misty visions of historical figures and events share the stage with a live actor, as viewers are transported on a detective's journey into the past.
The Journey - The most significant exhibit hall in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is The Journey. This immersive, walk-through experience allows the guest to travel with Abraham Lincoln through the emotionally powerful and personal events that shaped his life and that forever shaped the destiny of the United States.
Along the way you enter highly researched, dramatic, "you-are-there" settings that put you "inside" dramatic moments in history. You will personally experience events of Lincoln's life through great storytelling, and vivid, immersive historically accurate environments.
Alternating with the dramatic historical immersion experiences, you also encounter world-class traditional museum "object galleries." Here you can view the real artifacts from the moment in history you have just experienced in the previous gallery. In these "object galleries" you also find interactive opportunities, mini object theaters, amazing interpretive media and additional layers of information to satisfy every level of interest.
Treasures Gallery - As visitors exit The Journey, they enter into the Treasures Gallery, a beautiful exhibit space showcasing many of the actual items that were a part of Lincoln's life. Display cases offer visitors close-up views of a handwritten Gettysburg Address and a signed Emancipation Proclamation, as well as personal effects such as Lincoln's glasses, his shaving mirror and Mary Lincoln's music box.
Lincoln's EyesPresented in the Union Theater - In this dazzling special effects theater presentation, an artist commissioned to create a portrait of Lincoln, struggles to understand all the things he sees in Lincoln's eyes - sorrow, resolve, hope, vision, forgiveness and more.
Mrs. Lincoln's Attic - In this imaginative and highly interactive themed area, the museum's youngest guests can try on period clothing, build a miniature log cabin, interact with a dollhouse based on the Lincolns' home, play with period toys and more.
Ask Mr. Lincoln - This unique interactive theater is your chance to ask Mr. Lincoln a question and receive the answer in his own words.
Warts and All - In our galleries, we have created dozens of high fidelity human figures plus many other original sketches and murals to immerse visitors with the story of Abraham Lincoln. Under the watchful eyes of our historian advisors, BRC designers began by studying all of the known photographs of Lincoln, in order to create a composite "blueprint" of Lincoln's features to guide all of the artists creating different images of Lincoln throughout the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Then, using forensic science techniques, our artists de-aged Lincoln revealing how he should look at younger ages, long before any known photographs were taken.
Scholarship - Through the concept development process, BRC worked closely with a distinguished panel of renowned Lincoln scholars in order to accurately and appropriately present Lincoln's life and the momentous role he played in American history.
The director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, complimented BRC saying, "We selected BRC because they are storytellers who combine both showmanship and scholarship. BRC's work captures the imagination of the broad general public and yet they have a profound respect for accuracy and getting the facts exactly right. This library is our most prestigious building project of the new millennium and Abraham Lincoln deserves nothing less."
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