Thinkwell Group, the global experience design and production firm, is celebrating the recent opening of the U.S. Marshals Museum (USMM), a national museum dedicated to telling the story of the nation’s oldest law enforcement agency. The firm designed, produced and delivered the guest experience for the new museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, including all media production, interactives, and technology integration.
The USMM provides a comprehensive account of the country’s first law enforcement organisation, which dates back to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The museum is situated on the historic banks of the Arkansas River, where famed deputy Marshals like Bass Reeves and the Three Guardsmen passed from the Federal court in Fort Smith into the western territories to bring law and order to the frontier.
The story of America
“The story of the U.S. Marshals is the story of America–of struggling to live up to the ‘glorious promise’ of the Constitution,” says Cynthia Sharpe, senior principal at Thinkwell and executive creative director on the project. “We had to create a space in which guests could engage with some really challenging moments in the nation’s history, but also balance it with the fun and larger-than-life stories of the U.S. Marshals Service.”
The 53,000 square foot (4926 square metre) star-shaped facility, which was modelled after the design of the U.S. Marshals emblem, is home to six immersive exhibit zones. These six areas highlight the Marshals’ crucial role in upholding the law, motivated by justice, integrity, and service. Four Marshals from various times recount significant turning points in the U.S. Marshals’ history around a campfire in the museum’s focal point.
Other exhibits include a reconstruction of an Old West frontier town with a historically realistic U.S. Marshal’s office and saloon where visitors can read an interactive book called “The First Lawmen” to learn about the history of the first U.S. Marshals appointed by President Washington. Visitors can interact with the welcoming barman and play the interactive card game “Icons of the Old West” inside the saloon.
Visitors can also engage in the “To Carry a Badge” interactive fugitive chase simulation, which is modelled after genuine training technology used by the Marshals and other U.S. law enforcement agencies, to learn about the work and training of the agency today.
“It’s the attention to detail that sets The U.S. Marshals Museum apart,” says Chuck Roberts, senior art director at Thinkwell. “It paints a vivid, living picture of the oft-unknown history of the Marshals. To bring a story like this to life with the latest design thinking and an innovative approach to the media and digital interactives has been a special achievement for our global teams, and we are thrilled to now share this work with the public.”
Earlier this year, Thinkwell Group announced several high-profile promotions as the expansion of its integrated services continues with TAIT Group. The firm has seen significant growth since joining TAIT, and the promotions recognise the recipients’ dedication to the industry, with strong leadership and exceptional client partnerships.
Top image: Entrance to A Changing Nation, chronicling the struggles Marshals often faced between their own conflicting ideologies and their duty to uphold the law. U.S. Marshals Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas.
