Ideum, an experiential designer of interactive exhibits, previously announced a partnership with the USS Missouri Memorial Association in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to develop an immersive onboard exhibit exploring the ship’s key role in World War II. Now, it has shared a progress update on the project, called Pathway to Peace: USS Missouri’s World War II Experience, which will debut on 2 September 2025, the 80th anniversary of the war’s end.
Since the exhibit announcement, Ideum has been busy constructing exhibit cases, producing the interior space, preparing a video wall, developing software, and editing interviews with USS Missouri WWII crewmembers and eyewitnesses of the Surrender Ceremony. The first phase of installation also took place earlier this month.
Custom artefact cabinets
For the exhibit Ideum is creating custom cabinets to display items reflecting the ship’s WWII journey. These cabinets fit between the ship’s historic bulkheads on the Second Deck, blending modern design with naval history. The artefacts inside, which include personal items and tools as well as memorabilia from significant wartime moments, provide insights into the lives of the sailors who served aboard this legendary battleship.
Two interior-lit vitrines will also be incorporated into the new exhibit walls. Ideum’s skilled team is responsible for the design, engineering, construction, and installation, ensuring preservation and an engaging visitor experience.
The exhibit wall will also include an integrated inline frameless multitouch display, showcasing interactive interviews with three sailors who served during World War II to preserve these personal stories.
Interactive veteran interviews
The team already interviewed Ed Buffman earlier this year and has now recorded interviews with two more of the eight known surviving witnesses of the Japanese Surrender Ceremony aboard the USS Missouri for the interactive interview station. These include Lee Broussard, a former member of Admiral William Halsey’s flagstaff who was temporarily stationed aboard the Missouri during the war’s final days, and John DeLeo, who served as a Yeoman aboard the USS Missouri throughout its World War II service.
Combined, these interviews vividly capture the experiences of individuals who served on the “Mighty Mo” during a pivotal time in history, ensuring their voices are preserved for future generations.
Installing the new exhibit
The first installation of Pathway to Peace: USS Missouri’s World War II Experience is complete, marking a milestone for this immersive exhibit.
Five crates were shipped from Ideum’s fabrication studio in Corrales, New Mexico, containing the exhibit wall sections and the custom artefact display cabinet designed to match the ship’s unique interior. After delivery to the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the crates were forklifted onto a platform alongside the ship for unloading.
“This installation site is quite unique, and a lot of thought and creativity went into the design of the components so we could get them down a small hatch to the Second Deck. Our fabrication team put tremendous effort into crafting solutions for this exhibit space,” says Lauren Distler, director of fabrication at Ideum.
Each exhibit component—from large wall sections to screws—was unloaded and staged at a Second Deck hatch. Due to tight passageways and steep ladders, everything had to be hand-carried to the exhibit location, ensuring ship preservation and precise element placement. The team then assembled the exhibit walls in their final positions, which form the foundation for the exhibit’s storytelling elements and integrated audiovisual components, including a 49” inline multitouch interview station, projector, speakers, and screen.
Ideum designed custom mounting solutions for this project, allowing walls and cabinets to be installed securely without drilling into the ship’s over two-inch thick steel armour decking. This engineering respects the USS Missouri’s historical integrity while ensuring a stable exhibit structure.
“It becomes very real when you see the components being placed together and hear the audio in the exhibit space—testing the A/V components really brings the exhibit to life,” says Rob Demsey, senior producer of media systems at Ideum.
With the walls and A/V systems installed, the first artefact cabinet was assembled on-site.
Transforming the space
“Crafting custom components for a unique exhibit space is much easier when you have a great team. That goes for both our crew at Ideum and the Battleship Missouri Memorial crew. Everyone on their team is a pleasure to work with, and we cannot wait to get the rest of this exhibit installed,” says Alex Scarpitto, exhibits producer at Ideum.
The next stage of the exhibit installation is scheduled for April 2025. During this second phase, Ideum will complete the remaining custom artefact cabinets, finalise and test the projector and interview station media, and install all graphics and interpretive panels.
This phase represents the final steps of Ideum’s involvement in the exhibit’s physical and digital elements before the Battleship Missouri Memorial’s curatorial team meticulously positions artefact mounts and finalises the interpretive and informational signage. These finishing touches will ensure the space conveys a compelling narrative and showcases the artefacts with the care and context they deserve.
“Collaborating with the Ideum team to bring this exhibit to life has been a true labor of love,” says Frank Clay, Battleship Missouri Memorial curator. “We’re honored to give a voice to our World War II crew members and showcase the USS Missouri’s pivotal role in the war. We look forward to kicking off the next phase of the exhibit installation next year and opening it to visitors as part of our 80th-anniversary commemorations of the war’s end.”
Earlier this year, Ideum revealed details of its latest touch-table product, the Tasting Table. The Tasting Table is bundled with its Wine Experience software and offers a comprehensive platform for developing customised wine-tasting experiences.
