Solid Light Inc., a design-build firm creating emotionally engaging visitor experiences for civic, corporate and cultural destinations, played a key role in creating the new George Washington: A Revolutionary Life exhibit in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
This innovative exhibition offers a deeper, more nuanced view of George Washington's life and legacy, and it serves as the highlight of Mount Vernon’s recent $20 million upgrade of the Education Center—an estate gift to America for its 250th anniversary. It replaces the earlier exhibition that opened in 2006.
Solid Light, Inc., the exhibit's primary designer, fabricator, and installer, collaborated with Mount Vernon to improve the visitor experience through innovative technology and experiential design, creating an immersive journey that links Washington’s 18th-century leadership to today.
George Washington: A Revolutionary Life includes multimedia, interactive activities, artefacts, and guided engagement© Judy Davis, Architectural Photographer
The 21,000-square-foot core exhibit combines multimedia presentations, interactive activities, rare artefacts, tactile displays, and guided engagement to offer a fresh perspective on Washington’s roles as a surveyor, farmer, citizen, military leader, and president.
Visitors navigate the Great Hall to explore the different phases of Washington’s life: Early Life to Becoming a Patriot 1732-1775; Revolutionary Leader 1775-1783; Mount Vernon to the Constitution 1784-1788; and Presidency to Final Act 1789-1799.
Additional content is easily accessible through short side journeys that provide deeper insights into Washington’s life and leadership.
An inclusive approach
“We are incredibly honored to have partnered with Mount Vernon on this extraordinary project,” says Mike McCarthy, chief executive officer at Solid Light, Inc. “This exhibit takes a powerful, broader look at America’s first president.
"We’re proud that our team helped create an environment that tells Washington’s fascinating story, all the way from the beginning. My expectation is that this new exhibition helps spark conversation and curiosity towards George Washington’s legacy, and the decisions that shaped the founding of our country.”
The Solid Light team at work on site at George Washington's Mount Vernon
Highlights of the exhibition include George Washington’s Revolutionary War camp bed, the only complete set of his dentures, archaeological finds from the Mansion Revitalization Project, artefacts related to enslaved people at Mount Vernon, and items from Washington’s presidential households.
The collection also includes rare documents from the founding era, such as an early ratification copy of the U.S. Constitution.
Over the five-year project, the team collaborated with historians, educators, and descendant communities to craft a thorough and inclusive interpretive approach.
To effectively include voices often marginalised in early American history, they deliberately worked with the League of the Descendants of the Enslaved at Mount Vernon, aiming to portray their possible appearances and stories.
The team's goal was to take a thorough and inclusive interpretive approach to the George Washington: A Revolutionary Life exhibit© Judy Davis, Architectural Photographer
By integrating archival imagery, family records, personal memories, new AI technology, and digital art, they produced portraits of enslaved men and women at Mount Vernon, offering a more comprehensive view of that historical period.
“We set out to create the most complete and up-to-date exhibition on George Washington anywhere in the world,” says Doug Bradburn, president and CEO at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
“By combining extraordinary artifacts, groundbreaking scholarship, immersive experiences, and the latest technology, visitors can explore Washington’s life in ways that simply were not possible before. Most importantly, the exhibition helps people understand not only who Washington was, but why his ideas, leadership, and example still matter today.”
Last month, Solid Light announced the expansion of its executive leadership team, promoting Mike Marnell to chief operating officer and Ben Jett to chief creative officer.
