QUICK FACT SHEET
Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center
What is the new Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center?
The Museum and Education Center features 23 galleries and theater – each of them with interactive components, original artifacts, or engaging technology – that illuminate the detailed story of Washington’s life, including his military and presidential careers. The building will also serve as Washington’s presidential library with classroom space and computers that will provide access to more than 20,000 letters written by Washington during his lifetime.
Why is it called an “Education Center”?
The Education Center captivates visitors through 10 original videos produced by The History Channel, LED map displays, dynamic graphics, surround-sound audio programs, an “immersive” theater experience, illusionist lighting effects, dramatic staging, and touch-screen computer monitors. The engaging, state-of-the-art displays, along with approximately 200 artifacts, tells Washington’s entire life story, from the childhood adversities he overcame, through his adventures in the new American frontier, to his heroic leadership that brought victory to the Continental Army, and his precedent-setting role as first president.
What is exhibited in the Museum?
The Museum features over 500 objects in six permanent galleries and a changing exhibition space. By exhibiting treasured artifacts most closely associated with life at Mount Vernon, the Revolutionary War and presidency, the Museum showcases the taste, style, and personalities of the Washingtons. Some objects are shown at Mount Vernon for the first time.
Why is it called the “Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center”?
The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center was made possible by a $24 million donation by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named.
When does it open?
The official Grand Opening will be on October 27, 2006, and will include keynote speaker David McCullough, VIP guests, 18th-century-style musicians and military re-enactors, and more. Also opening that day will be the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center (see Quick Fact Sheet: Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center).
There has been a lot of excitement about the life-size representations of George Washington at different ages that were specially created for the Center. What exactly are they?
Deciding that physical appearance is a crucial element to learning about and relating to the real George Washington, Mount Vernon’s Executive Director, Jim Rees, determined that visitors needed to see what Washington looked like as an adventurous surveyor and frontiersman, as the forceful commander-in-chief during the Revolutionary War, and as the dynamic first president of the United States.
With no extant portraits that depict Washington under the age of 40 – and not wanting to disturb the “Father of Our Country’s” final resting place – Mount Vernon embarked on an unprecedented venture to unite the fields of art, science, and historical research to create three accurate life-size wax models of Washington as a 19-year-old surveyor, 45-year-old general, and 57-year-old president.
What kind of science was used in creating these models?
Mount Vernon convened a team of experts, led by Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz, forensic anthropologist; Dr. Anshuman Razdan, computer scientist; and Ivan Schwartz, sculptor at StudioEIS. Using special software, three dimensional imaging equipment, historical documents, and expert artists, Mount Vernon analyzed a bust of Washington made when he was 53 (sculpted by Jean-Antoine Houdon and reported to be the best likeness ever made of the man), his dentures, clothing, and various portraits. The finished result – three lifelike wax figures with real human hair and bodies outfitted with realistic clothing – are integral parts of the Education Center’s exhibitions. Visitors learn how the figures were made in the “Reconstructing George Washington Gallery”, which details the processes taken to re-create the likenesses of Washington.
How are they be displayed?
For the first time in over 200 years, visitors are able to stand in the presence of “George Washington” at Mount Vernon and get a sense of what he looked like.
The youngest model – that of a 19-year-old Washington –is shown near Washington’s original surveying equipment as he explores western Virginia in the “Young Virginian Gallery”.
The “First in War Gallery” features the 45-year-old figure at Valley Forge. Washington is astride his white horse, Blueskin, as he sustains his troops during the most threatening winter in American history. Nearby, a reconstructed cabin – complete with a sick soldier whose hacking cough kept him in his bunk – is cooled to a wintertime temperature so that visitors can experience what life was like during those most dire months of the Revolutionary War.
The “People’s President Gallery” showcases the 57-year-old forensic Washington being sworn in to office on the balcony of Federal Hall. As visitors stand beneath the inaugural setting, they are able to place their hand on a replica Bible, recite the oath of office, and listen to the crowd cheer around them. The solemn significance of being the first president in an untested democracy will be evident in this part of the Center.
What are some other things visitors will see?
Eleven videos produced by The History Channel are used throughout the Museum and Education Center to illustrate and communicate Washington’s remarkable life.
Educational resources such as a distance learning center, designed to connect communities to Mount Vernon with two-way broadcasting, a virtual presidential library providing access to Washington’s 20,000 letters, lesson plans, and other learning materials, and a hands-on history area for children will further convey the themes and ideas of the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center.
Who designed the exhibits?
Exhibits for the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center were designed by the team of Christopher Chadbourne & Associates (www.ccadesign.com), Museum Design Associates (www.mdadesign.com), and Dennis Earl Moore Productions (www.dempinc.com). Fabrication for the exhibits in the Museum and Education Center was conducted by Art Guild, Inc. (www.artguildinc.com).
Exhibit galleries in the Donald W. Reynolds Museum were designed by Quenroe Associates (www.quenroe.com)
About Mount Vernon
Since 1860, over 80 million visitors have made George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America. Through thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.” Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853. A picturesque drive to the southern end of the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon is located just 16 miles from the nation’s capital.
About the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation
The Donald W Reynolds foundation is a national philanthropic organization founded by the late media entrepreneur for whom it was named. Reynolds was the founder and principal owner of the Donrey Media Group. When he died in 1993, the company included over 70 businesses, the majority of which were in the communications/media field. Headquartered in Las Vegas, the Reynolds Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. For more information visit online at www.dwreynolds.org.
