Media kit: Liichokoshkomo' at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

AN OVERVI EW FOR M EDIA

Callie Collins, Marketing Strategist

Gina Anderson, Communications Strategist

(405) 478-2250 ext. 293 ccollins@nationalcowboymuseum.org

(405) 478-2250 ext. 284 ganderson@nationalcowboymuseum.org

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Welcome to Liichokoshkomo’!

Location

Admission

Hours

Free for Museum members Adults $12.50 Kids ages 6 to 12: $5.75 Free for kids ages 5 and under

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd St. Oklahoma City, OK 73111

Monday – Saturday Rain or Shine 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Noon – 5:00 p.m.

Visiting Liichokoshkomo’ is included with regular Museum admission.

Liichokoshkomo’ (pronounced Lee-cho-kosh-ko-MO) is Chickasaw for “Let’s play!” The spirit of that statement is an invitation for the community to experience hands-on, minds-on learning in a world-class environment.

This new outdoor expansion to the Museum is a cross-cultural setting with more than 100,000 square feet dedicated to purposeful play, experiential learning and family fun that continues and expands upon the many stories of the West found within the Museum.

Schedule of Events Spring Break Sneak Peek – See it first!: March 14 – 21 Liichokoshkomo’ will be open to the public in time for Spring Break 2020. Come play in our newest crosscultural space dedicated to experiential learning! Open March 14 – March 21 with themed activities each day.

From cooking demonstrations and dance troupes to storytelling and STEAM activities, there will be something for everyone.

The Museum expansion will complement and make three dimensional themes already known within the Museum, with focus on three primary story angles: Native Americans, Westward Movement and Magnificent Landscapes.

Official Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony: April 15 A members-only event will be hosted Wednesday, April 15 at 5:30 p.m. for the new 100,000 square-foot venue. Annie Oakley Society National Co-Chairs Cathy Keating, former first lady of Oklahoma, and Lynn Friess, will be present to celebrate the Society’s fundraising efforts.

Liichokoshkomo’ was made possible, in part, by the Society through a decade of related philanthropic campaigns. Children ages 12 and under may accompany adults to play in Liichokoshkomo’ without charge during the evening event.

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The Concept behind Liichokoshkomo’ Discover, learn and do: Culture meets play at Liichokoshkomo.’

Transform a Museum visit into an interactive day outside! Learn about diverse cultures, play traditional games and create art in a space where it is ok to get messy. Hear storytellers, stargaze and make s’mores and memories under the Western skies.

“The expansion is a stunning natural outdoor environment dedicated to providing imaginative and interactive educational opportunities to complement the extensive narratives, resources and programming at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.”

– Cathy Keating, Annie Oakley Society National Chair

Daily activities include:

• Dodge a geyser/mister or enjoy the spray to cool off on hot days • Learn about Native Americans’ use of astronomy/ constellation charting • Practice the engineering techniques of Native American structures • Make and play traditional games • Create art that imitates a set theme or technique according to a guest artist’s instruction • Add to a weaving on a giant loom • Create your own pottery while learning about the elements used to transform it • Explore the economics of trade and supply and demand • Examine the structure of a tipi and build your own • Grind corn with a mortar and pestle • Load a wagon and hypothesize a journey West • Tie down a pretend steer in the rodeo to learn roping tricks • Learn braiding techniques from vaqueros • Use a telegraph to send messages to friends • Discover traditions that contribute to culture and keep customs alive

Purposeful Play: By the Numbers Learning powered by STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) 7 Native Village Structures Dwellings that represent Caddo, Chickasaw, Hopi, Kiowa, Navajo, Pawnee and Puebloan ways of life 1 Themed Playground The Friess Family Playground is for ages 12 and under

17 Months of Construction Time Groundbreaking was November 2018

8 STEAM Activities Hands-on, minds-on guided activities are available every day

10 Indoor Spaces to Play Available anytime the Museum is open, rain or shine

100k Square Feet

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Teaching children about their heritage through creative play underscores all programming.

Expected Takeaways • A broader cultural understanding and sense of the diverse identities that exist within the American West • New or renewed interest in historical, social and artistic concepts • Quality time with family members for intergenerational conversations • Memorable activities that inform, entertain and educate • The ability to connect textbook concepts with real-life implications

Experience the Museum Galleries The mission of the National Cowboy Museum is to preserve and interpret the evolving history and cultures of the American West for the education and enrichment of its diverse audiences of adults and children. This it does through numerous galleries featuring everything from Native American art and cultural items to Western fine art and artifacts, pop culture items and halls of fame. Access to the galleries is included with admission.

A Space for All: Foundation & Goals Liichokoshkomo’ will promote learning through play-based environments, placing children on a path of discovery, lifelong learning, innovation, literacy and creativity.

Experiential Learning

Art inside the Museum inspires children to become creators within its backyard. As a maker space, there is room to do crafts and art that imitate a set theme or technique according to a guest artist’s instruction.

Foster a cultural connection point for all visitors

Diverse voices and traditional ways of life make the visit an experience relevant to all generations.

Be an urban oasis in the heart of Oklahoma City

Liichokoshkomo’ is an intentional green space with room to picnic, play and enjoy the Museum’s surrounding gardens.

Offer room to roam

Give visitors a place to take a break outside in a relaxed area and kids the freedom to play in the Museum’s backyard. Encourage healthy habits through active play.

Balance approaches to STEAM

Parenting in the age of screens presents unique challenges. STEAM activities at Liichokoshkomo’ balance technology with its practical application through hands-on, minds-on games, experiments and cooperative learning. Participate in cultural arts, from folk dance and basketweaving to decorating a water jar or beading necklaces.

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Cross-cultural Space and Playscape “This cross-cultural space is for visitors of all ages to share customs that form traditions and rediscover our shared heritage.”

Caddo

– Diana Fields, Senior Director of Education and Programming

Structures inside Liichokoshkomo’

Native villages will include dwellings that represent seven indigenous groups:

Chickasaw

Caddo: View and feel a replica Caddo grass lodge, learn about the community, their culture and the materials used to build their magnificent homes. Try to follow the steps to gather, bundle and tie wall layers on a wooden frame. Play a matching game, identifying Caddo pottery techniques.

Chickasaw: Explore a replica Council House, a primary meeting space to learn about the Chickasaw people and how the structure played an important role in the community. This component will also be a forum for facilitated conversations where children voice opinions about issues and decisions important to them.

Hopi

Hopi: Visitors can learn about Hopi history and culture while exploring a pueblo dwelling, viewing pottery designs and putting together large clay pottery puzzles at one of three activity stations.

Kiowa: Kiowa culture comes alive at the Kiowa tipi. Visitors will listen to Kiowa language, decipher hide art stories, paint a story representing life events, follow plans and use materials to construct a child-size tipi.

Navajo: Visitors will discover the differences in Diné Hogan structures and try weaving on an oversized rug loom.

Kiowa

Pawnee: Step into an earth lodge to explore the detailed architectural design, play with replica toys, grind corn with a mortar and pestle as well as attend facilitated crafts.

Puebloan: Explore the origins of contemporary Puebloan culture.

Learn about reverence and traditions that help visitors understand the significance of indigenous spaces.

Pawnee

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Additional Areas and Features

Train Depot

Inscription Canyon: Guests enter the canyon and see a visual representation of how people from around the world contributed to the American West. In conflict and cooperation, they have created diverse cultures and experiences. Amid that diversity, they sought sustenance, community and home. Visitors can create a rub of inscriptions and discover tracks in the path.

Rodeo: Enter the arena to learn to rope, tie down a steer, try braiding techniques and explore the origins of modern cowboy words and terms.

This space connects guests with the culture, history and story of the Mexican vaquero, the direct ancestor of the North American cowboy.

Interactive Wagon

Express Employment Professionals Railcar and Train Depot: Travel back in time to schedule a journey at the train station, look through crates to see what goods are being shipped, send important messages to friends using a telegraph and listen to and decipher locomotive horn signals.

The Greens’ Pioneer Path, Sod Home and Interactive Wagon: Hypothesize a journey West choosing to reestablish a sense of home in a new land. Load a wagon and determine what to take using a supply list, read a travel journal and make an entry, trot over to the sod home to view an early pioneer structure and prepare a pot of pretend beans in a Dutch oven pot.

Trading Post

Love’s Trading Post: The trading post became an integral part of Native American life in the southwest for a large part of the 20th century.

Explore the economics of trade and supply and demand while touching goods and bartering for supplies at the Southwest-style trading post.

Gaylord Corral and Cattle Ramp: Explore the brief history of cattle drives, why they were important and how they ended. Decode brand markings from famous Western ranches, create your own brand, grab a yard of fabric and take part in the bandanna tying challenge.

Cattle Corral

Friess Family Playground: Enjoy free play in a vibrant new Western themed area that includes slides, monkeybars and other areas for children to enjoy.

A Geyser and Waterfall: Sit and enjoy the beauty of nature at this magnificent water feature, dodge the 15’ spray of the geyser on hot days and follow the winding stream to the Buffalo Bill pond to discover a fishthemed surprise.

Geyser and Waterfall

Replica of a wild buffalo herd

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Classes and Events Planned offerings include:

Follow the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum on social media for class schedules, updates and additional events. #mywest #askacurator #howdoyoumuseum

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Dutch oven cooking Basketmaking Candle dipping Leatherwork Sewing Fishing 101 Indigenous engineers Late nights at the Museum Pet a Horse Equestrian Day National Day of the Cowboy Fall Festival Annual Chuck Wagon Festival Kids Take Over the Cowboy

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Boilerplates for Media Use About Liichokoshkomo’

Liichokoshkomo’ (pronounced Lee-cho-kosh-ko-MO) is a Chickasaw phrase meaning “Let’s play!,” which is the concept behind the newest experiential learning space at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Its outdoor setting fosters purposeful play through STEAM activities and connects visitors with the social and historical influences that shaped the West. Liichokoshkomo’ centers on three key themes: people, places and perseverance. Hands-on, minds-on activities and learning by doing bring history to life for museum guests of all ages, with emphasis on purposeful play, inclusivity and diverse voices. The world-class educational setting opens in March 2020.

About the Annie Oakley Society

Liichokoshkomo’ is a project of the Annie Oakley Society which is comprised of women leaders and philanthropists who, like Annie Oakley, play a significant role in shaping communities while keeping the values and spirit of the West alive through the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Its mission is to build and sustain world-class education experiences for children and families to teach the rich history of the American West for generations to come. The Society celebrates the diversity of America’s heritage by honoring significant women who have achieved a remarkable first or been a trailblazer of national notoriety. Honorees are recognized each year at the Annie Oakley Society Awards Luncheon, proceeds from which benefit special educational programming initiatives at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Past honorees include Kristin Chenoweth, Nadia Comaneci, Reba McEntire and Sandra Day O’Connor. To learn more, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/annieoakleysociety.

About the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is located only six miles northeast of downtown Oklahoma City in the Adventure District at the junction of Interstates 44 and 35, the state’s exciting Adventure Road corridor. The Museum offers annual memberships beginning at just $40. For more information, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.

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People. Places. Perseverance. Press Inquiries Native populations, pioneers, settlers, farmers, cowboys and women’s roles within those different cultures and settings make up the story of the West that will be presented within Liichokoshkomo.’

Gina Anderson

(405) 478-2250 ext. 284 ganderson@nationalcowboymuseum.org

1700 Northeast 63rd Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111 (405) 478-2250 nationalcowboymuseum.org