Live the Code
A Future Vision
The Future Speaks a New Language
The “Live the Code” capital campaign is an initiative to raise $40 million to modernize the Museum’s guest experiences and infrastructure. Major campaign efforts include transforming the Museum’s exhibits by creating best-in-the-world experiences to teach and interpret the diverse history of the West; enhancing the storage capacity and environmental conditions of the vaults that serve as the finest repository of Western and Native American art, artifacts and documents; and investing in facility and infrastructure upgrades.
Find Your West
West Hallway
Through best-in-class technology, the west hallway immerses guests into a floor-to-ceiling video experience, serving as a visual gateway, allowing each guest to SEE THEMSELVES within the West.
Code of the West
The new, interactive Code of the West exhibit allows guests to SEE THEMSELVES DIFFERENTLY through the ethos of the American Cowboy. Timeless – but never old-fashioned – this interactive exploration into character and integrity leads to meaningful conversations between young and old.
360°
The history of the West is as diverse as the breathtaking landscapes and people who call it home. Scheduled for Fall 2025, guests will engage in a 360° Cinematic Experience that will transport them to a place where the rich history of the region comes alive, encouraging all to Find their West.
The
Vault
Our world-class collection of Western art and artifacts equip the Museum to tell the stories of the West better than anyone. The vaults in which these items are kept need to be updated and expanded. This will ensure the best preservation of the materials with which we’ve been entrusted for generations to come.
Building
Infrastructure
The Museum has numerous infrastructure needs in order to keep the facility modern. Projects include parking lot resurfacing and expansion, classroom updates and upgraded digital infrastructure for the business units of the Museum.
The
DRC
The Dickinson Research Center (DRC) and its vault serve as the repository for Western documents, records and images that help us tell the story of the West. The DRC will be moved upstairs so that researchers and interested parties have a front-facing experience. The vault needs to be updated to expand and enhance its capacity for acquiring and storing its material.
Ours is the opportunity to champion a future guided by timeless truths. We must deliver on the promise of this potential.
We Must Live the Code.
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is not a place where one only comes to REMEMBER. It must be the place one visits to DISCOVER. To champion the Code of the West through a narrative that displays the collective ideal of what it takes to be a stronger person – to chase a dream, to brave terrors, to overcome obstacles and to come out the other side a different person with a new perspective.
News
Economic Impact Study Reveals National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Key Role as Economic Driver in Oklahoma
A recent economic impact study conducted by RegionTrack shows the significant contribution that The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has had to the Oklahoma City and Oklahoma economies thought its ongoing operations, capital investments and visitor attractions. The study, projecting a total economic impact of $313 million to the state in this decade, illustrates the Museum is not only a cultural landmark that preserves the history of the American West but is also a vital economic engine for the city and the state.
Inasmuch Foundation Directors Visit the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to Bestow a Major Gift
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Announces Find Your West Immersive Exhibit Opening
William S. and Ann Atherton Foundation Provides Transformational Gift to The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Live the Code Capital Campaign
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Unveils Code of the West Interactive Exhibit
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Launches Live the Code Capital Campaign
