MUSEUM AND CULTURAL SITES

Montana Heritage Center

Helena, Montana

Transforming static exhibits into living experiences.

When The Montana Heritage Center set out to offer visitors a fully immersive journey through the states story. They recognized early on that Electrosonic would be instrumental in providing expertise in engineering complex system architecture that synchronizes projection, sound, lighting and motion sensing across the galleries — ensuring each story unfolds in harmony with visitor movement.

The Montana Heritage Center offers visitors a fully immersive journey through the state’s story from its earliest peoples to modern times. The experience blends large scale projections. dynamic LED displays, motion sensor audio and interactive touchpoints that connect visitors to the land, the cultures and moments that shaped Montana.

From hearing the names of Montana’s sovereign nations spoken in their own voices to standing amid projections of wildlife, mining tunnels and open roads. The gallery uses technology to create a living environment that responds to presence, movement and curiosity.

Group of kids surrounding light up board with boy touching it.

Electrosonic brings Montana's stories into motion.

The Montana Heritage Center is a museum dedicated to the history of Montana, displaying an ever-evolving destination where visitors can see more art and historic artifacts, hold events in the auditorium and engage with interactive features that tell Montana’s stories.

This vision comes to life through a seamless blend of storytelling and technology. Visitors hear voices of Montana’s sovereign nations through an interactive kiosk and follow a sweeping curved LED wall that visually carries them through time. Upon entering, motion sensors and touchpoints trigger stories inside a tipi, where projected origin tales and scenes of village life play in sync with sound and lighting.

The narrative continues through eras of mining, resilience, and innovation. Interactive touchscreens tell personal stories of the mining era, while the dramatic Mineshaft Experience surrounds visitors with LED walls, spatial audio and synchronized lighting to recreate life underground.

As guests move into the modern era, they can view a vintage car that comes alive with sound when they take the wheel, explore the open road through projection and audio and engage with stories that highlight Montana’s cultural and technological transformation.

This technology transformation held its own set of challenges as there was many coordination logistics that needed to be worked out to bring these exhibits to life. Navigating timeliness, ever-changing costs and cross team decisions made the process an amazing feat. Through collaboration and communication, the team found solutions and managed a brilliant outcome.

Group of kids surrounding light up board with boy touching it.

Technology working in harmony across every gallery.

Electrosonic joined forces with amazing industry partners such as Avology, Christie, Pixera, QSYS, RLMG, Sletten, Smart Monkeys and SNA Displays to help deliver the vision of the Montana Heritage Center.

Electrosonic designed an integrated AV ecosystem where sound, light and motion respond seamlessly to visitors. Smart Monkeys provided advanced system programming with ISAAC network management, while Pixera powered large-scale visual playback across LED walls and projection surfaces. Q-SYS controlled the audio distribution and synchronization, ensuring every sound cue and lighting change aligned perfectly with the narrative.

SNA Displays supplied custom LED walls and slim vertical displays that define key gallery moments, complemented by Christie projectors that deliver crisp, cinematic imagery. RLMG produced dynamic interactive and media content tailored to each display, bringing Montana’s stories vividly to life.

As technology integrator, Electrosonic worked at the intersection of creative vision and technical execution — connecting with brilliant partners to deliver a unified response.

Group of kids surrounding light up board with boy touching it.

Building dynamic connections to Montana's past and present.

The Montana Heritage Center redefines how visitors connect with Montana’s history, turning static exhibits into living environments that respond, speak and evolve using Electrosonic’s AV technology.

Thanks to Electrosonic’s scalable control architecture and networked media management, the museum can easily evolve and refresh exhibits ensuring Montana’s stories continue to grow with new generations.

The expanded museum with the newly immersive technology engages with the visitors and fulfills its mission as a place to see more art and historic artifacts, host meaningful events in the auditorium and enjoy the surrounding Landscapes Trail. Interactive features now invite every visitor to engage personally with Montana’s stories, past and present, creating moments of connection that linger long after they leave.

Client:
Montana Heritage Center

Location:
Helena, Montana

Size:
150,000 sq. ft.

Technology partners:
Avology, Christie, Cinnabar, Q-SYS, Pixera, Smart Monkeys, SNA Displays

Creative partners: Main Street Design, RLMG, Sletten, Theory One Design, Hunt Design

Services

AV Consulting
Concept Design
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documentation
Design Validation & Engineering
Fabrication
Installation
Testing and Commissioning
Training & Adoption

LOOK UP AND AROUND

Washington Way.

As visitors enter, they are met with Washington Way that is located at the entrance of the Homeland Gallery. In honor of Dennis Washington, this entrance surrounds you with coordinated projection, LED pillars and a luminous ceiling. The environment shifts color and sound as themes evolve, drawing you into a cinematic passage. This technology is powered by Electrosonic’s seamless AV integration that helps turn an entrance into a memorable journey.

HOMELAND GALLERY

Mineshaft Experience.

Visitors can then encounter Montana’s artistry, resilience and industrial power. Step into a dramatic mineshaft where there are multi-surface LED walls, spatial audio including overhead effects and tactile “Buttkicker” channels. This immersive technology brilliantly simulates a shaking floor and immerses you into the reality of miners in Montana’s history. Guests can trigger the show with synchronized lighting that puts you into the heart of the experience.

Tribes Today

Celebrating Montana

Stand before a striking triangular LED wall and, as visitors approach, the space welcomes with contemporary stories from Montana’s sovereign nations. These stories are told through audio and speakers placed around a tipi base for even coverage. The lighting and sound envelop you in the story, celebrating the people and moments that define the state.

Making Montana

Moving through Time

Visitors can view an exhibit that contains a sweeping curved LED wall that carries visitors through time, with visuals that move in sync with the gallery’s immersive soundscape—setting the stage for the stories ahead.

Montana Modernizes

Experience Montana in Motion

Slide into a classic car and bring the scene to life. The sound plays when you take the wheel or touch the trunk. Nearby, an open-road projection and spatial audio put you into a moving landscape. These interactive experiences highlight how technology and culture evolved to be incorporated into everyday life in Montana.

Woman interacting with LED touchscreen and technology.

Woman looking at LED wall that looks like window.

Soveriegn nations exhibit with artifacts lining walls.

Montana artifacts with LED and projection on walls.

Car exhibit with artifact on either side.

Two people looking at a curved LED wall.

People interacting with technology at the International Spy Museums

How Motion Sensing Technology Elevates Guest Experience.

From museums to transportation hubs, advanced motion sensing technology is revolutionizing interactive experiences in various spaces and destinations.

Electrosonic's integration of audiovisual technology has transformed the way visitors experience and learn about Montana's history while staying authentic to the roots of Montana and cultural heritage.

Nikhil George, Senior Project Manager

Montana Heritage Center

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