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Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries
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 Museum WalkthroughWelcome to the Online Museum Walkthrough for the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries!
This document offers an in-depth look at the possibilities for dazzling encounters that visitors will have with the Arabian horse within the Galleries, including comprehensive descriptions of each Theme Area, exhibits, history and kids attractions. While we should note that the Museum Walkthrough is a working document nearing the end of its completion, we believe that you, the Arabian horse community and active supporter of the Arabian horse, deserve to see the progress for this new museum that will share the story of the Arabian horse with millions of people for generations to come. Enjoy your walk through the Arabian Horse Galleries!
DESERT ENTRY The exhibition begins on the second floor, tracing the story of the Arabian breed and its special connection with humanity. Visitors know the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries will be a unique and exciting experience even before they enter. Past the banners announcing the exhibit, flickering lights, imagery, and sounds beckon them into a setting unlike any other at the Kentucky Horse Park. As they step over the threshold, visitors find themselves in an abstracted, desert cave-like space. They are immediately surrounded by a swirl of motion. Words and phrases—like spirit, and a horse is a thing of such beauty—sweep past and disappear beyond view. The words are interspersed with silhouette shadows of Arabians that gallop around the walls. Whispered statements about the horse in English and Arabic echo softly within. This audiovisual attract experience is a palette cleanser, refocusing the visitor on the adventure to come. Passing into the next space, the cave-like surroundings transform into a sandy desert setting. Projections sweep around the perimeter, varying from very realistic vistas to abstracted scenes that mimic changing landscapes of dunes, flora, and other terrain features. Periodic puffs of air suggest gusts of wind. Ambient sounds of blowing sand, whinnying horses, spoken Arabic, and other noises drift around the space, immersing the visitor in a desert environment. Twisting and flowing visual imagery appears overhead in the Spirit of the Arabian ribbons—seeming as if a “mystical dust devil” has taken physical form and captured the visitor in its whirlwind. The Spirit ribbon winds its way throughout the exhibits, touching down in places to highlight particular features. Periodically, at different locations in the galleries, a stampede of Arabians surges past in sections of the ribbon projection screens, accompanied by the sound of galloping hooves.
THE ARABIAN HORSE Abstractions of palm trees at an oasis gradually morph into columns that form the facade of an Islamic architecture-style “palace.” At the far end of the gallery, in the plaza of the palace at the edge of a sand dune, visitors come face-to-face with an Arabian horse—standing proud, head turned toward them—in a dramatic scene with a Bedouin, a falcon clinging to his arm, a faithful Saluki dog at his side. As visitors gather around the horse sculpture, the lights dim and an audiovisual show begins. With projections encircling the gallery and overhead, the narrator introduces the Arabian and briefly touches upon the main themes of the exhibit. This orientation multimedia theatrical presentation lasts five to ten minutes. There is a brief interlude before it recycles and begins again. Beyond the horse and Bedouin sculpture, past the columns and into the palace arcade, the first didactic exhibit elements appear. Label content is layered to allow visitors to quickly grasp the main story and move on, or delve deeper into the subject if they wish. Introductory panels for the Theme Connection exhibits are arrayed in wall niches around the palace arcade. Theme Connections are recurring exhibits that focus on five particular subjects—Characteristics, Purity, Human Interaction, Ambassador, and Influence—that help place interpretation of the Arabian horse story in context of its time and place. They are found throughout the galleries. Each is characterized by some similarities of design, including a narrow band that peels off the central overhead Spirit ribbon and spirals down around the exhibit element. A few Theme Connections utilize high-tech interpretive components. A “child guide” and his/her Arabian horse (such as a Bedouin boy and his mare, an English girl and her colt, and so on) are selected at the first Discovery Oasis computer station. The guide and horse track the visitor through each Oasis kiosk placed throughout the exhibits, helping participants to navigate through the content. Following along with the team of guide and horse, lessons are shared via the games, quizzes, and other activities that reinforce the stories presented in each thematic gallery. At the end of the exhibit, children (and eager adults!) are rewarded for their participation in this progressive, cumulative experience. At each Discovery Oasis station, the Spirit of the Arabian ribbon swirls down toward the center point of the station. The table surface containing the touchscreen rises up from the floor to meet the ribbon. A large, overhead graphic sign formed into a ring encircling the Oasis announces its location. Each Oasis is themed to match the storyline it covers. Visitors touch a virtual interface to reveal the available programs; for example, pressing lightly on what looks like a pool of rippling water causes the virtual water to flow away, uncovering a series of puzzles. These kiosks may also contain additional layers of information, imagery, and video—geared toward adults—that would otherwise overwhelm the physical exhibit space.
ORIGINS OF THE ARABIAN Overhead, Spirit of the Arabian ribbons swirl around into vortexes that touch down to the gallery floor, creating pass-through Portals at the entry to each new thematic area. An architectural element (such as a column or building fragment), relating to the time and place of the storyline content, anchors the feature. Images linked by graphical ribbons ring each Portal. Projections, small inset artifact cases, and an introductory theme label may be incorporated here; if a visitor does nothing but stop at each Portal, he or she will gain a clear overview of the Arabian story. At this Origins of the Arabian Portal, a column inspired by ancient stone architecture is physically reproduced, while related images encircle the passageway. A series of stacked “ribs” form a skeleton framework around the Pre-Arabian gallery for mounting wall graphics and cases that illustrate the histories of the first horses, equid riding and driving. There is room for small artifacts, props, and scale models within the wall cases. A full-scale reproduction of a chariot—perhaps King Tut’s chariot, or a recreation of the battle wagon depicted in the Standard of Ur—may be incorporated into the gallery. Unanswered questions surrounding the Proto Arabian add intrigue to the story of the origins of the Arabian breed. At the Discovery Oasis, visitors may brush away virtual sand to reveal the interactive games within the computer. These activities reinforce the thematic thrust of the displays to that point in the gallery. Perhaps one explores the progression of the wheel. Another follows the history of chariots—then pits the visitor against a virtual opponent in a fast-paced chariot race. A third segment may cast the visitor as an archaeologist in a quest to uncover the true origins of Arabian horses.
The color palette of the gallery sets a stylistic visual tone for the exhibits, taking its cues from the environments hosting the Arabian. Here it is desert sands, in the next gallery it is Islamic architecture, in the next European/Eastern European farms, and so on where appropriate in the context of the stories being told. For the Nomadic Culture area, a replicated portion of a Bedouin tent creates a life-size, walk-in environment. The tent is divided into sections, with different content displayed in each. It is furnished with replica objects that may be handled by visitors; anything not encased is a prop or part of an education collection, intended to be touched. Original objects are in protective cases in and around the tent. A full-scale representation of an Arabian mare and her Bedouin boy caretaker are nestled inside; she is awake, he is asleep. The scent of cardamom coffee may waft through the space, as the ambient sounds of Bedouin myths or breed genealogies capture the essence of the time and place. Perhaps a small group gathers to hear a story shared by a museum docent.
Overhead, a narrow band peels off the central Spirit ribbon and spirals down around the Theme Connection content. The graphics are uniquely illustrated to match the introductory panel for each distinct Theme Connection subject first encountered in the palace arcade. Here, topics dealing with the Bedouin-Arabian bond and concepts of breed purity are explored. Also in this area, visitors examine Arabians from the inside, out. Sweeping a giant iWall “X-ray” machine over a scaled image or bas relief of an Arabian horse reveals its skeletal system, musculature, and other physical traits. Stopping at different points lets visitors zoom in to see how the Arabian’s physical traits adapted to different environments. For a real thrill, visitors hop atop the Arabian Simulator—a moving mechanical “horse”—to see what it was like to ride a horse across the desert as a video of the changing terrain sweeps past. Controlling the reins helps accelerate or slow down the pace, and the terrain video matches the speed. In contrast, they then climb onto the other saddle, grab hold of the reins, and try out the Camel Simulator as it, too, makes them feel like they are bouncing over the sands; using the prod makes it go faster, and again the terrain video matches the speed. The rides last from fifteen seconds to less than one minute apiece. The touchscreen interface of the Discovery Oasis plays off of the thematic content of the gallery. In this Oasis, visitors may touch a pool of virtual water to make it evaporate and reveal the interactive program interface: a Bedouin boy asks for help in nourishing his foal; cartoon sketches serve as the basis of a quiz about Arabian characteristics.
SPREAD OF THE ARABIAN
At this Portal, a column inspired by Ottoman Empire era architecture is physically reproduced, while related images encircle the passageway. Oversized graphics suggesting illuminated manuscript pages, maps, and period illustrations form a backdrop lining the curved walls of the Spread of the Arabian gallery. Artifact cases, graphics, and other elements fit into the grid formed by the graphics. The history of the spread of the Arabian from the Near East is at the core of this gallery. Centuries-old maps appear to rest on a table. Tapping the surface reveals it to be a multitouch interactive computer monitor, featuring a series of graphics that follow the Arabian throughout and beyond the Islamic world. A few visitors at once may use the screens to map how the horse’s domain grew with the expansion of Islam, the Crusades, and the Ottoman Empire into regions such as India, Africa, and Australia. Furusiyya, Arab horsemanship in preparation for and conduct of warfare—both as an ancient discipline and one that is still practiced today—is a special story that is featured in the gallery’s thematic content and repeated in the Discovery Oasis touchscreen kiosk, where visitors brush away virtual illuminated manuscript pages to reveal the games within the computer. Furusiyya’s underlying influence on the European concept of chivalry is part of this interactive exhibit.
THE ARABIAN HORSE IN EUROPE A column inspired by early European half-timber architecture is physically reproduced as a Portal element, while related images encircle the passageway. Wooden posts and beams reminiscent of the interiors of stables and barns form a grid system throughout this gallery. Graphics, artifact cases, and other exhibit elements attached to the grid are interspersed with masonry or cob infill. Where possible within the exhibits, props and reproductions are available for hands-on exploration. Throughout the gallery, special stories featuring particular Arabians will be highlighted with a distinctive repeating interactive element. Illustrating the Gifts and War Prizes topic is the saga of Napoleon’s favorite horse, taken as a war prize from the Turks, earning his name after carrying the French leader to victory at the Battle of “Marengo”—only to be captured later by the British at Waterloo. The Foundation Sires of the English Thoroughbred Breed exhibit helps illustrate the importance of the Arabian genetic makeup in improving other breed stock. The Crabbet Stud, with its prominent influence on Arabians throughout the world, is also featured here as a special story among those of the topic on European Stud Farms. The complexity of breeding purebred Arabians is demonstrated in an interactive; visitors touch the image of one of several notable Arabians, and watch as the LED’s light up, tracing its bloodlines along the family tree back to its European roots. As visitors brush away virtual straw to reveal the interactive games within the Discovery Oasis kiosk, a quiz pops up to test their knowledge by asking them to match Arabians to their histories and countries of origin.
THE ARABIAN HORSE IN EARLY AMERICA Through the Portal, past the gate architectural element, the pastoral setting of this gallery is evident. The design takes its cues from open fields, forests, stone and wooden fences, and clapboard-sided barns. Attached to the background landscape scenes are graphics, artifact cases, and other exhibit elements that convey the storyline content. Initially not intended to create a pure Arabian stock, The First Arabians in America were imported to improve domestic breeds. Success was not always achieved, as in A Failed Venture of Henry Clay and his partner, E. Berryman, whose Arabians never realized the expectations of bettering turf stock. The transition in focus when the need for quality purebreds was recognized is amply illustrated in the Theme Connection stories of Keene Richards and Randolph Huntington. Special stories include select accounts of Arabians in the Revolutionary and Civil War eras, as well as Presidential Arabs ridden by George Washington and General Ulysses S. Grant. At the Oasis, visitors may brush away virtual Kentucky bluegrass to reveal the interactive game comparing and contrasting Arabians to early American breeds such as Standardbreds, Morgans, the American Saddle Horse, and the Tennessee Walking Horse. A multi-layered photo mural of the Columbian Exhibition creates the backdrop of The 1893 World’s Fair exhibit. Visitors walk through and between the image segments to view more graphics and encased memorabilia on display. A stereoscope interactive viewer lets visitors see 3-D images of the Exposition. They may flip through recreated brochures and ephemera relating to the Arabians at the Fair. Perhaps they even use a computer to recreate and animate a parade of Bedouins on their horses as they rode along the Midway Plaisance. A watershed event in the history of Arabian breeding in America, the Columbian Exhibition marked the shift in emphasis from using Arabians to improve existing American horses to developing purebred Arabian bloodlines. This story also serves to make the transition from the early Arabians to the modern horse in the exhibit, as it carries visitors from the second to the first floors, extending graphic design elements down the stairwell and into the elevator. The Spirit of the Arabian ribbon morphs into a World’s Fair element that also continues on down the stairs.
ARABIANS IN 20TH-CENTURY AMERICA Images linked by graphical ribbons ring the Portal that takes its design cues from the Kellogg Ranch. Possible projections, small inset artifact cases, and an introductory theme label may be incorporated here. Modern timber stables inspire the grid backdrop of this gallery. Graphics, artifact cases, and other exhibit elements are integrated throughout this stable structure. Homer Davenport’s Arabians merit special story emphasis here, illustrated with images from the photograph album of his 1906 trip to the desert. Davenport is one of several pioneers represented in Breeders and Stud Farms to 1930, where their efforts to establish superlative American Arabian breeding lines are spotlighted. Important breeders—like Babson, Wrigley, and Tankersley—carry the story forward to the end of the century. In the Bloodlines interactive, visitors follow real history of the Arabian breeding lines (and a glossary of Arabians’ names) to “build” their ideal Arabian with the traits they want. Then, they discover if real horses were bred from the same sire and dam, and learn their stories. Overhead, a movie-house marquee headlines “The Sheik,” “The Black Stallion,” and/or other feature-length films and shorts. Perhaps at the entry, hoof prints in “cement” mimic Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The space is themed to look like a 1920-30’s movie house, with plush velvet-like cushions and ornate decorations. The theater is open on one end to allow people to gather around behind the six movie theater seats. Visitors may take a seat or stand to view film clips showing Arabians of the Stars. The clips may also show movie stars with their own horses. In keeping with the Hollywood theme, a Walk of Fame for Star Arabians puts their names and silhouettes into star shapes embedded in the floor. Associated graphics and artifacts are arrayed along and within a “sawtoothed” wall and rail that continue the movie-house aesthetic. Stepping on particular stars lights up images with accompanying text and/or audiovisual segments; these elements may be rotated to feature different horses and their stories. Theme Connection exhibits survey modern concepts of the bond between humans and Arabians, histories of Arabians playing a role as ambassadors between cultures and countries, and “purity” as defined in the last several decades. Purity also is the theme of the Oasis, where visitors brush away virtual apple and carrot slices to test their knowledge.
THE BLACK STALLION EXPERIENCE A giant open book creates an entryway into The Black Stallion Experience. Immediately behind it, the stories of Walter Farley and his series of popular novels that became a cinematic, television, and educational phenomenon are featured. Original artifacts, such as manuscripts and first edition books, are exhibited in protective cases. True to the title of The Open Book, giant open “books” from The Black Stallion series form the perimeter of this play space. Their words spill out onto the floor below, as scenes from each are recreated in touchable, durable, and easy to clean components. Designed as a discovery room primarily for toddlers through second-graders (but enjoyable through age ten), children may use the props to reenact episodes from the stories. There are no loose bits and pieces to disappear or wind up elsewhere around the museum. A small group may gather here for storytelling. On a video monitor or projection screen that tracks sound, location, and movement, a horse waits in the distance. As the visitor moves forward, the horse takes notice. Using the interactions of Alex (the young hero of the book) with the Black Stallion as a guide, visitors learn to approach horses appropriately and not sneak up on them. Visitors may also step into a recreated scene from one of the movies and pose for a photograph. The space is a special zone within the Arabian Galleries that contains the sound and minimizes noise bleed into the didactic exhibits beyond. The room is not completely enclosed; slivered sections between the giant book props allow discreet views into the space while not distracting the young visitors within.
TODAY’S ARABIAN Through the Portal, past a column inspired by show arena architecture, the 21st century is represented in a series of distinct topical exhibits. A modern lab or research center, with steel, glass and plastic construction elements, becomes the backdrop for the Latest News. Computers at up-to-date workstations contain recent Arabian-related science and history information, along with links to the Arabian Horse Association featured stories. In the DNA Interactive, visitors take on the role of a forensic anthropologist. Sliding the coding results over several samples gleaned from modern and archaeological evidence, they try their hand at matching ancient DNA to that of the modern Arabian. At the Discovery Oasis station, visitors may brush away virtual newspapers to reveal the computer interactives that have them interpret historic documents, showing how research is ongoing and new insights into the history of Arabians are always forthcoming. Theme Connection topics are examined here through a modern lens, looking backward to see if interpretations have changed in comparison to historic viewpoints. At the Influence segment, images of other breeds are arrayed within a monitor; touching any horse reveals its percentage of Arabian blood. Through this, visitors find out what traits the Arabian gave to that breed, then view the Family Tree showing how Arabians are connected to the other breeds. A series of three modern tents are subtly themed to represent the three big topics of Show Horse, All-Around Horse, and Sport Horse. Graphics, artifact cases, and other exhibit elements are arrayed within and around these tents. Monitors within may play back footage related to each storyline that celebrates the versatility of the purebred Arabian. In a photo opp area, visitors select a backdrop, pull out one of the cut-out profiled horses, throw their leg over and strike a pose. They view themselves in the mirror while their companion snaps a picture. You be the Judge assigns visitors a prominent role. They watch competition video of show horses and riders, award points, and compare their judgments with those of professionals. Via drag-and-drop accoutrements, they may then decorate their winning horse and rider on screen and place the Best In Show entry in the album alongside other visitors’ creations. At the final Discovery Oasis, as children enter the last of their data, the lights come on, a horn is sounded, and their photo is snapped. The image is superimposed on a picture of an Arabian (whose traits and character were specially “selected” for that child, or perhaps an image of the Arabian with child guide they selected at the beginning of their adventure), showing the trophies and ribbons they earned by following the kiosk stories. They may email the image to family and friends, and possibly post it to the IMH online album to check from home. Both adults and children can experience the thrill of riding an Arabian in a race. Seated in the saddle on the equicizer-style riding simulator, they follow the course on the screen in front. Leaning too far one way or the other will throw the horse off track, and not urging the horse on will slow them down. Each experience lasts from 30 seconds to a minute. The Racing and Endurance exhibits overflow with exciting stories of both historic and modern endurance competitions, flat races, and competitive trail riding. They flow seamlessly into IMH exhibits at the close of the Arabian Galleries.
CHANGING EXHIBITS GALLERY The gallery offers a vibrant space in which to feature short-term exhibits. Reconfigurable exhibit walls, casework and base structures—along with ample lighting fixtures and electrical outlets—permit maximum flexibility in accommodating different types of displays. The Spirit of the Arabian ribbon overhead stylistically connects this temporary exhibit space to the main thematic areas in the permanent exhibits. If you are moved by what you've read and would like to help fund the exhibits of the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries, click the button below to donate today. As our thanks, you'll recieve a FREE "Proud Supporter" window decal from us in the mail. The more we recieve, the more grand the Arabian Horse Galleries will be able to be!  |
