HELENA — From an interactive mineshaft to tipis, exhibits are more than just displays; they are the heartbeat of every museum. At the Montana Heritage Center, exhibits will bring the stories of Montana to life.
“There is nowhere else like a museum in this world where you can experience a story in a visually stunning moment in time, ” said Jacob Franklin with the Montana Historical Society.
(See how the new exhibits are taking shape at the Montana Heritage Center)
Franklin’s job is to capture those moments in time. He constructs cases, mounts artifacts, and hangs artwork in an engaging way.
He says, “On one level, I simply do what I do because I love to create; on another level, I do what I do because we need to put forth a meaningful subject.”
Those subjects can be as small as an arrowhead and as large as a tractor, all displayed to tell a story.
It’s all slowly coming to life inside the Montana Heritage Center.
Franklin says, “Getting into the story helps me get into the artifact, and helps me present the artifact.”
Right now, the Heritage Center’s vision is coming together in the Homeland exhibit thanks to the work of exhibit fabricators, lighting technicians, and audio-visual specialists from around the world.
“It's goosebumps,” Franklin says. “So I am glad we are finally at this stage.”
In addition to the Homeland exhibit, which illustrates the story of Montana, Franklin will be working on the Charlie Russell gallery.
There will be about 30,000 square feet of exhibits in the new Montana Heritage Center.
While Franklin still has a big job in front of him, he has one goal in mind.
He says, “I hope visitors leave with a lasting connection with Montana because that is very important in what we do.”
The Heritage Center will host a ribbon-cutting in early December and a grand opening in June of 2026.
