Congratulations!  Winner of the Oklahoma Museums Association Award for Educational Programs for “ANCIENT. MASSIVE. WILD. – THE BISON EXHIBIT!”

In honor of National Bison Day the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum announces its upcoming temporary exhibition “Ancient. Massive. Wild –The Bison Exhibit.”

Opening Feb. 9, 2019, “Ancient. Massive. Wild –The Bison Exhibit” will focus on the iconic American bison through interactive experiences that combine history, artifacts, and hands-on activities.

Rumble — the Oklahoma City Thunder mascot who is, fittingly, himself a bison — is doing a takeover of the National Cowboy Museum’s social media accounts today in honor of the announcement, according to a news release.

“Ancient. Massive. Wild –The Bison Exhibit” celebrates the history and significance of the United States’ first national mammal and highlights the importance of its preservation and conservation.

From its role as a primary provider for the Plains Indian people, to its years languishing on the brink of extinction — and its current comeback — the bison’s story is a unique and vibrant chapter in the American West’s history. Created by the National Bison Association, the Kauffman Museum and the National Buffalo Museum, “Ancient. Massive. Wild –The Bison Exhibit” will remain at the National Cowboy Museum until May 12, 2019.

“As a uniquely North American animal, the bison is central to the story of the West,” said National Cowboy Museum President and CEO Natalie Shirley in a statement. “Bringing ‘Ancient. Massive. Wild –The Bison Exhibit’ to Oklahoma City — and enhancing the experience through the National Cowboy Museum’s vast historic and artistic holdings — is a prospect that should excite all Oklahomans and those beyond!”

The traveling exhibition will be augmented by the museum’s permanent collection, which offers a rich display of paintings, photographs and sculpture depicting bison across the many cultures of the American West. An interactive gallery for visitors of all ages will be available. Guests will exit the exhibition galleries through a satellite Museum Store that features an array of Western- and bison-themed merchandise.

From Feb. 9-May 12, more than 40 “Ancient. Massive. Wild –The Bison Exhibit”-related public programs will enrich the exhibition, including a lecture series supported by Oklahoma Humanities; a first-ever Wild Wits Trivia Night; visits from living history reenactor Teddy Roosevelt; a family sleepover in cooperation with the OKC Zoo; a Bison Film Fest; a Bison and Beer Paint Night; and a guided bus trip to see bison in the wild at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, a Nature Conservancy site near Pawhuska.

For information on “Ancient. Massive. Wild – The Bison Exhibit” and related museum events and programming, go to nationalcowboymuseum.org.