A New Exhibition Near the White House Takes a High-Tech Approach to a Fundamental Question: What Is the American Dream? - Washingtonian

"The first thing you notice when you enter the American Dream Experience, a new exhibition at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, is a large golden "Tree of Generations" whose "leaves" are digital photos of museum visitors. Those will update frequently as museum-goers, whom the museum will begin to welcome when it opens on Saturday, use booths nearby to talk about their families' stories. That sort of interaction is baked into the museum's mission, executive director Rachel Goslins said at a press preview this week: "We approach the American dream as a dialogue and not a monologue.""

"But tech is really the star at the Milken Center, which uses top-notch digital magic to present a nuanced, unapologetically pro-capitalist view of the American Dream, a concept that has shifted over the last century to individual, not collective, well-being, but it's a notion that still colors many aspects of life in the US. A floor below the tree, the center shows an innovative 18-minute, "270-degree" film called America: Built on Dreams that features Ben's Chili Bowl owner Virginia Ali and Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang alongside others who are pursuing the Dream in their own ways (be sure to look up to see the ceiling fans at Ben's or a kid leaping overhead)."

"The museum's permanent exhibits will explore what the Milken Center calls its "four pillars": "Health and Medical Research, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Education and the Educator, and Access to Capital and Financial Empowerment." The latter concept is complex for a museum whose namesake had a colorful history in high finance that included a stint as Wall Street's "junk bond king" in the '80s, a trial on charges of insider trading, prison time, then a second act that in"

A large golden "Tree of Generations" displays visitors' digital photos and updates as guests record family stories in nearby booths. The exhibition treats the American Dream as a dialogue rather than a monologue. Advanced digital technology drives immersive elements, including an 18-minute, 270-degree film titled America: Built on Dreams featuring local entrepreneurs and community figures and visual details like Ben's Chili Bowl ceiling fans and a child leaping overhead. Permanent galleries focus on four pillars: Health and Medical Research; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Education and the Educator; and Access to Capital and Financial Empowerment. The center's namesake has a high-finance history that included 'junk bond' prominence, legal charges, imprisonment, and a later public rebirth.

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