Duty First
Cantigny Park, Wheaton, IL
What a mission asks of a soldier is only the beginning of what it asks of the rest of us.
KEY INFO
Client
First Division Museum
Scale
3200 sqft / 300 sqm
Partners
Creative Technologies, Northern Light Productions, Ravenswood Studio
Concept
A 55-year timeline can overwhelm before it enlightens. We reframed the chronology into five thematic zones: Deterrence, Battle, Peacekeeping, Counterinsurgency, and Military Assistance. Visitors choose their own path through the material, guided by a single question: what does each mission ask of a soldier, a family, and a nation?
“On this day in May, our post was hit with mortars… shortly after the trucks left the bridge there was a large explosion.”
Specialist Joe Naylors radio call
The Radio Call
Specialist Joe Naylor’s radio call doesn’t explain the war. It puts you inside it. Recent military service is raw, complex, and too often invisible to the Americans it’s carried out on behalf of. This permanent exhibition brings the 1st Infantry Division’s story from 1970 to today, and into the near future, into clear view. Natural materials ground the space in something warmer than a brand environment. Wood paneling sourced from Amazon’s first Washington home traces a line from origin to present. Artwork referencing the Potomac riverbanks connects the building to its specific geography. A living wall introduces texture and vitality, with botanical diversity comparable to The Spheres in Seattle.
Seeing History Through Their Eyes
Working with our media and interactive partners, we shaped layered installations where visitors hear directly from soldiers and families. They step through a virtual house raid to understand what decision-making under pressure actually looks like. A Gulf War engagement comes to life through first-person accounts, artifacts, and synchronized media that refuse to let the event stay in the past. Every element grounds policy in lived experience.
Lasting Impact
The exhibition ends with an interactive poll linking personal values to civic responsibility and tangible ways to support those who serve.
In doing so, the exhibition transforms the stories of the First Division into a broader reflection on service, sacrifice and the role each of us can play in supporting our communities.
