AOA, the design, production, and project management studio behind Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum, is sharing details of the two-year project that brought the Nashville museum to life. The museum opened alongside Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel.
AOA was the sole creative and production partner for the museum and worked with Dolly Parton and her family from concept through opening day. Design and curation were led by Rebecca Seaver, Parton’s niece and the museum’s executive director; Rachel Parton George, Parton’s sister; and Steve Summers, Parton’s creative director and costume designer.
“We started with a napkin sketch and a lot of blank paper, but we brought the lessons learned from dozens of projects to the table so she could tell her story in her own voice,” said Tom Acomb, chief creative executive and co-founder of AOA.
The museum fills the hotel’s third floor at more than 20,000 square feet. The space was carved from what began as an office tower before it was converted into the hotel. Guests move through more than 20 themed environments, starting with a recreation of the cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains where Parton was born. The route continues through her early days in Nashville, her rise on television and film, the founding of Dollywood and her decades of philanthropy.
More than 300 artifacts, decades of archival media and the physical settings are tied together by Parton’s own narration. One exhibit recreates the Wishy Washy laundromat, where Parton met her late husband, Carl Dean, and displays her wedding dress publicly for the first time. Elsewhere, scenic painters turned views from her Tennessee Mountain Home into a front-porch mural.
The experience ends with a virtual performance developed for the museum, in which guests see Parton on stage. The image is perspective-corrected and lit to match the room in real time. The museum also uses a centralized show-control system that syncs audio, video, lighting and interactive media, along with a hands-free assistive-listening system that offers personalized audio and multilingual captioning.
AOA’s work covered concept design, architecture, interior design, graphic and media design, fabrication, technical direction, project management and construction oversight. The studio also managed the schedule and budget and completed feasibility studies and projected-visitation modeling. Two shopping experiences were built into the guest route.
“Our job was to match that: to build something emotionally unforgettable that was also delivered on time, on budget, and built to last,” said Mike Ostendorf, CEO and co-founder of AOA.
AOA’s project management team also supported the broader plans for the 240-room hotel, which was created in partnership with Parton and Herschend. Savannah Wexler, general manager of AOA Tennessee and senior project manager, led the team, which served as the project’s owner’s representative.
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