Located next to Wanapum Dam on Washington State’s Columbia River, the Wanapum Heritage Center houses the Wanapum Living Culture Program and Museum. Designed by Victoria’s Andre and Associates, the Center provides a place for the Wanapum people to celebrate and maintain their culture as they tell the story of their way of life.
A series of stunning dioramas transport visitors back to the traditional world of the Wanapum people, with several highly realistic sculptures of people and animals aiding in the storytelling. An amazingly detailed model re-creates the original Wanapum village. It was created by Victoria’s master model builder, Carol Christianson, famous for her work at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Two bronze horse sculptures, an authentic tule hut and many other exhibits take the visitor on trip back to the traditional ways.
An authentic 1937 Chevy stake side truck is a duplicate of the first vehicle owned by the Wanapum tribe. We located this collectors item and had it shipped to 3DS, where modifications were made to render it exhibit-ready. This included removing the engine, steam-cleaning oily surfaces, removing all fluids and smoothing the wooden deck and sides to prevent slivers. We inspected every square inch to ensure there were no jagged edges or places for finger entrapment. The whole vehicle was disassembled so it could get through a six-foot wide doorway, and was then reassembled inside.