First Americans Museum

The First Americans Museum opened in September 2021, marking the first Native American  museum and cultural center of this size and breadth to tell their story, the story of the 39 tribes that now reside in Oklahoma. The museum combines cutting edge technology with traditional story telling to illustrate and bring to life the tribes tradition. From the open facing hand sculpture to the encompassing shape of the intersecting partial circles, the First Americans Museum (FAM) pays tribute to the state’s tribal nations.

Formed in 1994, the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority (NACEA) was authorized to construct, maintain and operate the First Americans Museum. ADG Blatt was hired to provide owner’s representative services to the NACEA. In this role, ADG Blatt provided program management services for the site acquisition, team assembly, design and construction oversite for this $175 million project. This multiple phase project that took place on a 300-acre site required ADG Blatt to coordinate with multiple non-profit organizations and state-owned properties to ensure the success of the project. During the design, build and construction, ADG Blatt coordinated with two non-profit organizations which governed the state-owned land to ensure that design addresses global themes of culture, symbolism, tribal values, and storytelling.