Session Content

Mount Vernon Education Center 

Mount Vernon is excited to integrate new technological advances in the refresh of the Education Center opening in 2026.  This continues a strategy that was critical to the success of the original exhibit that opened in 2006.  At that time, we used scientific analysis to determine what Washington looked like at different ages to create stunning wax figures.  The team worked from the many portraits of Washington and the Houdon bust to create the 3-d rendering.

We now want to tell the stories of the people who were in Washington’s life more effectively.  He didn’t live alone in the 18^th century.  Many others in his life shaped his decisions and that were impacted by him and his actions. We are turning to artificial intelligence to create portraits of people who haven’t had artistic renditions done in life.  This is a carefully crafted generated portrait.  We input written information from the 18th century, visual representation of people related to this individual, and expert analysis from people who understand clothing and hairstyles from the 18^th century. This will help us fill Washington’s biographical exhibition with images of Soldiers, Enslaved people, family friends, and, of course, his parents.

We are working closely with their descendants for the portraits created for enslaved individuals.  Each family is contributing oral histories, family photos, and their time to share with our designers the visual and notable family traits that have endured for generations so that they can also be recognizable in this new artistic creation. Each portrait will have a companion webpage where guests can see clearly how this portrait was created and the sources (written, oral histories, family photographs) that were used in its creation.

Speaker Biography

Allison Wickens leads the Education and Guest Services division at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and oversees the history and civic learning goals for the institution’s onsite, offsite, and digital outreach programs. She is the executive lead for the George Washington’s Biography Exhibition opening in 2026.  She advises the staff and leadership about trends and research in education and learning at museums, historic sites, and schools.  Her writings on these subjects are available in the Journal of Museum Education, The Inclusive Historians Handbook, and in the book Bringing Teachers to the History Museum.  Before arriving at Mount Vernon, she worked for over 15 years at the Smithsonian Institution, including 7 years as the Director of Education and Visitor Services at the National Postal Museum.  She received an M.A. in History and a certificate in Museum Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a B.A. in History from Grinnell College.