Welcome Center

A Capitol Way to Introduce Oregon

In the heart of Salem, the Oregon State Capitol Welcome Center represents a unique blend of historical insight and interactive technology. Designed with an inclusive aim, the center welcomes visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds and serves as an informative gateway. Its core purpose is to enrich the visitor experience at the Capitol, enhance visitors’ understanding of Oregon’s cultural history, and encourage exploration of other historic destinations throughout the state.

Our Approach

In developing the Welcome Center, we embraced a collaborative ethos and engaged in extensive dialogues with a diverse array of stakeholders, ensuring the project authentically reflected Oregon’s cultural heritage. This process, marked by iterative design and continuous stakeholder feedback, was central to crafting an experience that authentically represented Oregon’s diverse narratives.

Features

Linguistic Tapestry of Oregon: This title wall graphic welcomes visitors in 36 languages, including 16 languages spoken by Indigenous Oregonians, celebrating Oregon’s cultural diversity.

Interactive Map of Oregon: A large touchscreen map that allows visitors to explore heritage destinations throughout the state.

Cultural Group Interactives: Two interactive displays explore Oregon’s cultural communities. One focuses on the Indigenous peoples of Oregon; the other highlights the state’s other cultural communities.

Capitol Building Interactive: This interactive feature focuses on events, tours, and interesting aspects of the Capitol building itself.

QR Codes: These are used to provide additional information about heritage destinations, cultures, and events. Visitors can scan these QR codes with their smartphones to access supplemental web-hosted content.

Impact

The Welcome Center, honored with the 2022 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award, has significantly impacted visitors. Notably, the “Linguistic Tapestry of Oregon” feature, where visitors are greeted in their own language, has been especially meaningful. This personal touch enhances the sense of inclusivity and cultural connection, making the center a welcoming space for diverse audiences.

Left, a visitor at a tall touchscreen listing the day’s events; right, a close-up of the same interface showing a map of Oregon dotted with orange markers as a hand reaches to touch one.

The Welcome Center interior: wood-framed touchscreens set into the wall beneath “Oregon’s Heritage” lettering, a staffed desk at the centre, and a large map screen to the right.

Looking Ahead

The Welcome Center has reopened following remodeling and expansion as part of the Capitol’s seismic upgrade. All existing experiences have been incorporated into its new home.

At Sticky Culture, we view the Welcome Center not as a finished product, but as an evolving platform. Plans are underway to introduce new exhibits and update existing ones to ensure the center remains a relevant, inspiring educational resource for years to come.