Immersive King Tut Hosts Children from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for Story Time with Cam
Lighthouse Immersive, the producers behind the blockbuster Immersive Van Gogh experience, collaborated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Middle Tennessee to present a children’s storybook reading at Lighthouse ArtSpace Nashville on November 5.
This event treated children and their parents to a reading of Dolly’s book, I am a Rainbow, by Grammy nominated/multi-platinum artist Cam (Burning House, Till There’s Nothing Left). After the reading, the children and parents enjoyed the Immersive King Tut experience, a stunning visual journey telling the story of the Amduat, an important ancient Egyptian funerary text that was depicted on the tombs of pharaohs.
As they entered Lighthouse ArtSpace Nashville, parents could read a giant obelisk with pictures and information on King Tut’s rule, the story of his death and the ancient Egyptian’s beliefs about the afterlife. Obelisks once again greeted the children and parents at the entrance to the experience, where interactions resulted in a magical transformation of the guests into Egyptian hybrid creatures made up of combinations of statues and paintings.
“Imagination Library of Middle Tennessee is dedicated to supporting partners in our community who share the passion of early literacy with children and their caregivers,” says Brooke Seigle, manager of Imagination Library Middle Tennessee. “We are especially grateful for this unique partnership with Lighthouse Immersive for offering this opportunity to our children so they can expand their imagination through reading and art.”
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income. After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly. First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. It became such a success that in 2000 a national replication effort was underway. By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the first of many millions of books sent to children around the world. Dolly’s home state of Tennessee pledged to pursue statewide coverage in 2004 and global expansion was on the horizon. After the United States, the program launched in Canada, followed by the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
Website: imaginationlibrary.com!
About Immersive King Tut
Immersive King Tut uses stunning visuals to tell the story of the Amduat, an important ancient Egyptian funerary text, thought to be the oldest known illustrated story, that was depicted on the tombs of pharaohs. Immersive King Tut also features striking imagery spotlighting some of the most notable discoveries in Egyptology, including Tutankhamun’s golden death mask as well as his ornately decorated middle coffin and painted burial chamber, a depiction of Apophis, the snake god of chaos, from the tomb of Rameses I, and an ancient sculpture from the Cairo Museum depicting Osiris, the ruler of the Underworld, rising with the sun.
State-of-the-art video mapping and ground-breaking animation bring to life the story of King Tut’s passage into the afterlife as he escorts the sun through the underworld each night to rise again victoriously each morning. Mexico City-based Cocolab created the fantastical animations integrating breathtaking images acquired by United Exhibits Group (UEG) and the International Foundation of Fine and Decorative Arts (IFFDA) through their 30-year history of presenting spectacular touring exhibitions including those honoring King Tut and ancient Egyptian civilization.
Website: immersive-kingtut.com/nashville
About Lighthouse Immersive
Lighthouse Immersive creates, produces and distributes innovative digital immersive art experiences through its experiential entertainment multiplex digital art galleries, aiming to cultivate community and creativity through large-scale events and exhibitions of all art forms. Lighthouse Immersive offers versatile spaces for creators to present their work while engaging audiences in unique art experiences that encourage dialogue and inspire new artistic creations. Lighthouse Immersive has produced the world premiere of Immersive Van Gogh, Immersive Frida Kahlo and Immersive Klimt: Revolution to more than 21 North American cities.
Recognized as the leader in immersive art experiences, Lighthouse Immersive custom designs each of their venues, named Lighthouse ArtSpace, to distinctly envelop the various architectural settings they inhabit, it operates galleries in a range of historic venues including refurbished industrial and retail spaces.
Since 2021, the company has opened or is opening 21 new galleries in North American cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Boston, and Denver, and is currently expanding into additional markets. To date, Lighthouse Immersive has sold over 5 million tickets to Immersive Van Gogh across North America, with Artnet calling it “one of the largest coordinated art phenomena of all time.”