The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream Opens with Flagship Exhibition ‘American Dream Experience’

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, a cultural institution focused on illuminating pathways to opportunity for all, opens September 20. The Center comprises a collection of historic buildings renovated over 12 years, including the former Riggs Bank, known as “The Bank of Presidents,” and the American Security and Trust Company.

The American Dream Experience—a series of gallery spaces and immersive exhibits spanning five buildings, explores how ingenuity and perseverance have shaped the American Dream across generations through storytelling, data and cutting-edge technology. The exhibit is free; tickets are required, with one optional paid experience.

“The American Dream is the ideal that any person, regardless of background or where they start, should have the opportunity to pursue a life of meaning and fulfillment,” said Michael Milken, founder. "Stories move us, and data informs us. The Center is built on both. For decades, our work has focused on the four pillars of the American Dream – education, health, finance and entrepreneurship. The Center brings these elements together so visitors can explore each one through real examples and clear data, then reflect on how to apply it in their lives. This is a dynamic, ever-changing project that will grow with what we learn from visitors, and in these early months we’ll use that feedback to refine what’s here and to shape what we build next.”

To celebrate the public opening, the Center will open its doors with two days of activities September 20 and 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During the weekend guests can visit the spaces filled with games, a health assessment booth, inspirational talks, yoga and more.

Visitors begin their journey in the Hall of Generations—a light-filled space originally built as the main hall of Riggs Bank at the turn of the century. At its center is a soaring three-story tree multimedia sculpture with 1,000 OLED digital “leaves” that display photos and stories contributed by the Center’s visitors. From here, guests can encounter a series of interconnected galleries and installations that bring its many dimensions to life, including:

The Geffen Hall of Dreams: meticulously restored, showcases perspectives on the American Dream through visual data, polls, poetry and personal storytelling. Overhead hangs a serpentine chandelier composed of 64 “fins” with 128 LED screens, filled with American Dream themed words added by visitors.

Foundations of a Dream Gallery: An introduction to the Center’s pillars—Education, Health, Finance and Entrepreneurship. A highlight of the gallery is powered by AI hologram technology, enabling visitors to hold curated, lifelike conversations with notable figures as they share personal stories of achievement and impact.

The Stand Together Theater: A one-of-a-kind theater featuring a 270-degree viewing experience. Every day, the theater will show a film created for the space titled America: Built on Dreams, where viewers will get a look at five different people’s pursuit of their dreams.

Kenneth C. Griffin Holodeck Experience: A 360-degree walk-in theater, which transports visitors to new worlds through multimedia technology. Its inaugural interactive adventure, The Perpetual Story Machine, a 35-minute experience, takes visitors on a magical journey through time and space to watch the American Dream unfold around them. (Paid entry; reservations recommended)

Special Exhibition Galleries

The opening exhibition in the Center’s art gallery is “Out of Many One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants,” a new collection of oil paintings and stories by President George W. Bush. Through 43 four-color portraits and their accompanying stories, this collection reminds us of the countless ways in which America has been strengthened by those who have come here in search of a better life.

In an accompanying space, the Center is hosting an exhibition titled, “Unsung Heroes.” Organized by ARTEFFECT, the exhibit showcases the award-winning works from the 2024 competition alongside profiles of the unsung heroes who inspired their work.

About the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream

The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD), a cultural institution and part of the Milken Institute, is dedicated to illuminating pathways to opportunity for all individuals to pursue a life of meaning and fulfillment. It is located in historic buildings in Washington, DC, steps from the White House. Among the Center's missions is to advance economic and social mobility for people in America and around the world.

The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream is located at the corner of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, across from the White House and the US Treasury in Washington, DC. Opening Weekend Celebration hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Starting September 22, the Center will be open 10:00 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., closed Tuesdays. Admission is free; tickets are required. The Holodeck Experience can be added for $15. For more information and tickets, visit mcaad.org.

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on accelerating measurable progress on the path to a meaningful life. We bring together the best ideas and innovative resourcing to develop blueprints for tackling some of our most critical global issues through the lens of what’s pressing now and what’s coming next. For more information, visit milkeninstitute.org.