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America 250

How we set the stage for Tennessee's Experiential Activation at the nation’s America 250 Celebration
Designsensory designed and built Tennessee's experiential activation for America 250's Great American State Fair on the National Mall—six weeks from concept to install, and "Best in Show" at the close.
America 250
PROJECTS
    Project
    2026

    Tennessee's Experiential Design & Activation for America 250

    A booth on the National Mall gets about three seconds to earn a fourth. So the design worked in layers.
    The far read was the stage: an Opry-style proscenium and a 10-by-26-foot LED wall, cycling through Tennessee’s landmarks and legendary stages. Step up and the wall puts you in the concert, which is how a booth stops being something to look at and becomes something you’re in. Visitors took the selfie and did our reach for us. The stage itself wasn’t a new idea. It came from The stage is set for you, a line from Designsensory’s decade as Tennessee Tourism’s agency of record. Joseph Nother, our co-founder, creative-directed then and creative-directed this. Some ideas just wait for the right room.
    Rallying Around Tennessee

    A project like this only comes together when everyone shows up and does their part. The Department of Agriculture delivered furniture and Made in Tennessee goods. Gibson donated a commemorative guitar. Our own team handmade the stage that guests from around the world stood on, hunted down found objects to build the space out, and logged ample hours on I-40 and I-81 to deliver the booth. Volunteers staffed a booth on the National Mall for two weeks straight. Nobody waited for perfect conditions. Everybody believed and got it done. The stage was set, but a lot of hands built it, and that has always been the case in our home state.

    The Blueprint

    Tennessee has always been a frontier. That became the theme of the whole build—The Original Frontier—and it split into three sub themes: Culture, Innovation, Patriotism. Three screens along the left panel opened each one up, surrounded by found objects and artifacts curated to make the claims concrete instead of decorative.

    Inspiration for the entire look and feel came from vintage gig posters in celebration of Tennessee’s iconic musical roots.  This aesthetic was pulled forward from our campaign design of Tennessee 225 a few years prior—work that was a collaboration with partner agency, Civitas, and celebrated Knoxville-based gig poster designer Justin Helton of Status Serigraph.

    Putting Our History In The Spotlight

    Tennessee’s America250 booth was a stage in more way than one. It was a platform to showcase and hold the state’s history — the vote that made it the deciding state in ratifying women’s right to vote, key moments in the American Civil Rights Movement, and the origins of and the continued legacy of our Volunteer name.