Lumen and Forge maps West Virginia Capitol for America 250 celebration

Lumen and Forge completed a four-night projection mapping show on the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston for the state's official America250 celebration. The July 2-5 production blended national founding themes with West Virginia history on one of the country's most challenging historic landmarks to light.

Why it matters: - The project shows how states are marking America's 250th anniversary with large-scale public art instead of only traditional fireworks. - The Capitol show delivered a free, repeatable experience for tens of thousands of visitors during a major statewide celebration. - The production used projection mapping on a protected historic landmark without physical alteration to the building.

What happened: - Lumen and Forge completed “Liberty and Lights,” a four-night projection mapping show on the dome and façade of the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston. - The show ran nightly from July 2 through July 5, 2026, with the marquee performance on Independence Day. - Shows ran between 9 and 10 p.m. and repeated about every 15 minutes. - The production was part of the state’s official America250 Capital City Celebration on the Capitol Complex grounds.

The details: - The West Virginia State Capitol was designed by Cass Gilbert and dedicated in June 1932. - The building is faced in Indiana limestone over a structural steel frame and topped with a 23-karat gold-leafed dome rising 293 feet above the Kanawha River. - The dome is roughly five feet taller than the U.S. Capitol dome and is the tallest state capitol dome in the country. - The Capitol is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. - Gold leaf, curved surfaces, deep window recesses, a colonnaded drum and Corinthian porticos made the building difficult to project onto. - The historic structure allowed no rigging, no anchoring and no physical alteration. - Lumen and Forge started survey work months before the event. - Specialized drones photographed the Capitol Complex to build a digital twin of the building. - The team used that model to design and pre-visualize every frame before projector placement. - The production was built in 3D using Cinema 4D, with supporting work in AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max, Rhino and SketchUp. - The studio validated sightlines, brightness, throw distances, blending zones and audience positioning before load-in. - The show was written specifically for West Virginia rather than adapted from generic patriotic content. - The narrative tied the nation’s founding story to West Virginia’s statehood, industry, landscapes and people. - State officials pointed to projection displays on the Washington Monument as the benchmark for the Charleston show. - The event site also included a 230-foot Ferris wheel, concert stages and a festival midway. - The broader celebration featured the America250 Wheel, a portable Ferris wheel with 45 gondolas, one for each U.S. president. - The programming also included free concerts by ALABAMA, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and The Marshall Tucker Band. - Other events included an official ceremony for Gold Star Families and veterans, historical exhibits, guided Capitol tours, artisan markets and fireworks. - The celebration coincided with Charleston's Sternwheel Regatta.

Between the lines: - The Capitol projection helped frame West Virginia's America250 observance as both locally specific and nationally symbolic. - The scale of the site and the historic protections made the project a technical test as much as a creative one. - Public projection can be reused for future anniversaries, unlike one-time pyrotechnic displays. - The project reflects a broader shift toward commemorations that limit fire risk, noise, air pollution and impacts on animals. - Lumen and Forge has built a reputation in architectural projection through high-profile work at venues and events across the U.S. - The studio's past projects include the Las Vegas Stratosphere, the Hollywood Sign, the Tropicana, Texas Tech's 100th anniversary and Travis Scott's CactusCon at ComplexCon 2024. - The company also works on 360-degree dome environments, geodesic domes from 10 to 90 feet and inflatable structures up to 200 feet. - Lumen and Forge handles design, engineering, content creation, installation, show operation and strike as one integrated scope. - The company's client list includes Nike, Toyota, Mastercard, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Verizon, Dell, HP, Jeep, Jaguar, John Deere, Capital One, EA Sports, National Geographic, the U.S. Marine Corps, Meow Wolf, the Venetian and Luxor resorts.

What's next: - The Charleston production offers a template for future state-level semiquincentennial events. - Public commemorations are likely to continue leaning on projection mapping at heritage sites where preservation and safety matter. - Lumen and Forge is positioned to keep pursuing large-format civic and commercial installations as the 250th anniversary calendar continues.

The bottom line: - West Virginia turned its Capitol into a night-time canvas for America250, and Lumen and Forge used the assignment to show how projection mapping can honor history without touching the building.