An immersive exhibition designed to honor the heroes, victims, and survivors of the Holocaust, “A Celebration of Survival,” by Barbara Hines, masterfully addresses the Holocaust framed in a message of redemption and forgiveness. “A Celebration of Survival” inspires visitors to focus on what “could be” rather than the horrors of the past.

Upon entering, visitors will pass through “Veils of Remembrance,” diaphanous silk veils featuring life size portraits of children of the Holocaust, creating the effect of walking among them. “Portrait Walls” throughout will don 16 righteous non-Jews of the 26,000 “Righteous Among the Nations” who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust, while “Quotations” will project prolific words by local survivors and other prominent Jewish thinkers.

Deeper into the exhibition, an audio-visual installation featuring New Dimensions in Testimony, created by USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education, will invite students and adults to hold a “virtual conversation” by “talking” with a Holocaust survivor.   This pioneering project integrates advanced filming techniques, specialized display technologies, and next-generation natural language processing to provide an intimate experience with Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter, an eyewitness to history who can answer direct questions while sitting in front of you in a three dimensional, face-to-face interaction.  Through the artistry of Barbara Hines and “A Celebration of Survival,” Holocaust Museum Houston is one of only five locations in North America to ever host this extraordinary learning technology.