Museum Musing

Today we met with Kyle at the Shedd Aquarium and Patty and Voula at the Museum of Science and Industry. I was absolutely delighted to spend an hour wandering the Aquarium with my group (Meegan and Caroline). When I visit a museum I am constantly analyzing the decisions that when into the space and the tools the designers use to bring their story to life, so it was really nice to be able to share those thoughts with two others doing the same thing as not many people in my personal life think about museums like I do.

The centennial campaign underway at the Shedd was a really exciting thing to see as well. Comparing and contrasting the updated exhibits with the to-be updated exhibits/ spaces was like watching a cake bake. You know what it’s going to turn into but watching it rise in the oven is pretty exciting. It made me think about my own museum. We are turning 100 next year, but I feel as though our centennial is going to be over shadowed by the semiquincentennial of the US next year. There are no major infrastructure upgrades planned like the Shedd creating a new and accessible visitor entrance. My institution is perhaps one of the least physically accessible sites I have ever been to. This is to say that a museum’s past is nearly as important as the past it seeks to discuss. The past informs the choices of the present. It makes me want to dig into my own museum even more and encourage us to showcase our 100th birthday.

The Shedd paired nicely with the Museum of Science and Industry. I could see the architectural similarities as they had both been built in the 1930s. Because of their blue prints they felt like good mirrors: a central rotunda with exhibits like coming off in spokes. The sheer size of the exhibits were fantastic. Definitely on the list to return to. The Steel Exhibit that Voula gave us a tour of was such a fantastic way to connect to the local history of steel and steel workers through the ages. I was especially interested in the fact that the grant that had funded the exhibit dictated that three community groups be involved in it.

Overall, today was an incredible start to the next two weeks. I am so grateful to be doing this program and can’t wait to see what our group project looks like.