Museums
Two "Sea Monsters" for the Price of One
In 1918 the paleontologists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History were pretty busy. Rather than go out into the field to collect more specimens, they chipped away at specimens that had already been collected so that they could be put on display. When the famous fossil collector Char...
July 09, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Save the Laramie Dinosaurs!
At 5 PM on June 30th the lights went out in the halls of the University of Wyoming Geological Museum for the last time. Earlier in the month, state budget cuts forced the university to cut funding to the institution, which houses the spectacular Allosaurus "Big Al" and an Apatosaurus skeleton. Plea...
July 01, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
From the Castle: 'Forever' Institutions
Libraries, universities and museums are especially important in uncertain times
July 2009 |
By G. Wayne Clough
Revisiting the First Ladies’ Homes
The oft-overlooked lives of America's first ladies are on display in house museums across the country
June 30, 2009 |
By Robin T. Reid
North Carolina's Origami Dinosaur Finds New Home
For the past seven years, a seven-foot-tall origami Tyrannosaurus has served as the mascot for the TEA ReX Teahouse in Charlotte, North Carolina. As The Charlotte Observer recently reported, however, the company is switching to a new online format, and the giant paper dinosaur would need a new home...
June 26, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
A Triceratops at the National Zoo
When I visited the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, I was a bit surprised to see a large Triceratops statue next to the giant anteater enclosure. There are a few dinosaurs at the zoo, like the Tyrannosaurus skull sculpture near the big cats exhibit, but the Triceratops seemed out...
June 24, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Across Africa, Finding Common Ground in Their Art
António Ole and Aimé Mpane came together to converse through artwork in a new insallation at the National Museum of African Art
June 23, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Apatosaurus on Ice!
The wonderful exhibit "Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries" will soon be coming to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and to promote it the museum has commissioned a special TV ad that can only be described as "Apatosaurus on Ice."Unfortunately, though, some people might think this ...
June 22, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Where is the Dinosaur Capital of the World?
Earlier this week the Burpee Museum of Natural History and the Discovery Center Museum, both in Rockford, Illinois, held a ground-breaking ceremony on a $10 million expansion for the museums. The construction will give both institutions more exhibition space, and if the comments of Burpee Museum o...
June 16, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Brachiosaurus Moves to Indianapolis
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, home of the Dinosphere, is welcoming some new additions this week. As reported by local TV station WISH, the museum just added a mother and baby Brachiosaurus sculpture to the outside of the building.
June 10, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaur Decapitation in Durham
Sometime over this past weekend the "Brontosaurus" at Durham, North Carolina's Museum of Life and Science lost its head. The statue stood for more than three decades in what had been called the Pre-History Trail, and everyone was shocked to see that had been vandalized. The crime was made even more...
June 04, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Bringing the Wright Flyer to Life
In a movie first, curators and filmmakers collaborated to animate artifacts for Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
June 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Triumph of Frank Lloyd Wright
The Guggenheim Museum, turning 50 this year, showcases the trailblazer's mission to elevate American society through architecture
June 2009 |
By Arthur Lubow
Dinosaurs Stalk the Night at the Smithsonian
There appear to be three themes that pop up in many of the major summer blockbusters being released this year: time travel, robots, and dinosaurs. I have already covered two of this summer's bigger dino-flicks, Ice Age 3 and Land of the Lost, but the newly-released Night at the Museum: Battle of th...
May 28, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
"Chinasaurs" come to Maryland
If you are a dinophile in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland, you may want to clear your plans for this weekend. Tomorrow, the Maryland Science Center in the city's Inner Harbor will raise the curtain on the traveling exhibit "Chinasaurs-Dinosaur Dynasty." The webpage promoting the exhibit promise...
May 22, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaur Tracks Go on Display at Oxfordshire Museum
It can be a long road from the quarry to the exhibition site for some fossils. Most of what is collected is put in storage rather than placed on display, but even exceptional specimens can take a long time to prepare for their public debut. Such was the case with a series of dinosaur tracks found i...
May 14, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Going Buggy at the New Audubon Museum
Crickets, spiders, ants and many other insects thrive in historic New Orleans, where kids and adults learn about creepy crawlers
May 13, 2009 |
By David Zax
Having a Blast at Dinosaur National Monument
Financial times may be tough, but the push to reinvigorate the economy has provided an unexpected boon for Dinosaur National Monument. The national park, which straddles the Colorado/Utah border, will receive more than $13,000,000 in stimulus money for the construction of a new visitors center. The...
May 12, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Triceratops on Tour to Celebrate Louisiana Purchase
In 1904 the city of St. Louis, Missouri hosted the grand Louisiana Purchase Exhibition. It was a chance to celebrate the centennial of the grand acquisition of the midwestern states, and many states contributed exhibits to the festival. The Smithsonian Institution was represented there, too, and as...
May 04, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Five Movies That Memorably Feature Museums
The ‘Night at the Museum’ films aren’t the only films that take place largely in the confines of a museum
May 04, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
