Prehistoric Life Exhibits at the Denver Museum of Natural History….

July 15th, 1992 - December 31st, 1995 | PROJECT

In fall of 1995, the Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNH) will open the Prehistoric Life Exhibits in 17,000 square feet of new exhibition space. The exhibits will be part of an on-going renaissance in paleontology at DMNH that includes research, educational programming, teacher training, and collections management. Visitors will walk through a series of nine life-size, open, prehistoric habitat dioramas -- "enviroramas"-- representing principally regional sites that feature critical events in 3.5 billion-year history of life on Earth. An extension of the Museum's tradition of diorama excellence, the enviroramas will immerse visitors in a multisensory journey, underscoring the message that vast amounts of both time and change have occurred since life began on Earth. Focus area exhibits adjacent to each envirorama will invite visitors to examine fossil evidence and scientific processes. Layered presentations will enable visitors to discover, explore, and study according to their level of interest. Excellent specimens, interpretive exhibitry and hands-on components will allow visitors to gain awareness of past patterns of environmental change and to develop literacy about and appreciation for how science and technology contribute to interpreting the fossil record. A comprehensive evaluation program will ensure that focus area exhibits are effective and provide visitors with "new eyes" for viewing the enviroramas. During exhibit construction, visitors will be able to watch from the viewing area of a state-of-the-art fossil preparation laboratory, completed in l990, as preparators rearticulate the skeletons of Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and other fossils. As part of their Prehistoric Life Exhibits experience, visitors will be able to witness on-going science activities in the laboratory. The National Science Foundation is requested to contribute $1 million over three years toward the $5.3 million Prehistoric Life Exhibits project. The exhibition and associated programming will be a major cultural and educational resource for the Rocky Mountain region , potentially reaching a diverse audience of well over a million Museum visitors and program participants annually.

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Team Members

Brian McLaren, Principal Investigator, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Richard Stucky, Co-Principal Investigator, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Merry Dooley, Co-Principal Investigator, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Alan Espenlaub, Co-Principal Investigator, Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 9154860
Funding Amount: 967309

Tags

Audience: Educators | Teachers | General Public | Museum | ISE Professionals
Discipline: Geoscience and geography | History | policy | law | Life science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits