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This Is – and Isn’t – Your Grandfather’s Science Museum

Opinion

We are in the thick of installation here at the new California Academy of Sciences, and the clock is ticking down to the museum’s Sept 27 opening date. The Foucault Pendulum has been reinstalled and has resumed rotation. Interactives for “Islands of Evolution” (documenting Academy research expeditions to Madagascar and Galápagos) have been installed.

The focus now is on completing the installation of “Altered State” – the exhibits about California and Climate Change. As a longtime environmentalist, these are very close to my heart and I am indebted to the Academy for the opportunity to participate in this meaningful statement. We have set up Altered State to stimulate visitor participation and engagement not just while in the museum but afterwards. One way in which we do that is by providing a dedicated area where visitors may submit their own ideas and comments, and also explore resources that provide information about  what they can do as individuals, families, and communities to make carbon-friendly choices in life and help save planet Earth.

On Sunday 7 Sept the Academy held a soft opening event, to which were invited some 2, 500 people who had participated in one way or another over the last five years. The response was very favorable and I look forward to seeing how our exhibits are received by the public at large, the museum community and the media in the near future.

Photo: Cinnabar.  Pin and the Pendulum – Sam Snow sets pins in place for the reinstallation of the Foucault Pendulum at the new California Academy of Sciences.

See also:

Giant Tortoises and Museum 2.0: Cinnabar Installation Diary

More news from the installation front!

Cinnabar Installation Diary: The California Academy of Sciences

Collaborate, Design, Engage, Succeed! An Interview with Jonathan Katz

Cinnabar Inc. Executive Produces Major Exhibits For New California Academy of Sciences

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