The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal
natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for
informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of
exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the
natural history of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The 500,000-square-foot
(46,452 m2) building houses more than one million objects in its collections
including natural history and anthropological materials, as well as archival
and library resources.
The Museum is an independent, nonprofit institution with
approximately 350 full-time and part-time staff, more than 1,600 volunteers,
and a 25-member Board of Trustees. It is accredited by the American Alliance of
Museums (AAM) and is a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate.
Founded in 1900, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
is located in Denver’s City Park and has views of Denver and the Rocky
Mountains. The Museum has had three different names since it first opened: The
Colorado Museum of Natural History, The Denver Museum of Natural History, and
now the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
The Museum traces its origins back to the efforts of one
man, a pioneer naturalist named Edwin Carter who devoted his life to the
scientific study of Colorado birds, mammals and fauna. Since 1900, the museum
collection has grown from Carter’s collection, housed in a log cabin, to a
museum housing more than a million objects in its collections. Another man
instrumental in developing the museum's collection through the mid 20th century
was Dr Alfred Marshall Bailey, who served as Director from 1936 to 1969.
The Museum is known for its children’s discovery areas, the
Space Odyssey exhibition, Gates Planetarium, the Prehistoric Journey
exhibition, IMAX films, Egyptian mummies, wildlife exhibits, colorful gems and
minerals, Expedition Health exhibition, temporary exhibitions, and education
programs. Visitors can also experience the “best view in Denver” from the
Anschutz Family Sky Terrace and Leprino Family Atrium on the west side of the
building. Here, visitors see views of the Front Range, from Longs Peak in the
north to Pikes Peak in the south.
The museum is partially funded by the Scientific and
Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), which was created by area voters in 1988.
Barack Obama speaks with CEO of Namaste Solar Electric,
Inc., Blake Jones, while looking at solar panels at the Denver Museum of Nature
and Science, Feb. 17, 2009.
Discovery Zone is a hands-on educational center geared toward
children. dig up a stegosaurus, make fun crafts, play on the discovery stage,
inspect insect specimens, and laugh yourself outloud with funhouse mirrors.
Egyptian Mummies uses two mummies and their tomb artifacts
to teach how the ancient civilization of Egypt regarded its living and
preserved its dead.
Expedition Health teaches visitors about the constantly
changing and adapting human body.
Gems & Minerals is a re-created mine where visitors can
examine many colorful crystals and minerals found both locally and globally.
North American Indian Cultures explores the diversity among
Native American groups and the practicality and artistry of their everyday
objects.
Gates Planetarium!
Gates Planetarium presents a view of the universe, using
technology to tell science stories and help visitors experience the universe.
The 125-seat planetarium features unidirectional, semi-reclining stadium
seating, 16.4 surround-sound system featuring Ambisonic—a 3-D spatial sound
system, and a perforated metal dome, 56 feet in diameter and tilted 25 degrees.
The current Gates Planetarium replaces the older, dome-style planetarium.
Phipps IMAX Theater!
The Phipps IMAX Theater on the second floor of the museum
was built as the Phipps Auditorium in 1940, and was used for lectures,
concerts, and films until 1980. Renovated and reopened in 1983 as the Phipps
IMAX Theater, it seats 440 people and now shows large-format IMAX films daily.
The future!
Plans for the future include a new 126,000 square foot, five
level addition. The top three levels, known as the Morgridge Family Exploration
Center, will house a temporary exhibition hall, Discovery Zone exhibition for
young learners, and Exploration Studios for students and teachers. The two
below ground levels are known as the Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center,
and will house, study, and preserve more than 1.5 million artifacts and
specimens in a climate-controlled space.
Museum secrets!
While many have visited the Denver Museum of Nature and
Science, few have noticed the hidden surprises camouflaged within the museum's
exhibits. Kent Pendleton, one of the museum's diorama painters, was unable to
sign his work. In lieu of a signature, Pendleton painted a total of 8 elves in
his work hidden throughout the museum.
In the Edge of the Wild exhibit there are two mechanical
butterflies that flap their wings every few seconds making up the only moving
objects in the diorama exhibits.
Finally, in the IMAX lobby entrance there are several
painted pictures hidden on the walls relating to Star Wars.
