Impressive and costly renovations of two major science museums—San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington—have been catching a lot of press recently. What about New York’s own American Museum of Natural History? Has this famed institution, extremely innovative when founded in 1869, become as outdated as an apatosaurus? Is there any reason for Columbia students to visit, considering the fact that we cannot even get in for free?
When asked if he had any strong feelings about the museum, Yoni Golijov, CC ’12, responded, “Uh no, does anyone have an opinion on the Museum of Natural History? If so, where can I get one?” This indifference is indicative of the overall attitude of most students polled. It seems the museum is simply not hip enough to appeal to the Columbia community.
However, the museum still bears a nostalgic appeal for some students. Elliott Grieco, CC ’12, acknowledged the museum’s sentimental value. “The dinosaurs at the front stick out as a childhood memory,” he explained. But simple nostalgia may not be strong enough to compel the average student to return to the museum.
Before you completely dismiss the place as an old relic appealing only to small children, grandparents, or clueless tourists, there are a few facts to consider. First, the museum is attempting to reach out to a more mature audience through SonicVision, a special music-and-light show presented most Friday and Saturday evenings. The show features a mix by Moby containing tracks by big names like Radiohead, U2, and Coldplay. The museum also has a few temporary exhibits worth checking out: “Lizards & Snakes: Alive!” is clearly targeted at 6- to 12-year-old boys. But if you still squeal with delight at the sight of gila monsters, go ogle the 60-plus live exotic specimens on view.
For those of you who desire to check out Daniel Radcliffe (and his wand) in Equus, you might want to prepare yourself by going to “The Horse,” an exhibit that focuses both on the biological history of horses and their complex relationship with humans—just don’t expect anything too wild. Other than a sensual slow motion video of a galloping horse’s rippling muscles, all of the displays are pretty tame.
“The Horse” is a bit like a microcosm of the entire museum, containing a combination of scientific, historical, and artistic information. Highlights include a video on the carbon content of fossil horse teeth, a horse-shaped spear-thrower from about 16,000 B.C., and Isabelle, an impressive bronze horse statue by Deborah Butterfield that appears to be made of magically balanced pieces of driftwood.
The short film currently playing at the Hayden Planetarium Space Theatre, “Cosmic Collisions,” is also highly entertaining. The show feels more like an amusement park ride than a lesson in cosmology. The visuals are quite beautiful and Robert Redford’s narration is both poetic and dramatic, albeit a little overly simplified for you physics know-it-alls out there.
Different sections of the museum vary wildly not only in subject matter, but also in display style and quality. The relatively new Rose Center for Earth and Space, which was completed in February 2000, is beautifully conceived. It contains an ingenious set of exhibits that allow visitors to get a good grasp on such difficult concepts as the age and size of the universe.
Some of the exhibits seem very outdated and out-of-touch with current cultural trends, though. The dioramas of Africans, Asians, and Native Americans in traditional garb seem to depict these people as exotic specimens rather than as human beings. Some galleries are poorly lit and smell musty. These parts of the museum feel like relics in and of themselves, and their quaintness is somewhat appealing on a nostalgic level, if nothing else.
A museum containing such variety can indeed appeal to a diverse range of viewers. If you are a methodical museum visitor who enjoys reading captions and actually wants to learn something, you should probably limit yourself to just a couple galleries. For those of who prefer quantity to quality, simply wandering through the museum could be your best bet. The museum has a relatively arbitrary layout, and you can travel quickly from biology to anthropology to astronomy. Within the space of about five minutes, you can glance at traditional African devil costumes, photographs from Saturn, and gazelles with five-feet-long corkscrew antlers.
Although there are student discounts at the museum, a visit can become pretty pricey. The requested donation for a student ticket that includes the main gallery and one of the special exhibits (“Cosmic Collisions,” “Lizards and Snakes,” or “The Horse”) is a whopping $18.
If these prices have not scared you off, the museum is easily accessible by the 1 train: simply get off at 79th and walk over to Central Park West. A trip to the museum combined with some strolling around the Upper West Side or Central Park makes for a great weekend excursion.
The Museum of Natural History is located at 79th street and Central Park West. It is open seven days a week and suggested admission is $18.
