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It is worth pointing out that the Harvard Museums are only a few  
short miles from the Boston Museum of Science, and the two  
organizations occupy complementary niches in Boston's cultural  
pantheon.  Both museums started out as 19th century natural history  
museums with collections, but in the mid-20th century they diverged.   
Under Brad Washburn, the Museum of Science divested its collections  
and morphed into the beloved science center we know today; while the  
Harvard Museums, very appropriately, continued to focus on  
collections-based research.  In my years in Boston the two  
organizations often collaborated, and no doubt they still do, or if  
not, they should!  I have always thought that each of the two museums  
freed the other to do what it does best.
Chuck Howarth

On Dec 7, 2007, at 3:40 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> ********************************************************************** 
> *******
>
> I am responding to Victoria's post about the Harvard Museum of
> Natural History.
>
> While the "parent" museums of the HMNH were established in the
> 19th century, the HMNH was established as the public face of
> Harvard research and collections only 10 years ago.  In that time
> working within the context of historic collections and displays
> and an aging facility, we have nevertheless created several new
> permanent exhibitons (the newest, Arthropods: Creatures that Rule
> opened last fall) and numerous temporary exhibitions (for
> example, the very popular Nests & Eggs) that showcase current
> science in exciting and engaging ways.  We have also mounted
> exhibitions of well known photographers that offer new ways of
> looking at and understanding the natural world.  Take a look at
> our website to get a sense of what we've done in just the past
> couple years and the exhbitions and programs we're offering now.
>  www.hmnh.harvard.edu,
>
> It is certainly not our "method" or intention to maintain a
> museum of a museum, inaccessible to the general public.  In fact,
> far from refusing to change the exhibits, we are in the process
> of a developing a long-term strategic plan for re-imagining the
> older galleries in ways that highlight current science, showcase
> Harvard's extraordinary specimens, reveal the ways in which
> scientific thinking has evolved since the 19th century, and are
> welcoming and accessible to a broad audience.
>
> We have a long way to go, but I invite you to come visit and see
> for yourselves how we are transforming the HMNH into at 21st
> century museum.
>
> Elisabeth Werby
> Executive Director
> Harvard Museum of Natural History
>
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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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