Passing Time in a Museum

A giant ground sloth (Eremotherium eomigrans) from the upcoming exhibit, "Extreme Mammals" at the California Academy of Sciences. © AMNH/D. Finnin

Time is measured a bit differently by those who work in a museum. Exhibits both permanent and temporary have a lot to do with this. When I first started working at the California Academy of Sciences, my whole schedule was dictated by "Chocolate: The Exhibit". When an exhibit is close to completion, there is a palatable energy felt by those who have worked on it. This is not a small number of people; most museum employees have some small part of making exhibits ready for the public – from installing, text work, cleaning specimens to graphics, marketing, and educating the public on the content. Time, for a museum employee, doesn’t so much change with the seasons but with new installments.

With that said, I was eager today to walk around the newly renovated, "Altered State: Climate Change in California" exhibit. The 80-foot-long blue whale skeleton still shadows the footprint of the space. However, there are some old favorites back on display such as the sequoia redwood round that is over 1700 years old. (The last time it was on display was for the Hotspot exhibit at our temporary facility on Howard Street). The exhibit also has a presentation area to learn about what guests can do to be more sustainable and a rotating globe front and center.

Space was also made in the exhibit to introduce an upcoming exhibit, "Extreme Mammals", which will run from April 3-September 12, 2010 on the second floor of the museum. There is a bare stage on the peripheral of Altered States. It has been set-aside for a specimen that will be extreme in size.

So what will "Extreme Mammals" be about? The exhibit will display the biggest, smallest and most amazing animals in the mammal family. It will have a montage of fossils, reconstructions, recent specimens and living animals. The exhibit will delve into surprising and extraordinary traits in extinct and living animals. Some questions that might be answered include:

Could a whale walk?

Could a bat be the size of a bumblebee?

Could a mother be pregnant for almost two years?

Staff has been counting down to April 3rd and the opening of "Extreme Mammals" – literally! There is a huge countdown calendar upon entry to the staff offices and everyone who works here sees it on a daily basis. We are currently on day 60. The countdown started on day 75 and will be complete on April 3rd. Like I said, new exhibits and installments measure time, for a museum employee.

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