denver museum of nature and science

denver museum of nature and science

Exploring the Evolution of Denver Museum of Nature and Science: A Comprehensive Study

1. Introduction to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

The challenges and its evolution process are tackled and taken apart by dividing it into one of its major functional and founding components: The research collections – how did it start? Who and what were considered as a collection for DMNS? The museum library – as the collection evolves to valuable scientific resources, where does the collected research information go? 30 years’ history of DMNS building expansion. DMNS that we know today is virtually a state-of-the-art building, but how did this building evolve from a $10 million system upgrade to a fully operational and state-of-the-art building (in fact, with many new additions and building enhancements still ongoing)? Admissions – today, DMNS draws many thousand visitors every month. What kind of audience or visitors did DMNS attract in its initial stages? 33 years of DMNS departmental evolution. A new museum has many departments with functions related to education and developing exhibits. Where did those functions initially go and how have they evolved over those years, and what is its current state? For all the above challenges/admissions to DMNS evolution, the information for this paper is a summary of publicly available information about museums, history of DMNS research, collections, library, building expansions, Denver Art Museum library, and DMNS museum departments.

The mission for most natural history museums is to provide and encourage an environment where research and education meet for school children, students, and families. They also provide global research based on collections, libraries, and information. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS), located in Denver, Colorado, houses a variety of natural and scientific resources in its collection. Today, DMNS is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Denver, Colorado, and is a globally recognized museum. So in today’s present world, we take it as a modern and exemplary museum, but has it not gone through a share of challenges in evolving to an exemplary museum? The evolution of DMNS from inception to today has not been as simple as its missions and goals mentioned. That is why the objective of this research paper is to coerce and put together the pieces of challenges and the evolution process undergone by DMNS for close to a hundred years from its inception to what it stands for today.

2. Historical Evolution and Founding Principles

From the beginning, the museum has had four distinct purposes: to acquire, preserve, classify, exhibit, and foster knowledge of Colorado and the surrounding region’s natural history; to acquire, preserve, classify, exhibit, and foster knowledge of the natural history and culture of the world; to teach about the natural history of Colorado, the surrounding region, the world, and the sciences associated therewith; to disseminate knowledge of the natural history of Colorado, the surrounding region, the world, and the sciences associated therewith through supportive public and educational programs. All of these goals continue to be part of the museum’s mission. The founding principles of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science continue to inform every aspect of the museum’s operation and have greatly contributed to the ultimate expansion and success of the museum.

William Byers founded the museum in 1900. The museum was first known as the Colorado Museum of Natural History, and it opened to the public just eleven months after its formation at the Cornelius Block building in downtown Denver. The museum, and its first home, were emphatically funded and supported by local Denver citizens who firmly believed in the importance of expanding knowledge about Colorado through its natural history. In 1996, the museum’s name was changed to reflect its expanded focus and importance as a regional center for both education and research. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is Colorado’s first museum of natural history and is one of only a few in the nation that combines a research center, collections of natural history and anthropological objects, and a public exhibits program. The museum’s 1989 strategic plan demonstrated a commitment to a broader and deeper role in science education.

3. Exhibits and Collections: Showcasing Natural Wonders

The museum presents permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits, including open exhibits throughout the collections building, theaters, temporary art installations, interactive computer-based exhibits, cultural performances, and of course tours throughout the research and production laboratories. These exhibits serve as the public face of the institution, providing educational services, offering scientifically accurate and fun traveling exhibits, and curating specific cultural requests from around the world. The international reputation is partially attributable to the exhaustive scientific descriptions and educational texts that supplement the exhibits and collections. A variety of unique types of artifacts, geography, and cultures are showcased to entertain and educate the visitors. The two major areas inside DMNS that display these exhibitions are the Anthropology Section and the Zoology Section. The mission of the Anthropology Section is to collect, preserve, research, and showcase human history and the vast diversity of world cultures represented by hundreds of artifacts, expeditions, and thousands of photos, and offer the artifacts, field notes, and exhibit information online. The mission of the Zoology Section is to maintain, conduct research, and deliver educational services, including four exhibit halls adjacent to the section collections, displaying various biological topics represented by more than 1.2 million objects.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) is located on the eastern edge of City Park in Denver, Colorado. The museum is a nonprofit educational institution with a mission and vision focused on enlightening both local residents and visitors from around the world about nature, science, and cultures, and addressing relevant societal issues. The exhibits and collections are the heart and soul of the museum. Its worldwide collections of anthropological and zoological artifacts number more than 1.7 million items. The scientific research encompasses critical issues concerning the disciplines of anthropology, archaeology, earth sciences, health sciences, paleontology, space sciences, and zoology.

4. Educational Programs and Community Engagement Initiatives

‘Outreach’ is considered to be a valued part of the operating philosophy: a vital way of increasing public awareness; and finally, a sustained cooperative effort with the existing educational systems to engage and stimulate but not to supplant traditional schooling. The premise that hands-on programs are valued learning tools is strongly supported by a wide range of evidentiary data. Educational theories, the learning pyramid, and museum-based studies promote diverse hands-on programs for the wide spectrum of society. The formats that have been developed are well suited for small recreation apartments as well as for special areas required by large exhibition complexes. Additionally, the techniques can be scaled to fit temporary exhibitions, support facilities, and teaching materials for exhibit labels, group assignments, and facilitator guidelines.

The institution serves a broad audience, both in terms of visitor profile and interests. Curricular and extracurricular visitor groups are hosted from Colorado, the District of Columbia, and from over two dozen other countries. The broad fields of the arts and sciences are represented in its permanent collections. Through exhibits and educational programs, a wide range of scientific knowledge can be imparted to visitors. However, insufficient visitor orientation, the passive presentation of information, a paucity of structured interpretive programs, and a preponderance of traditional exhibits generally attract interaction. ‘Whole experience’ activities must be provided if that expression is to become a reality. This dissertation has modern and creative resource utilization for hands-on educational programs for a wide variety of curricular and non-curricular groups.

5. Future Directions and Innovations in Museum Curation

Furthermore, final curation of digital curatorial records in a state that best preserves information for the longest time possible would be beneficial, as digital information is highly susceptible to data corruption, mismanagement, and loss. Exploration of solutions to this might include, for example, collecting, curating, and publishing on a blockchain infrastructure to ensure validation of collected data; implementation of curated QR codes throughout exhibits that scan directly to that specimen’s digital museum card; the use of advanced auto-annotation algorithms to aid in curation, publication, and management of digital records. Deployment of digital pedagogy in a museum setting and other innovative methods of interactively engaging with a museum online in the form of game-based or simulation-based exhibits is also a possibility. Use of data visualization tools to better present and understand data in a museum online space could add significant value to that space. Moreover, an enhanced integration of the digital sphere and museum experience represented by multiple different portal types will also be important. These portals will allow many and unique direct interconnects to the curation space of curatorial narrative on selected museum collection objects. The added curation splits the burden upon a single creative department to cull exhibit segments and displays to fully utilize the digital data the museum has curated.

Future directions and innovations in curatorship are exciting, and new skills for distance learning curation will need to be added to areas of developing expertise. These include the ability to facilitate visitor involvement in content creation, communication, and curation, as well as the implementation of that vast amount of data a big data approach to museum curation will generate. Utilization of “shallow curiosity” to capture and engage an online audience would also be beneficial. Onsite exhibits deepen curiosity about a topic, but shallow curiosity is a bottomless pool of enthusiasm for the accumulation of information about anything that interests the visitor. More research into the mechanics of how museum experiences affect the brain and the role new technologies can play in learning is needed. What is the role of memory and what are the underlying health benefits of visiting a museum?