Over our Thanksgiving vacation, we had the opportunity to take a trip to the Field Museum in Chicago. While we were there, we got to check out the amazing 1893 World’s Fair Exhibit.
Before we headed off the museum, I downloaded the Field Museum’s awesome {FREE!} app to my iPhone, which helped guide me through the exhibit and the rest of the muesuem. (Click here to download the app before heading to the museum!!) The first stop on the tour within the app was Totem Poles. By scanning the QR code in front of the Totem Poles, I was able to get a panorama view of how they looked at the fair. Super cool! The picture below shows the first stop on the tour and just a small fraction of the panorama view.
I had no idea before going to the exhibit that it was the World Fair that really started the Field Museum and gave it the beginnings of it’s now vast collection. The Field Museum was built to commemorate the World Fair. The exhibit takes you back to 1893, with it’s dimly lit background, you are immediately drawn to all the pieces on exhibit, seeing exactly what was seen in 1893.
One of the pieces that Nathan and I found most interesting was this.
And I say “this” because the creators of the exhibit don’t know what it is! We found that fascinating. They even have an email address listed that you can contact if you have an idea of what it could be!
The part of the exhibit that Gavin loved the most was this interactive musical one.
If you look closely, you can see instruments in the background. They are instruments from the gamelan played at the Javanese village on the Fair’s Midway. They are duplicated on the screen that Gavin is touching, and you can drag them on to an open space on the screen and then play them! You hear the noise they make above your head. How cool right??
There were huge projections of scenes from the World Fair. I am such a visual person, and the scenes absolutely suck you in and create such an ambiance of the time.
Another cool feature inside the exhibit was a display with Peruvian mummies that had been on display during the World Fair.
It was amazing to see them, but even more amazing were the screens next to the display. There were two screens, one ahead of the view and one laying horizontal that you could touch. By moving around on the horizontal screen, you could turn the mummies and pick different layers to look inside. Beside the screens were replicas of items that had been wrapped up with the mummies and printed out with a 3D printer!
It was so amazing to see how the museum has used modern technology to reveal more about the past. I also loved how they then made that technology so interactive!
Okay, one more thing (two more things . . . ) because I want to leave some things for you to see when you get there . . . I LOVED the way things were displayed. It was so objective. The Fair wasn’t put up on some pedestal as a majestic and magical time. It was made very clear that those who put on The Fair made some mistakes, for example in how they treated some other cultures, while at the same time showcasing the wonder that was The Fair.
Here’s the one last thing. My kids with Sue. I’m pretty sure they would have taken her home if they could have.
I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, however all content and opinions expressed here are my own.
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