Virginia Museum of Natural History Opens Magnificent New Digs
celebrates, culture, magnificent new digs, opening, smyth county’s saltville, virginia museum of natural history,
Several years of anticipation culminated in late March 2007‚ when the glistening glass doors of the Virginia Museum of Natural History’s new home on Starling Avenue swung open to the public.
“This museum would be impressive to be in any city in the United States‚” says Ryan Barber‚ the museum’s director of marketing and external affairs‚ “but to be in Martinsville‚ with a population of 15‚000‚ it’s even more amazing.”
At last‚ the museum has a fitting facility to showcase its spectacular collections and adequately convey the important work being done by its curators. This new‚ $28 million‚ 89‚000-square-foot facility replaced the museum’s previous home‚ a 1920s schoolhouse.
The museum was founded as a private institution in 1984‚ and since it became a state agency in 1988‚ it has been a hub of world-class research. Its old quarters were cramped‚ especially considering the museum has more than 22 million items in its various collections. The new facility addresses space needs‚ and its many amenities make it a more prominent draw to tourists from outside the community.
“We are the state’s natural history museum but also the nation’s newest natural history museum‚” says Barber‚ noting that the institution attracts many out-of-state visitors‚ some of whom drive hundreds of miles just to see the new facility and its exhibits.
One of the most interesting features of the new facility is the series of laboratories visible to visitors as they enter the great hall from the lobby. Guests may watch as the museum’s scientists use the labs to conduct their ongoing research into Virginia’s history. Permanent exhibits include How Nature Works: Rocks‚ which shows how the earth is shaped by geological forces; and How Nature Works: Life‚ which demon strates the importance of the sun to all life.
The Uncovering Virginia exhibit re-creates some of the most important archaeological digs in the commonwealth. Visitors can examine fossil or archaeological evidence and use the same tools that scientists do.
Special‚ changing exhibits offer the visitors a chance to see exciting finds from Virginia and well beyond.
In June‚ the Beyond Jamestown: Virginia Indians Yesterday and Today exhibit opened. It highlights the his tory‚ culture and contributions of Virginia’s American Indian tribes. In fall 2007‚ a collection of butterflies will shimmer from cases built by the same Belgian company that constructs such cases for the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Response to the museum’s new home has been overwhelming‚ Barber says. In April‚ the first full month it was open to the public‚ 6‚000 people came through the doors. At the old facility‚ 25‚000 people would visit in an entire year. The museum expects 70‚000 total visitors the first year and eventually aims to attract as many as 140‚000 visitors annually.
Story by Piper Reilly
Photo by Ian Curcio
