The new informal exhibit Sizes invites visitor participation. The special construction of this room, viewed through a window, creates tne 

 illusion that these men, of nearly the same size, are of midget and giant proportions. Ron Testa 84952-17 



THE PUBLIC MUSEUM 



While every department of the Museunn, from housekeep- 

 ing to scientific support services, has had to change to 

 meet the challenges of Centennial Directions, most of that 

 change has been invisible to the public. Not so the drama- 

 tic reorganization undenway in the public museum. Any- 

 one returning for a visit after an absence of several years 

 will immediately notice the difference. 



The plan called for development of a multi-tiered sys- 

 tem of exhibits designed to serve the distinctly different 

 needs of the Museum's many constituencies — family 

 groups and tourists, schoolchildren and teachers, schol- 

 ars and serious amateurs, and, not least, those nonvisitors 

 for whom the Museum's hushed formality has been a 

 barrier. 



once-imposing physical grandeur softened by the ex- 

 panded Museum shop and lively exhibits filling the arcade 

 spaces on either side. These informal exhibits cover 

 single-concept, nonsequential themes, designed to lure 

 the casual visitor into direct, challenging experiences. The 

 exhibits rely heavily on interactive models, functional repli- 

 cas, and expendable materials. They are engaging, play- 

 ful, sometimes messy, noisy, and bright. 



The tone was set on October 1 0, 1 987, with the open- 

 ing of the first of the informal exhibits. Sizes, which ex- 

 plores concepts of biomechanics and scale. Step right up, 

 folks. Test your jumping skill against a flea! Try on Levi's 

 largest off-the-rack jeans! In short, put yourself in the other 

 creature's shoes. 



Major Thematic Exhibits 



Informal Exhibits 



Representative elements of the new system are now in 

 place. A visitor walking into Stanley Field Hall will find the 



As visitors move deeper into the Museum, they will 

 encounter major thematic exhibits. These are not traveling 

 spectaculars like 1977's Treasures of Tutankhamen but 

 more permanent installations drawing on materials and 



