EUGENE, Ore. – (Oct. 19, 2012) – The University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History is developing a new exhibition wing on geology and other natural history and wants the public to offer feedback on its presentation.
The new exhibition, "Explore Oregon!" will open in 2013, doubling the museum's gallery space and complementing the current focus on cultural history. Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 24, the museum is inviting visitors of all ages to look at currently displayed components of the exhibition and offer advice and input to be used in developing the final display.
Since March, museum visitors have been interacting with exhibits on geology and animal evolution and adaptation. The final round of trial displays that open Oct. 24 will be “the last opportunity for community members to provide ideas and evaluate what we’ve done so far,” says Ann Craig, project manager for the new exhibit hall.
Visitors have offered feedback through focus groups, surveys and even post-it notes. Some of those notes read, “I love that wall with the rocks and the different sections as I’ve always had trouble visualizing geology…” and “Sweet! But needs more interactive games.”
By testing specific features with visitors in the development process, museum staff gain an understanding of what messages resonate and how best to communicate them to patrons.
About the Museum of Natural and Cultural History
The Museum of Natural and Cultural History, 1680 E. 15th Ave. in Eugene, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and youths 17 and under, and $8 for families (two adults and up to four youths). Museum members are admitted free. Guided tours are offered each Friday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
MEDIA CONTACT:Judi Pruitt, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, 541-346-1671, judip@uoregon.edu.
Links:
Museum of Natural and Cultural History: http://natural-history.uoregon.edu
Museum on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oregonnaturalhistory
SOURCE:Office of Communications, 541-346-3606, jmosley@uoregon.edu
Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with satellite uplink capacity, and a radio studio with an ISDN phone line for broadcast-quality radio interviews.