Wednesday, April 4, 2012 | 4:40 p.m.
Dear Brian Switek,
When the clerk asked how I heard about the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was your blog on Smithsonian.com, the one that sums up our city as slots, strippers and “some of the worst dinosaurs” you’ve ever seen.
I hadn’t visited the museum you insist is “more like a curiosity cabinet cobbled together out of taxidermy mounts,” so I spent $10 and several hours forming my own opinion. From International Wildlife to the African Savanna and Wild Nevada, the taxidermy is a highlight. The zebras are so lifelike I could almost hear them breathe (even the one being mauled by lions). Sure, there’s a see-no-evil monkey. Some scenes lack frills, and the sound effect for the Anubis baboon is genuinely scary. But this is a community venue dependent on donations and volunteers, and I don’t need a perfect diorama to learn why saiga antelopes look like extras from the Star Wars cantina.
Details
- Las Vegas Natural History Museum
- 900 Las Vegas Blvd. N., 384-3466
- Daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The real object of your disaffection was the Prehistoric Life Gallery. You wrote that the displays offer “a minimum of educational tidbits” and that some are so poorly lit as to be ineffectual. You wanted more fossils and context. You bemoaned the feather job on the Deinonychus and the push-button animatronics. Yes, the lighting is an issue in places. Some of the models are cartoonish. But I learned a great deal from the “tidbits,” and I overheard parents using them to start conversations with their kids, so it wasn’t all glowing red buttons and canned roars (which, whether you like it or not, work wonders when it comes to getting 10-year-olds to stop and hopefully think).
One family camped out on the floor by an exhibit on Leonardo, the dinosaur mummy, so they could watch and discuss educational videos. They wouldn’t dare at the Smithsonian. This private, non-profit museum, though affiliated, will never have comparable resources or impact. But it has touched the lives of countless young people, who don’t appear to notice the flaws over glowing minerals and coral-mimicking frogfish, “Bambi with fangs” and a very rare Rhynchotherium skull.
Some will never see the Smithsonian’s Dinosaur Hall. So while you’re making hay with criticism, Mr. Switek, consider making a donation, too. Maybe our museum will use it to buy some fancy new feathers for your friend.
- The 40,000-square-foot Museum is committed to providing multiple family-friendly educational programs focused on the sciences, environment, natural history, humanities and Nevada as an accredited nonprofit museum with the American Alliance of Museums, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, and a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers.
- Its nearby federal and state of Nevada repository is committed to increasing understanding of the past through the preservation, curation and research of fossils and archaeological artifacts recovered in Nevada.
- Through compliance with the standards and best practices in the field, the Museum will continue to develop characteristics of excellence as it strives toward world-class museum standards.
- To meet the needs of a growing community, the Museum will ensure good stewardship of collections and continue to evolve to reflect community visitor-centered best practices.
- While ensuring the financial stability of the organization, the interests, values and sensibilities of families will always serve as the core for Museum programming. Admission fees and hours of operation of the Museum will also allow for maximum accessibility for the Las Vegas community.
- To best share the valuable resources available through the Museum, the Museum team will promote and effectively communicate with the public about its cultural, historic and scientific programs and exhibitions.
- The Dinosaur Ball is the Museum’s annual fundraiser that raises much-needed support for Museum programming.
- The Museum Partnership Program provides unforgettable museum experiences and year-round benefits. Partnerships are available at $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000—or contact us to customize your partner perks to meet your goals and interests. Learn more at lvnhm.org/museum-partnership-program.
- Be part of history, one brick at a time. The walkway into the Museum is made up of permanent bricks that can be engraved for $250 per brick.
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