Cleveland Museum Natural History - Transforming the World of Discovery 2025

A behind-the-scenes look at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s $150 million transformation

CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Anna Alger, Content Marketing Manager

Samantha Guenther, External Communications Manager

Cory Bailey, Graphic Designer

CLEVELAND STUDIOS

Tiffany Myroniak, Senior Account Manager

Ann-Marie Vazzano, Senior Editor

Megan Rosta-Walcutt, Art Director

Alyson Moutz, Production Manager

Contributing Writers: Rachel Hagenbaugh, Kristen Hampshire, Kellie Innes and Jill Sell

Contributing Photographers: Christiana Ciacatto, Erik Drost, Kevin Kopanski, Matt Shiffler and Thom Sivo

Contributing Designer: Rayanne Medford

Copyright 2025 by Great Lakes Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without permission of Great Lakes Publishing. All rights reserved. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the publisher are not responsible for errors or omissions. All information is subject to change.

2 Cleveland Museum of Natural History

MEET HAPPY

Now on display in the Visitor Hall, “Happy” is a 70-foot-long Haplocanthosaurus delfsi

MEET THE DONORS: PAM & DON WASHKEWICZ

When guests arrive at the Museum’s Visitor Hall, it isn’t uncommon for their eyes to be immediately drawn to the largest specimen in this space: “Happy,” or Haplocanthosaurus delfsi, the sauropod dinosaur whose 70-foot-long skeleton casts impressive shadows along the walls. Happy has been captivating visitors ever since it was discovered in 1954 by a Museum team including college student Edwin Delfs and three high school students. Not only was Happy an amazing discovery, but it was the first of its kind ever discovered—making it the holotype of its species. Now, the enduring nature of Happy’s story has inspired Museum supporters Pam and Don Washkewicz to sponsor the sauropod’s exhibit with a remarkable campaign gift of $750,000.

As native Clevelanders, the Washkewiczes believe in the importance of supporting the growth of local community resources such as museums, nonprofits and hospitals. "They keep Cleveland a strong cultural city, and one where visitors and residents can return over and over,” say the Washkewiczes. The couple has experienced the impact of this growth themselves during visits to the Museum with their granddaughter, who loves visiting the Museum’s animal ambassadors in the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden—presented by KeyBank. “She loves all animals and could have spent all day there,” they share. When it comes to Happy’s exhibit, the Washkewiczes hope that visitors who encounter the iconic sauropod will be inspired in the same way they have been inspired themselves—to never stop learning.

A MUSEUM BUILT FOR YOU

DEAR READERS,

In this publication, we are proud to reintroduce you to one of our community’s most beloved cultural assets—the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

When the Museum was established more than 100 years ago, our founders envisioned it as a place where knowledge about the natural world could be shared. Today, that idea remains a core part of our mission. And yet, faced with a rapidly changing world full of complex challenges, we came to realize that the traditional, timeline- and discipline-based approach to natural history no longer served the needs of our community. To empower our audiences with the knowledge they need to secure a healthy future, we needed to adopt a community-centered, inquiry-based approach and reinvent the visitor experience.

This Museum was built for you—our audiences, neighbors, community members, supporters and curious minds around the world. It is a Museum for and about this region. Although many of the millions of objects and specimens in our collection teach us about the past, everything we do is about the future we share. Each of our new and reimagined galleries, exhibits and programs has been designed to highlight the ways humans and nature are connected. We believe that an understanding of this connection is key to the survival of all life on Earth—and crucial to our vision for healthy humans, a healthy planet and a better future for all.

We are all part of the amazing story of life on our planet, and how we tell that story makes a difference. As you explore these pages, you will discover how this story unfolds through immersive experiences, interactive exhibits, fascinating case studies and active research. You will see how we place humans within a broader context through themes such as biodiversity, sustainability, human health and human impact. And you will learn how this new model sets a bold standard for natural history museums around the world.

We are grateful to all the supporters and partners who have helped to make this transformation a reality. Your enduring support and belief in our mission means that Cleveland now has a natural history museum unlike any other.

SINCERELY,

Sonia Winner President & CEO

Susan Donlan Board Chair

COLLECTION

80 %

OHIO-BASED

ORIGINS

MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF HISTORY

From humble beginnings in a two-room house to a newly reimagined hub for exploring all things natural, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Cleveland roots run deep.

The youngster, dressed in his favorite T-shirt adorned with a graphic of a ferocious dinosaur, slowly approached the 70-footlong Haplocanthosaurus delfsi. Affectionately known as “Happy,” the sauropod dinosaur, sponsored by Pam and Don Washkewicz, is now on display in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s new Visitor Hall.

The boy let go of his mother’s hand, walked under Happy’s raised tail and looked up, mesmerized. A loud “Wow!” was the start of a lifelong appreciation of natural history.

That is exactly what founders, supporters, Museum scientists and staff have hoped for in the century since the Cleveland Museum of Natural History was established in 1920. But the Museum’s origins date back to the 1830s, when a small group of likeminded men used a modest, two-room house on Public Square to hold taxidermy specimens and other natural history objects.

Specimens for “the Ark,” as it was called, were either collected or donated. Leonard Case Sr. owned the collection and

building, passing it down to his sons Leonard Case Jr. and William Case. The collection moved to Case Hall, where it remained until 1916.

“The Ark was the Museum’s first attempt to engage the Cleveland community and communicate the importance of science and nature. Now we embark upon the next most significant chapter in our history—reimagining the Museum experience to place the visitor at the center of the natural history story,” says Sonia Winner, president and CEO.

The Museum’s roots included not only the Ark, but also the Cleveland Academy of Natural Sciences and the Kirtland Society of Natural Sciences, according to Joe Tait, Museum librarian and archivist. Names involved in the Museum’s creation and early support read like a list of many of Cleveland’s most prestigious early 20th century thinkers, businessmen and philanthropists: Cyrus S. Eaton, Jeptha Wade II, Harold T. Clark, Mantis James Van Sweringen, Lewis Williams and others.

Because we have been around for more than 100 years, the Museum has a rich and truly unique history within our region.

— SONIA WINNER, PRESIDENT & CEO

A MOVING EFFORT

The Museum’s headquarters were located in the Lennox Building at East 9th St. and Euclid Ave. The first exhibits were shown in 1922 after a move to the former Leonard Hanna mansion on Euclid Avenue. The Hanna Star Dome, the first planetarium in Ohio, opened in 1936. But because of urban development and the expansion of its collection, the Museum was forced to look for a new home. Between 1958 and 1961, its five interconnected units operated at what is now 1 Wade Oval Drive in University Circle. Multiple expansions and remodels followed.

“Because we have been around for more than 100 years, the Museum has a rich and truly unique history within our region,” says Winner. “Each decade saw groundbreaking discoveries, the beginnings of new research and fresh ways to engage with the Cleveland community. While many other Cleveland institutions are communicating the history of our city, we are distinctly positioned to share the story of our region from a natural history perspective.”

Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer, calls the Museum “homegrown.” It’s a positive description for an institution that has responded to the interests and needs of the community and one whose collection is about 80% Ohio based. The Museum has embraced Clevelanders through decades of school field trips, live animal presentations and lectures.

“The galleries serve as highlights, the framework where the Museum begins conversations,” says Dr. Svenson. “From there, children and adults may be inspired to go to summer camps or become lifelong learners.”

“It is a remarkable opportunity to be president and CEO of this Museum right now,” adds Winner. “But if I had to choose an earlier time to lead this Museum, it would be during one of our major discoveries. I imagine those moments would have been incredibly inspiring— much like the Museum’s current chapter, with its $150 million transformation, complete reinstallation of exhibits and development of new public spaces. We are setting a new model for natural history museums.”

Because Cleveland is home, the Museum has called on and received help from the community in more ways than one over the years.

In 1958, when the Museum moved to Wade Oval, it had the “enormous task of transporting all its collections and exhibits to their new home,” according to President and CEO Sonia Winner.

“This was done by caravan, with volunteers organizing cars to move specimens across the city. The larger mammals, including a lion (mount), had to be transported in open convertibles down the busy streets of Cleveland. I imagine that it was a very surprising sight to the people who witnessed it. Even so, this moment in our history represents how our community has consistently chipped in to make this Museum the incredible institution it is today,” Winner says.

EVOLUTION

The Museum’s ongoing growth and evolution ensure it will continue to engage and inspire visitors for generations to come.

Some specimens that are part of a natural history museum are timeless—classics that have mesmerized visitors for decades. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Balto is just one example. Generations have admired Balto, the heroic sled dog who was part of one of the 20 teams who delivered lifesaving diphtheria antitoxin to the icebound town of Nome, Alaska, in 1925. That’s why the iconic canine has a starring role in the new Visitor Hall. But, change is inevitable. Many Clevelanders have wonderful memories of visiting the Museum as a child, being inspired there as a young adult to pursue a career in natural history, or taking grandchildren there to see the dinosaurs. We cherish those memories but also realize that no great natural history museum can ever remain static.

This is something the Museum has recognized and embraced since its inception—and now more than ever. Its transformation is a legacy-changing evolution with a laser-sharp focus.

“The Museum has changed and grown, but alongside our steadfast dedication to the scientific evidence, we continue to evolve how we present natural history in ways that can connect with the visitors. This project is no different, but represents a huge step forward in how we focus on relevant content for visitors to see, experience and learn from,” says Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer.

Regularly updating content to reflect relevant issues is paramount to the Museum’s mission. Dr. Svenson points to the Museum’s focus on local, regional, national and global environmental issues and its unique ability to present the topics in ways that draw in and engage visitors of all ages. For example, the Museum presents important information about pollution, biodiversity, conservation, algal blooms, clean water and air, climate change and other ecological issues that impact us all, and it does so in innovative, visitor-friendly, educational ways.

“As we move forward, we are uniquely positioned to respond to the needs of our changing world and help our audiences find and navigate the information they need to make informed decisions in their daily lives,” adds President and CEO Sonia Winner.

It’s also important to note that the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a museum for everyone. “This is more than a kids’ museum,” says Meenakshi Sharma, senior vice president & chief strategy officer. “Yes, we can inspire curiosity when you are a child. But we also want to focus on lifelong learning and reach audiences we haven’t seen as much in the past, such as adolescents and young adults.”

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History continues to receive positive feedback from visitors, including many first-time guests

from the communities of Cleveland, East Cleveland, Brooklyn, Euclid, Garfield Heights, Maple Heights and Warrensville Heights who are now experiencing the Museum at no cost on Saturdays and Sundays as part of the recently expanded Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Days. Feedback comes from those who “appreciate having a place to learn about science and nature that feels relevant and meaningful to them, as well as a place where it is simply fun to learn,” says Winner. “We aim to inspire all our audiences with a sense of enthusiasm and a passion for protecting human health and the health of our planet, now and in the future.”

OUR FRIEND BALTO

Now on display in the Visitor Hall, Balto helped deliver lifesaving diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome, Alaska, in 1925.

INSIDER TIP: THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

Many heated debates have been held over the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Visitors who walk the Douglas McCreery and Dr. Laurie McCreery Timeline of the Earth in the Visitor Hall just might discover the answer. The Timeline’s floor medallions mark geological and biological events, milestones and time periods in the history of Earth.

INSPIRING VISITORS

TO TAKE ACTION

The Museum’s spotlight on the environment started in earnest decades ago. One exhibit featured a small tank of water showing items such as rusty cans, chemical discharge and rubber tires that polluted Lake Erie.

New exhibits and interactive opportunities at the Museum have become more sophisticated, but also easier to understand, thanks to our knowledge and the Museum’s scientific research.

“You don’t have to come out and say that all wetlands are being drained, but you can present information that will help visitors draw their own conclusions,” says Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer. “Then people start to realize they can do things like plant native plants or increase bee populations to help. They realize there is hope and that there are actions they can take. It is a first step.”

CHAPTER 2 GALLERIES | STORIES BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE

LARRY SEARS AND SALLY ZLOTNICK SEARS DYNAMIC EARTH WING

EVOLVING LIFE WING

IMMERSIVE GALLERIES INSPIRE CONNECTIONS

Breaking free from a timeline- and discipline-based presentation of natural history, now there’s capacity to ask fundamental questions and create an engaging, relevant, storytelling experience that explains the story of life on Earth.

In a departure from the timeline-centered way that natural history museums traditionally design galleries, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s transformation tosses out convention in an innovative move that’s gaining attention on a global stage.

“Our goal is to bring relevance into the experience and create situations where people can see themselves in the natural history story,” says Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer. “We are a part of nature, part of this broader system, from our origins to our health and what the future holds for us.”

Typically, museums are organized based on “ologies,” Dr. Svenson says, largely because of convenience. “We are organizing the Museum based on how the world works, and that is how science is being taught.”

He adds, “If you break free from presenting natural history on a timeline and all the ‘ologies,’ you now have the capacity to reorganize based on fundamental questions.”

Those include: How did life move from water to land? How did the continents land where they are today? How do you form an Earth?

“These are questions that we as kids and adults are asking, and what the Museum demonstrates,” Dr. Svenson says of the approach.

“Everyone has the capability to ask questions,” he adds. “Science is about seeking knowledge and truth, and trying to answer those questions, which gives rise to more questions. Sharing that natural history is about exploration, excitement and fundamentally finding out new information and really making you think deeper.”

The Museum transformation interjects an innovative, new model for how natural history museums engage the public. You’ll find interactive displays, artifacts you can remove from drawers and examine and storylines connecting northern Ohio to prehistoric times, demonstrating a strong sense of place.

The galleries tell the story of our regional origins and connect those to the vast Universe.

Visitors are the center of the natural history story—and the Museum’s gallery design prompts this novel perspective at every turn and immersive entry point.

“We learn from conversations and experiences, and we are prompting people to talk to each other, interact with their group and our exhibits,” says Dr. Nicole Burt, curator of human health & evolutionary medicine.

“We are so excited to introduce a Museum that is designed to bring to life our mission, improve scientific literacy and give people access to these ideas and resources,” Dr. Burt says. “By designing a gallery that is question based, visitors can learn and experience and build on concepts, which is what is so powerful about science.”

Ultimately, galleries are storytelling platforms to help us understand our place in the world, on Earth and in evolution. It’s a human story with a hook: Take action.

“The galleries make you think, ponder and participate with prompts throughout the experience that make you think, ‘What does this mean? How can I do something?’” says Dr. Burt.

AMES FAMILY CURIOSITY CENTER

A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES

Time travel across billions of years through interactive exhibits in the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium and Messages in Light gallery.

Astronomy is the oldest science, points out Nick Anderson, the Museum’s senior astronomer & manager of astronomy. Now, guests gain an opportunity to time travel from billions of years ago to today through the Messages in Light gallery, which showcases astronomical instruments such as telescopes and sundials. This experience flows seamlessly into the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium, connecting space to the story of human evolution.

The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium underwent extensive renovations. The vision: engagement, amazement and action in an experiential, awe-inspiring setting.

The Messages in Light gallery tees up an immersive, real-time planetarium exposition that is ever-changing and geared toward prompting questions. “It includes awesome interactive exhibits and beautiful displays that cover everything from the scale of the Universe to the diversity of objects we find in space, including the nitty-gritty of different types of star clusters and nebulas,” Anderson says.

It’s a stargazer’s dream—and a hook for those who have never imagined a planet beyond Earth, let alone a galaxy and how our human story fits into the picture.

The study of light is an overarching theme of the gallery, Anderson explains. “Nearly all of the information we have about the Universe comes in the form of light,” he says.

That includes distance, chemical composition and temperature.

Anderson points to a View-Master-esque exhibit where visitors can look at the same celestial object in different light wavelengths, such as ultraviolet and infrared.

The solid copper Hanna Star Dome is a “fan favorite” and offers what Anderson describes as a mini-planetarium experience before entering the main theater.

The planetarium’s exterior remains untouched, but its brandnew dome shell, audio, projection system and cove lighting redefine the space as a destination for discovery, education and awe-inspiring events.

The return of movable seating “opens up a world of possibilities,” Anderson says of programming and special occasions under the stars, from dinners and corporate meetings to yoga sessions and weddings.

New Digistar 7 software exceeds the capabilities of a classic planetarium projector, while the Spitz NanoSeam flawless projection surface allows for seamless viewing.

“The whole Universe is right there at our fingertips, and what we want to show in the planetarium is a stunning, extremely realistic

The passion and inclusiveness of this Museum have always been very special, and the institution’s commitment and its richness have always impressed our family to no end.

— JOE SHAFRAN

view of the nighttime sky,” Anderson says. “When you have this firstclass projection surface, it heightens the immersion factor.”

Anderson points to the generous gift from the Nathan and Fannye Shafran family that equipped the planetarium with optimum technology. He says, “Guests will be blown away when they see the crisp, sharp starfield and high-resolution planets. You’ll feel like you’re out there traveling in the galaxy.”

LOOK BACK IN TIME

A light year is the measure of distance in astronomy, explains Anderson. “It has the word ‘year’ in it, so people think it’s the measure of time, but it’s the distance that light—the fastest thing in the Universe—can travel within one year, and that distance is about 6 trillion miles.”

Looking at a star that is 100 light years away? “The light has been traveling for 100 years before it even reaches your eyes,” Anderson says. “So, when you look out into space, you are looking back in time.”

REAL-TIME & RESEARCH DRIVEN

Planetarium content is carefully curated, which includes some deep dives to gather relevant research and interesting information for audiences. There’s nothing canned about stargazing at the Museum. Shows are presented live, which is unlike many planetariums in museum and nature center settings.

“We have always felt it was important to have live delivery in our programs and to make the visitor a key part of the show,” Anderson says.

Ask questions. Request a planet viewing or a zoom-in for a closer look at a star cluster.

“If someone is really passionate about something and they want to see it on the dome, we can do that with the style of programming we offer,” Anderson says, noting that new programs launch every few months.

Plus, in the planetarium star shows, there’s always something new to see, Anderson says. “The sky is always changing, so there is always a reason to come here and look up.”

MEET THE DONORS: THE NATHAN & FANNYE SHAFRAN FAMILY

Joe Shafran’s connection to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History started during childhood, when he and his sisters, Joan Shafran and Paula Krulak, would escape into a world of discovery inspired by their late mother, Fannye’s, deep interest in astronomy.

“The Museum has always been a part of me and my life—it is a constant,” Krulak says.

“I’m very proud of this place, and it’s very special to me.”

When the family’s instrumental support 20 years ago established the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium, Fannye would visit daily to watch the progress, sitting on a bench that was dubbed “Fannye’s Perch.”

“There is an old Arabic saying, ‘Trust in God, but tie your camel,’ and that describes our mom,” Joe Shafran relates of his mother’s gently overseeing the project to ensure it was built to the highest standards. And it was. “It gave her enormous joy.”

A $3 million transformational gift from the Nathan and Fannye Shafran family supported a significant technology upgrade to the original planetarium, enabling it to produce brighter, sharper images on a seamless, full-dome display, along with completing many other improvements.

“My sisters and I are so honored to make this gift and help continue our parents’ legacy,” Joe says. “The passion and inclusiveness of this Museum have always been very special, and the institution’s commitment and its richness have always impressed our family to no end.”

PAULA KRULAK, JOE SHAFRAN & JOAN SHAFRAN

Pictured above: Museum Astronomers Destiny Thomas (left) and Monica Marshall (right) look up at the upgraded planetarium dome

ASK, EXPLORE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

At

the Ames Family Curiosity Center, every person is a citizen scientist, and the job only requires asking questions and sharing what you encounter.

The Ames Family Curiosity Center encourages exploration. Visitors can open any of the drawers in gallery cases and look at specimens under microscopes. “The center is designed to inspire people to relate to the natural world around them,” says Dr. Meghan Strong, director of collections.

Just as the Museum completely reimagined how its galleries present specimens and information, the Ames Family Curiosity Center breaks an unspoken museum rule of “no touching.” Instead, some specimens from research collections have been brought out from the Museum’s repositories and placed into containers that visitors can hold and examine.

For example, drawers with many compartments can house mineral or insect specimens. “You are able to interact with 54 of these in a hands-on way, pull the specimen containers out and bring them to one of our staff members who can share more information about them,” Dr. Strong says.

With millions of objects in the Museum’s permanent collection and only a fraction of them on display in permanent galleries, the Ames Family Curiosity Center offers an opportunity to showcase specimens visitors might find in the natural world—in Northeast Ohio and their own backyards.

“One charge of a museum is to make collections accessible, and this gallery gives us the capacity to do that and allows us to be flexible,” Dr. Strong says of how

cases will evolve with ever-changing displays and items to explore.

The interactive space is centered on three primary themes, says Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer. Those are wetlands, your backyard and beyond Ohio. Displays provoke questions and connect visitors to local biodiversity, with each story serving as a primer and entry point.

What does poison sumac look like? What plants are native to this region? What birds might you find in your neighborhood?

Connections like this help integrate relevant content. “We are navigating environmental change,” Dr. Svenson adds. “What will that look like? We ask those questions.”

He notes, “Science is global, but we use regional [evidence and artifacts] to call attention to our own geologic and natural heritage.”

Fostering an appreciation of the natural world close to home encourages citizen science involvement. Even the smallest efforts can help protect what’s here, like choosing a native plant for the landscape, picking up discarded plastic found on a Lake Erie beach or simply identifying an insect that’s buzzing around the yard.

The overriding message: Everyone can make a difference.

Dr. Svenson says, “Our desire is to connect far more broadly than ever before and bring science into everyone’s lives, making it easy, accessible, fun and empowering.”

Our vision for the Ames Family Curiosity Center was to create a truly interactive learning environment. We believe that hands-on experiences spark curiosity, deepen understanding and inspire future generations to appreciate the natural world.

— DICK AMES, MUSEUM BOARD MEMBER

PEELING BACK LAYERS OF LOCAL NATURAL HISTORY

Did you know that our part of the planet— here in Northeast Ohio—was once located south of the equator, under a shallow sea? That was 360 million years ago, and today, we are still standing on that shale that lay beneath it.

SHAPING THE EARTH

The Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears Dynamic Earth Wing gives visitors a deeper look into the formation of the Universe—and how we became part of it.

Northeast Ohio was once a vast ocean where shark-like fish about 3 feet long swam in the waters. The steep cliffs that flank the Rocky River that flows into Lake Erie were actually the sea floor 360 million years ago.

These are just a couple of profound connections you’ll discover in the brandnew Sears Dynamic Earth Wing. The 26,000-square-foot gallery tells a unified story of life on Earth with specimens as entry points for exploring natural history and our place in the world.

Like the other reimagined galleries and exhibits, the Sears Dynamic Earth Wing draws visitors into science and its stories.

“The goal was to get away from the timeline aspect of natural history, which can feel old and dusty, and explain to visitors how what occurred millions of years ago is relevant to us today,” says Dr. Caitlin Colleary, associate curator of vertebrate paleontology. “By staging exhibits around questions and telling stories as case studies, people can better understand more complex topics like evolution and climate change by seeing how they have happened through time.”

Questions are entry points, and there are 85 of them throughout the entire Museum, with 37 in the Sears Dynamic Earth Wing. Why do the stars shine? Do rocks change? What was early life like in Ohio? Where did the Moon come from? What is a fossil? Is it alive?

Some of these questions seem so basic—like, “What are fossils?—but in fact, getting to the bottom of the who-what-when-where-why-how unpeels the layers of natural history from today to the beginning of time.

Exhibits offer multiple points of entry for exploring natural history and our place in the world, including interactive displays, specimens and stories. The idea is to pique interest from a diverse guest population of all ages and with widely varying interests.

“We layer information in the galleries, so if you walk through and look, you’ll think, ‘This is cool,’ and if you decide to read the information, you’ll learn even more,” Dr. Colleary says. “There’s something to experience at every angle.”

The gallery’s nonlinear design is a departure from the traditional timelinebased approach. This means visitors can explore science stories that capture their interest while making connections between the modern day and billions of years ago when the Universe was formed.

For example, through one of the gallery’s immersive experiences, visitors will discover we are all basically stardust. And a fossil record with notable examples from the Museum’s collection of millions of objects and specimens will reveal how all living things are connected to the physical world.

Interact with WE ARE ALL STARDUST in the Sears Dynamic Earth Wing

We are all the same, and we are all made from the same material that shaped the Earth.

— SALLY ZLOTNICK SEARS

“The integration of science, collections and dynamic content in the Museum’s new galleries will help people understand why natural history matters,” says Sally Zlotnick Sears, board chair emeritus and co-chair of the Transforming the World of Discovery campaign.

Dr. Colleary notes Sears’ deep involvement in early planning meetings to discuss gallery design and content. “She was instrumental in the development alongside the curatorial staff, providing a big-picture perspective,” Dr. Colleary says.

As with other galleries, the exhibits in the Sears Dynamic Earth Wing tie together the human experience and cycles that shaped the Earth.

“We are all the same, and we are all made from the same material that shaped the Earth,” Sears says, relating an illuminating perspective visitors will gain from the experience.

Dr. Colleary highlights aspects of the Sears Dynamic Earth Wing that she finds especially fascinating as a paleontologist. “The fossils of early sharklike fish we have found in Northeast Ohio are unbelievable,” she says, noting that the world’s fossil record of sharks, in general, is somewhat poor. “You usually only find the teeth.”

Not in this region. “The fossils we find here preserve the entire body of the shark, including soft tissue and stomach contents,” she says. “You can see what their last meal was.”

One fossil on display features a fossilized stomach cavity containing a slew of small, bony fish. Another, Dr. Colleary’s favorite in the collection, has an invertebrate shell creature preserved as the “last meal.”

“These fossils help us understand the early evolution of sharks and give us an image of what these animals looked like that we don’t usually get from fossil records,” Dr. Colleary says.

From illustrating the vastness of the Universe with a stardust interactive media display to showing how the Earth changes over time and a study of climate change, the displays help answer questions, and importantly, they also spur more questions. The point: to continue a path of discovery long after visitors leave the Museum.

Dr. Colleary says, “The idea is to teach people to look at things differently and get people excited about natural history.”

INSIDER TIP: GO BACK IN TIME 250 MILLION YEARS

In the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears Dynamic Earth Wing, find the space between the two platforms that display a dimetrodon and a mastodon. Here, you are standing in the gap in Ohio’s rock record that spans over 250 million years, demonstrating the reason why we don’t find dinosaur fossils in our state.

YOU ARE HERE

The Evolving Life Wing immerses visitors in the fascinating story of life on Earth.

What About Us?

The simplest question is asked in a manner that puts visitors at the center of an immersive storyline about life on Earth and how they fit into the picture. This human-centered perspective helped inform exhibits with storytelling, inquiry-based displays and interactive features.

Galleries throughout the transformed Museum are an immersive departure from traditional timeline-centered natural history museums—a tailspin from object-focused galleries with millions of years of separation from our modern world and prehistoric life.

The Evolving Life Wing and What About Us? exhibit within it “breaks apart the silos of how we present the history of life on Earth,” says Dr. Emma Finestone, associate curator and the Robert J. and Linnet E. Fritz Endowed Chair of Human Origins. “Throughout the galleries, exhibits are united by the same underlying biological and planetary processes that shape all life on Earth,” Dr. Finestone says.

By dismantling museum exhibit convention and putting “you,” the visitor, in the story as it unfolds over the course of time, an evolutionary natural history story is revealed that sparks real-world connections. This drastically different approach to gallery design creates relatable ties to how our prehistoric human ancestors inform modern life.

“The wing provides case studies for how living things change that explains natural selection,” says Dr. Nicole Burt, curator of human health & evolutionary medicine.

“We want everyone to feel in conversation with the gallery,” says Dr. Burt, noting the strategic placement of mirrors throughout to “insert humans into the different gallery experiences,” and she reminds, “that human is always you.”

“We want people to be thinking about how the stories affect them and relate to them,” Dr. Burt continues. “Science matters to your everyday life, so by literally seeing yourself there in the gallery with the information, we put you in the story, and the next step is taking action, which is an important part of our mission. We want people to feel activated to ‘do.’”

CONNECTING HEALTH AND HUMAN EVOLUTION

Indeed, the Museum’s transformation reinvented the way visitors will experience natural history and evolution, while also introducing never-seen-before specimens and activities with a mind to spark conversation—and even laughter.

Rather than a sterile presentation, the Museum sought to literally humanize medicine, health history and the latest research and intermix the human story with evolution, Dr. Burt explains.

Case studies presented throughout the exhibit tell stories of adaptation and evolution in real-world ways, such as one of Dr. Burt’s favorite stories: Can you drink milk? “It’s the story of how we became lactose tolerant, because humans are the only adult mammals who can digest milk from another animal. We explain the mutation allowing this in a way that drives home a message of our evolutionary history, and it’s fun,” she says.

An interactive element lets children (and the young at heart) add milk to a stomach, and when there is lactose intolerance

MEET THE DONORS: DR. BOBBIE BROWN/ THE INGALLS FOUNDATION

Almost anyone familiar with the field of science or history recognizes the esteemed artifact “Lucy,” the first evidence of bipedal walking, whose casts and reproductions are featured at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Not many, though, have the opportunity to say that they were a part of the archaeological dig that discovered her.

“The dig was a combined French, American and Ethiopian scientific group along with a number of incredible Afar tribesmen who helped with the excavations,” shares Board Member Dr. Bobbie Brown, a paleoanthropologist on the project as well as current president of the Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation, which has generously supported the Museum’s transformation. “We knew we were finding a fabulous collection, even before Lucy was discovered.”

Because of Dr. Brown’s connection with one of the most groundbreaking discoveries in evolution, it’s only fitting that the Ingalls Foundation’s name adorns the What About Us? exhibit in the transformed Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Lucy is just one of the many specimens available for viewing, joining other apes, monkeys and representative species from other discoveries, offering visitors the opportunity to trace evolutionary change among primate lineages.

“It is an important part of the Museum’s story,” Dr. Brown says. “Because of these artifacts, the Museum is recognized as one of the premier natural history museums in the country and in the world.”

Brown also appreciates the Museum’s commitment to educational awareness of the natural world in Cleveland and beyond.

“We have an award-winning educational outreach that touches many states throughout our country as well as other countries,” she says.

(the result is the sound of flatulence), it sends guests into fits of laughter. “We bring out the fun,” says Dr. Burt, relating that memory-making exhibits and activities constantly put “you” back into the story.

Another area, focused on epigenetics, features a slot machine style interactive element that teaches how identical twins do not have identical health outcomes and why that is. While they share the same DNA, differences in their environment, experiences and epigenetic traits result in different outcomes.

The underlying message is deeper. “Fatalism as it relates to genetic predispositions can make people feel scared, but when and why do those traits get expressed?” Dr. Burt asks. “A better understanding can make people feel more present in their own health story.”

Empowerment is the ultimate takeaway.

“Guests have fun, they laugh, they have a great time and become more attached to what shapes our environment and how connected we all are to life on Earth,” Dr. Burt says.

UPDATING THE STORY

Tandem to meshing evolution and human health is a unique ability to integrate the latest natural history research into the new galleries.

Dr. Finestone says, “When we were in the midst of the transformation and in the trenches of designing the new exhibits, it was amazing to have an opportunity to reimagine how to tell the human story without any barriers, because we were designing the galleries all at once. The potential was endless.”

Dr. Finestone notes that the Museum has replicas of the most ancient stone tools in the world on display.

While galleries were being designed, Dr. Finestone was part of a research team who published a study on some of the oldest-known stone tools in the world associated with human species’ close relative Paranthropus , who were unexpected users of tools.

“We want visitors to consider what makes us human—and, it isn’t just our skeletons and our biology, but also our behavior, culture, tools and technology. Integrating biology and culture into the Evolving Life Wing was exciting for me as a researcher,” she says.

MOVED BY THE MISSION, INSPIRED BY THE

TRANSFORMATION

Cleveland’s naturally philanthropic community of donor families are closely connected to the Museum’s past, progress and legacy.

Generations of memory-making experiences and personal connections to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History have inspired generous giving since its founding in 1920.

“The Museum has had a profound impact on the lives of so many, and that is why the philanthropic community supports us and invests in our mission,” says Melissa Santee, chief philanthropy officer.

She recalls the lively and inspired conversations during a recent dinner with board members, who shared stories of their time volunteering at the Museum, taking grandchildren to visit and watching the wonder in their eyes.

“They see this transformation project as an extension of them,” Santee says. “And in seeing the Museum evolve over the years, they shared how the Museum has impacted them. They feel it is a part of them, and that is the heart of the Cleveland philanthropic community.”

The $150 million, multi-phase Transforming the World of Discovery campaign ran a course of 14 years. In 2016, the Museum unveiled the renovated Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank, along with the Larry Sears

and Sally Zlotnick Sears Garden with its iconic Schreckengost mammoth and mastodon sculptures.

Then came three gateway transformation projects: Current Science, the Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard renovation and upgrades to the Murch Auditorium. Today, guests can experience a complete transformation of the physical campus and façade, newly imagined Visitor Hall, two new wings—the Evolving Life Wing and the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears Dynamic Earth Wing—along with modernized labs and repositories.

This milestone, all-encompassing overhaul includes an innovative gallery design, uniting scientific concepts to paint the full picture of life on Earth, shedding new light on the interdependence of humans and nature and connecting individuals to the natural world.

All of this was possible only because of philanthropic support from donors who have personally experienced the impact of the Museum’s transformation and value the institution’s mission because it moves them.

Santee says, “Watching this transformation unfold, they see how the Museum is elevating Cleveland.”

CONNECTED TO THE CAUSE: THE STORY OF BALTO

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Santee says of the passion that drives giving in Cleveland. The desire to make a positive impact spans from the youngest patrons giving pennies to foundational gifts. Each is a testament to how the Museum touches people.

The powerful story of Balto the beloved sled dog is a reminder of “who Clevelanders are at the heart,” Santee says.

In late February 1927, Cleveland businessman George Kimble spotted Balto and his six husky teammates at a shabby dime museum in Los Angeles. Saddened by the languishing state of these heroic dogs, who made the 1925 Race of Mercy to Nome, Alaska, on the Iditarod Trail to deliver diphtheria antitoxin, he talked the sideshow owner into holding the dogs for $100, hoping he could convince Clevelanders to help raise the $1,500 to buy all seven dogs.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History operated the Brookside Zoo at the time, and the plan was to rescue the dogs so they could enjoy a much-deserved, comfortable retirement.

Cleveland schoolchildren would bring pennies to contribute to the cause—because they loved dogs or were touched by the story or simply wanted Cleveland to be the dogs’ new home. Community members throughout the region supported the campaign, which raised $2,000 to buy Balto and the six others with funds for a train ride, too.

“Every dollar, every single cent matters because it has impact and value,” Santee emphasizes.

When Balto and team arrived in Cleveland on March 19, 1927, a parade welcomed the canines. While showing a video of the affair decades later, one of the Museum’s educators heard a voice call out from the audience: “I was there!”

WARRIOR CANINE

Balto was the lead dog on the last leg of the 674-mile journey of a 1925 team of sled dogs who heroically traveled the Iditarod Trail in just six days to deliver lifesaving medicine to a remote area of Alaska. Balto was restored in preparation for a new exhibit featuring the beloved canine.

Dorothy (Dottie) Battes was a 14-year-old living on Cleveland’s East Side in 1927. She read a newspaper article about Balto and insisted on giving her lunch money to the fundraiser. Her father took her to the parade. She immediately felt connected. She told the educator, “He was little, and I was little!”

Balto is one of many featured specimens in the Museum’s new Visitor Hall, and he is sponsored by The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation.

The Museum has had a profound impact on the lives of so many, and that is why the philanthropic community supports us and invests in our mission.

— MELISSA SANTEE, CHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER

IN RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURAL HISTORY

Indeed, giving is personal, and the Museum thoughtfully shares updates, insights and did-you-knows with those who express interest in a particular exhibit, specimen, gallery or initiative, Santee says. “The most important relationship is the one the donor has with the institution,” she says of why the Museum has sustained for more than a century as a trailhead for exploring the nature of science and science of nature.

The new façade, additions and renovated spaces fortify the Museum’s position as a premier cultural attraction and world leader among natural history museums.

The institution is a remarkable point of pride.

Santee says, “Donors feel the value, they appreciate it and they honor it.”

DESIGN ROOTED IN REGIONAL NATURAL HISTORY

The Museum’s architectural transformation was inspired by glacial movement with stone forced into artistic grooves, a Great Lake and its moody waves, and native Ohio life.

Walls of glass, sun baffles that mirror waves and an undulating roofline soffit inspired by the regional landscape—shaped over time by the impact of water and glaciers—demonstrate a tangible, experiential sense of place at the transformed Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

The institution’s architecture, designed to transcend millions of years of time, is centered on establishing a unifying campus that bridges interior and exterior environments.

“Water gathers people, and water is a resource humans need for nourishment and survival, so our design was influenced by this idea that is consistent through time,” says Mark Morris, AIA, principal and design leader at DLR Group and project designer for the Museum’s transformation.

DLR Group continued its decades-long history of collaborating with the Museum as lead architect. “Our firm, project partners and the Museum were aligned in creating a uniform presentation and an identity on Wade Oval, uniting multiple phases of construction under one façade,” says Joshua Haney, AIA, principal and global architecture leader at DLR Group and project manager.

Ultimately, Haney says, “We want visitors to feel like they are connecting to the natural environment throughout their entire journey.”

LOOK INSIDE

Galleries, exhibits and artifacts were intentionally organized to protect specimens while ushering natural light into the Museum—a monumental departure from convention that allows for unobstructed views of the courtyard and grounds.

DLR Group consulted with a Museum ornithologist when specifying glass. “We came up with bird safety glass,” Morris says. “A pattern is applied to the glass, and birds see the pattern before they strike.”

INTUITIVE IMMERSION

The Visitor Hall boasts an awe-inspiring 21-feet of headroom and a complex acoustic plaster ceiling. The hub is flanked by amenities with wide-open sight lines that help orient guests and allow them to explore areas of interest in a nonlinear way.

Throughout the Museum and outdoor spaces, a focus on connectivity pulls visitors into interactive experiences. “The interior ceiling is really an extension of the soffit, which was meant to identify the main entrance and pull your eyes in as you move into the Museum, using it as a wayfinding device where you flow into the ticketing area,” Morris explains.

SUSTAINING TRANSFORMATION

The transformed Museum is an opportunity to improve the natural world with a sustainable, LEED Platinum certified building and campus that is designed to inspire citizen science.

Morris remarks on a natural phenomenon—when glaciers move through rock and push overlapping layers of stone to the side, creating a rippling alvar effect. An outcropping at the base of the building’s façade is fashioned after this prehistoric movement of land.

Working off these concepts, the team factored in infrastructural necessities such as how to usher stormwater off of the roof and “put it on display.” So, while the glacier-esque façade is symbolic, it also functions as a downspout, allowing water to enter a bioswale with plants that act as natural filters.

The design reinforces the critical value of the Museum’s research and its Natural Areas Program that involves stewarding more than 12,500 acres across northern Ohio.

FULL IMMERSION: GALLERIES THAT INVITE THE ‘YOU’ INTO NATURAL HISTORY

G&A steers interactive displays that exchange the prototypical touchscreen and point-andclick for engaging experiences that unlock connections spanning millions of years.

“You won’t find another natural history museum in the world that tells the story we’re telling here,” says Mike Devine, chief strategy officer at G&A, an experience design firm that the Museum engaged to helm its imaginative interactive spaces and galleries.

Throughout the Museum, visitors are inserted into the natural history story with fully immersive galleries that draw connections between dinosaur days and modern day, and exhibits that amplify the Museum’s mission.

IGNITING CITIZEN SCIENCE

Everyone can make a difference. “There are interactives and physical exhibitions and elements that enable visitors to see how they can make a positive impact—and the Museum acts as a hub for this with a hope that it permeates back into the community,” says Joshua Gallagher, the firm’s managing director.

WE’RE ALL CONNECTED

We’re All Connected is an exhibit grounded in sharing and surfacing information related to organisms selected in tandem with the curatorial team and scientists. “The goal of that interactive piece is to get visitors to understand that regardless of what the look of the organism is or where it lives, it is somehow connected to not only them, but also to other living, breathing things on Earth,” Gallagher says.

A NEW WAY TO DO NATURAL HISTORY

“This project is not a march through time like most natural history museums,” Devine emphasizes. “The result is a huge difference-maker, a regionally centered story and the capacity to leverage this into dynamic programming.”

BUILDING THE FUTURE

Panzica partners with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, continuing a collaboration with design partners that reinvents the Museum experience in Cleveland.

“This isn’t the same Museum we remember as kids,” says Christopher Montgomery, vice president at Panzica Construction, relaying the amazement of collaborating to realize a truly transformative outcome that is “unlike any natural history museum you’ll see anywhere else.”

Panzica Construction was on site for multiple phases, beginning with gateway projects including the renovated Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard and Murch Auditorium, along with central utility plant upgrades, continuing into the extensive transformation project.

“There was so much we learned from the Museum staff because we worked so closely with the directors,” Montgomery adds of finding out how artifacts are stored and cleaned, and the painstaking level of coordination required to protect specimens at all times, especially amid construction.

There is far more behind the scenes—underground labs, repositories and Museum operations areas—than exhibition space, a factor visitors probably will not realize while exploring the 375,000 square feet of reinvented space.

“For us, these high-level institutional projects are challenging, fun and rewarding when we see the incredible transition of what this building was to what it will be for visitors today and in the future,” Montgomery says.

For us, these high-level institutional projects are challenging, fun and rewarding when we see the incredible transition of what this building was to what it will be for visitors today and in the future.

— CHRISTOPHER MONTGOMERY

MAJOR GIFT OPENS DOORS

MUSEUM RECEIVES NEW GRANT FROM THE JACK, JOSEPH AND MORTON MANDEL SUPPORTING FOUNDATION

I didn’t know very much about Cleveland’s natural history museum before going. I didn’t know that Lucy was discovered by a previous curator. I didn’t know Balto was there. This was an amazing experience for both of us.

These were the words of a visitor who attended one of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Days—an initiative that allows residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland to visit the Museum free of charge every Sunday. And these words reflect the experience of many of the nearly 20,000 visitors who have taken part in Mandel Community Days since 2022. Funded by a grant from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, the three-year initiative has helped to broaden community access—bringing many of those visitors to the Museum for the first time ever.

Now, the Museum has announced that the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation has provided additional grant support, allowing the program to not only continue for the next four years, but also broaden to include an additional free day each week and an expansion of the cities it serves.

“A key focus of the Museum’s $150 million transformation was to reshape our visitor experience to better meet the needs of our diverse audiences,” says Sonia Winner, Museum president & CEO. “This outstanding gift helps the Museum to deliver on that promise and further strengthen our relationship with neighboring communities.”

From left to right: Museum President & CEO

Sonia Winner and Board Chair Emeritus Sally Zlotnick Sears; Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Jehuda Reinharz, Chairman Stephen Hoffman, and Grant Operations Manager Sarah Murphy Oles

In addition to residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland, residents of Brooklyn, Euclid, Garfield Heights, Maple Heights and Warrensville Heights now receive free admission on both Saturdays and Sundays. This expansion aims to help the Museum reach those who have been historically underrepresented in its audiences. Already, data has shown that Mandel Community Days have drawn visitors who are more racially diverse, have significantly lower household income and educational levels, and are younger compared to overall visitors. “This program is allowing us to welcome people who have not previously engaged with the Museum and show them that they belong here, too,” adds Winner.

The program is also introducing the support of two community educators, whose work will strengthen the Museum’s outreach and engagement efforts. While the details of this initiative are still being finalized, the addition of community educators underscores the Museum’s ongoing commitment to serving and connecting with the community.

The expansion of this program comes at an exciting time, following the Museum’s recent Grand Opening in December 2024. Now, visitors who participate in Mandel Community Days have access to all 375,000 square feet of new spaces and exhibits. With immersive experiences, engaging interactives and compelling content, the transformation aims to show each and every visitor the relevance of science to their daily lives.

“The mission and values of the Mandel Foundation align with the Museum’s goal of ensuring that the entire community has access to, and is enriched by, the Museum’s reimagined exhibits and innovative programs,” says Dr. Jehuda Reinharz, president and CEO of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. “The Foundation is proud to support an initiative that brings outstanding educational resources to even more people in our region.”

Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel established their first foundation in 1953. Their philanthropic legacy is continued through the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation, which support five areas of engagement: leadership development, management of nonprofits, humanities, Jewish life and urban engagement. In addition to supporting the launch of the Mandel Community Days in 2022, the foundation’s previous grant funded the creation of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Space, a center for community-oriented programming in the Museum’s education wing. Through this new grant, the foundation contributes significantly to the Museum’s efforts to be more inclusive to all audiences—and invite everyone to experience the wonders of science and nature.

MEET

THE DONORS:

JAMES AND ANGELA HAMBRICK

When he was 12, James Hambrick went on a school field trip to the Museum of Natural History in Houston, Texas. This inspired a lifelong passion of learning about nature, the Universe, cosmology and more.

“I had never been to a natural history museum before,” Hambrick says. “It unleashed what continues today to be a lifelong advocation to seek understanding about mankind, how we got here and where we’re going.”

Hambrick saw that side of himself reflected in the founders of his employer, the Lubrizol Corporation—the Smith Brothers—who were also Cleveland Museum of Natural History investors, donors and board members. As he took over as president and CEO of Lubrizol, one connection led to another, and he was eventually recruited for the Museum board to assist on a new capital campaign.

That capital campaign is now fully realized with the transformation of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The campaign started with the idea to transform the institution into an enhanced space that could better fulfill its mission. For Hambrick, that mission aligned with a higher purpose: to introduce children to science in an approachable way.

“If you see dinosaur fossils or you watch a planetarium show or you look at a recreation of primitive humans, it sparks a kind of curiosity,” Hambrick says. “If we don’t do anything but spark one out of 10 kids who come through here, it could make a real difference.”

When the time came for Hambrick to submit his vision statement for the transformation, he emphasized one important belief he has about museums: It’s not about how much a museum has, but rather about the quality and the way it is presented.

“It should be a very exciting and interesting place that would cause you to want to return,” he says.

If

we don’t do anything but spark one out of 10 kids who come through here, it could make a real difference.

— JAMES HAMBRICK

One such space that has gone above and beyond Hambrick’s expectations? The new Visitor Hall adjacent to the Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard. In addition to the engineering tactics that connect the existing parking garage to the front doors, which open onto Wade Oval, Hambrick appreciates how it’s an open space for the public.

“It gets people in the front door,” he says. “Plus, there is enough glass to see into the Museum to act as a very inviting space.”

LARRY SEARS AND SALLY ZLOTNICK SEARS DYNAMIC EARTH WING

MEET THE DONORS:

SALLY ZLOTNICK SEARS AND LARRY SEARS

Visitors to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History know they’re getting close to their destination when they reach the Sears Garden in University Circle. Graciously funded by longtime Museum members Sally Zlotnick Sears and Larry Sears, the garden features two Schreckengost sculptures of a mastodon and a mammoth.

“It’s a welcome that a lot of people see when they first arrive,” says Larry.

For the Searses, there are many reasons to support the Museum, including its dedication to the stewardship of some 12,500 acres of protected natural areas in Northeast Ohio, and the education efforts that go along with it.

“It’s a unique thing that other natural history museums don’t have,” Sally shares. “It allows us to teach people about sustainability and biodiversity.”

Sally also points to the importance of the Museum as “the place to go to for accurate information about science and how the world is constantly changing.”

It is also an incredibly important hub for research and innovation.

“It is an invaluable resource for researchers studying evolution as well as contemporary work for medicine and orthopedics,” Larry notes. “It’s a very prestigious institution.”

As part of the transformation, the new Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears Dynamic Earth Wing has been named in honor of the Searses, whose donations totaling $10 million have made a huge impact on the Museum. In addition, Sally served as board chair from 2021 to 2024 and is now board chair emeritus. She has served on the board of directors since 2014 and, along

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has always been a beloved institution. Now it will be an essential destination in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

— SALLY ZLOTNICK SEARS

with her husband, led a successful effort to secure an additional $5 million in donations from fellow board members, which the Searses generously matched. The Sears Dynamic Earth Wing will give visitors the opportunity to explore the 4.6-billion-year history of Earth.

“The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has always been a beloved institution,” says Sally. “Now it will be an essential destination in Northeast Ohio and beyond.”

MEET THE DONORS:

THE REINBERGER FOUNDATION

The name Reinberger is familiar to frequent visitors of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History: The name adorned the former Hall of Earth and Planetary Exploration for years. While the particular grant that designated that space was given in the late 1990s, the Reinberger Foundation continues to support the Museum in its campaigns for growth and enrichment.

“In each decade, there’s a little bit of a different feeling in the Foundation and a different feel for what the Museum might need,” says Karen Hooser, president of the Reinberger Foundation.

While the specific focus of the Reinberger Foundation’s donations to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History might shift over the years, one thing that hasn’t is its belief in the influence of the Museum on the city and beyond.

“The research that is done there is worldwide,” Hooser says. “The impact is far broader than the brick-and-mortar of the facility.”

Hooser had a chance to see the research in action with a trip to the archive collections. She was fascinated not only to see the researchers at work and the multitude of specimens that were not on display, but also to discover that it all takes place in vaults below the Museum.

“When I go there now, I think about the fact that the archives are beneath the surface and still exist,” Hooser says.

She adds that the Foundation remains committed to supporting the arts and museums in Cleveland, noting their important impact on the community.

“There are generations of Clevelanders who have early memories of going to the Museum of Natural History,” Hooser says. “That experience is transformative for kids, and I don’t think that influence can be downplayed.”

MEET THE DONORS: CHACE AND JOSIE ANDERSON

After a campaign that raised over $150 million, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is continuing to prioritize its research and emphasis on young visitors, while also looking to increase its public interaction. One of the main motivations of the transformation was to enhance the visitor experience.

Chace and Josie Anderson’s generous gift totaling $2.5 million supported the creation of the A. Chace and Josephine Anderson Lobby. Located off the Wade Oval entrance, the new lobby leads to the Visitor Hall, which is free to the public and showcases some of the Museum’s best-known specimens.

“Great cities have great museums,” says Chace Anderson, who, in addition to being a longtime donor, is also a Museum board member, past president of the board of directors and a campaign co-chair. “We’re very fortunate in Cleveland to have this institution.”

For the Andersons, contributing to the vitality of the Museum is important, because museums are one of the best mediums for people, both young and old, to learn about the natural world and environment.

“I first went to the Museum when I was 5, and now I’m 71,” Anderson says. “The education from a museum leaves an important impression. You can see it every day in the Museum when kids come in and they are rapt when our curators are showing them a fossil.”

Pictured below: Reinberger Foundation Board of Trustees

MEET THE DONORS: JOHN P. MURPHY FOUNDATION

Given that the namesake of the John P. Murphy Foundation was instrumental in the development of Cleveland, it’s only fitting that the Foundation continues to support arts, culture and higher education in the Greater Cleveland area. Keeping in line with its mission to support the community, the John P. Murphy Foundation was honored to be a part of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s transformation campaign.

“The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a landmark institution in our community, and supporting a project of this size and magnitude perfectly aligns with what we do,” says Lou Grasso, vice president of the John P. Murphy Foundation. “The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s place in Wade Oval is essential to the success of our thriving Arts District.”

Grasso says he and those who are part of the John P. Murphy Foundation are particularly excited about the What’s Happening in Cleveland exhibit that is part of the transformation, noting that it, along with the other reimagined spaces, will help attract a new generation of learners.

“Our support of the Museum has helped them build something truly special for our community to enjoy for another 100-plus years,” Grasso says.

MEET THE DONORS:

THE AMES FAMILY FOUNDATION

Dick Ames and Cindy Huffman of the Ames Family Foundation are no strangers to giving back to the Greater Cleveland community. In addition to serving on various executive boards, their recent involvement with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s transformation campaign is helping to solidify the city of Cleveland’s reputation as a destination for world-class museums.

“We became involved many years ago when the board was actively raising funds to kick off the transformation campaign,” Huffman shares. “It had its collections, programs and scientists already in existence—it just needed a facelift and support from the community to bring the visitor experience into the 21st century.”

Thanks to the generous support of the Ames Family Foundation, the transformation includes the new Ames Family Curiosity Center, a self-guided, interactive and state-of-the art space where visitors can participate in hands-on learning experiences. Named aptly for the innate curiosity we all have to learn about the world around us, it will be a key draw for student visitors especially.

“This will be a chance for many students who visit the Museum to interact with various specimens,” Huffman says. “It will also be a center focal point of the Museum.”

Anne and Dick Ames

Cindy and Ned Huffman

A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CELEBRATION

On Thursday, December 12, 2024, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History celebrated its Grand Opening ceremony—marking the start of an extraordinary new era. The ceremony was emceed by WKYC Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling and was attended by a number of special guests, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

Throughout the Museum’s Grand Opening Weekend, visitors were inspired by new exhibits, took part in hands-on explorations of Museum collections, engaged with interactive displays and were dazzled by planetarium shows and 3D films.

The Museum’s Epoch event was marked by the tunes of international DJ @mick, while the weekend featured appearances from DJ Lily Jade and WKYC News Anchors Dave Chudowsky and Danita Harris.

Overall, it was a delight to witness so many community members taking in the transformation—and the Museum looks forward to welcoming many more in the years ahead.

Museum President & CEO Sonia Winner (left) pictured with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine

During its Grand Opening Weekend, the Museum also held a public ribbon cutting at the entrance to the Evolving Life Wing.

From left to right: Senior Director of Finance Patty Lohiser; President & CEO Sonia Winner; Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer Meenakshi Sharma; Chief Science Officer Gavin Svenson; Chief Philanthropy Officer Melissa Santee

TRUST IN SCIENCE

The Museum sparks curiosity and makes natural history accessible while building trust in science.

Step into a world of wonder and discovery at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where the mysteries of our planet unfold before your eyes. More than a collection of fascinating artifacts, the Museum is a vibrant hub of scientific exploration and community engagement, dedicated to igniting a passion for the natural world in every visitor and revealing their place within its intricate tapestry.

In an era where misinformation spreads like wildfire, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is stepping up to become

a beacon of truth and trust. By seamlessly weaving cuttingedge research and scientific discoveries directly into exhibits, the Museum is building a bridge between the complex world of science and people’s everyday lives. Here, visitors can count on accurate and relevant information to empower and equip them to make informed decisions about their health, environment and future. During a time when critical thinking and scientific literacy are more important than ever, the Museum has transformed itself into a vital community resource where science is accessible, engaging and trustworthy.

A REVELATION OF TRUST AND CURIOSITY

At the heart of the Museum’s mission lies a deep commitment to fostering scientific literacy. To gauge the public’s perception of science and desire for engagement, the Museum commissioned a 2021 Marist Poll, a national survey that yielded remarkable insights.

The poll revealed that an overwhelming majority of Americans (90%) believe that a basic understanding of science is essential. Furthermore, 88% expressed trust in science, with scientists being identified as the most trusted source of accurate scientific information (58%). In contrast, only 4% placed their trust in either the government (2%) or social media (2%).

These findings underscore the enduring value that Americans place on scientific knowledge and the credibility of scientists and institutions like the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The poll also highlighted a widespread desire to learn more about science, with 85% of respondents expressing this sentiment. However, a significant portion (44%) admitted to feeling they were falling behind in their basic understanding of science.

“It was really important for us to understand that we are valued. People value science, and they’re interested in it, and they want to learn more,” says Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer. “They want to be more engaged with it, but they need help—they need to know how.”

BRIDGING THE GAP

Recognizing the public’s thirst for knowledge and the challenges they face in keeping pace with the ever-evolving scientific landscape, the Museum has embarked on a transformative journey, dismantling the traditional barriers between scientific disciplines and creating an immersive experience that resonates with visitors from all walks of life. The result is a destination where visitors can connect with science on a personal level and recognize their place within the natural world, equipping them with the tools to make informed decisions.

“A lot of our thinking became focused on how we put the person—the human—back into the natural history story to demonstrate that they’re deeply connected with the natural world through their own

A 2021 Marist Poll commissioned by the Museum found that 90% of Americans believe that a basic understanding of science is essential.

We want you to see cool things, but also understand how those cool things are connected to you.

– DR. GAVIN SVENSON, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

UTILIZING RELEVANCE

The Museum’s exhibits are designed to highlight the relevance of science to everyday life, emphasizing the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world. This is achieved through compelling narratives, interactive displays and immersive experiences that bring scientific concepts to life.

HUMANIZING THE NATURAL HISTORY STORY

By placing humans at the center of the natural history narrative and seamlessly weaving cutting-edge research and interactive exhibits into captivating narratives, the Museum helps visitors explore the wonders of the planet, discover their place within it and foster a sense of belonging and responsibility.

SPARKING CURIOSITY

The Museum’s interactive exhibits invite visitors to explore complex concepts in an engaging and accessible way. Visitors can delve into the intricate relationships within ecosystems, trace the evolution of life on Earth and witness the powerful forces that shape the world around them.

ENHANCING EXPERIENCES

The use of augmented reality technology further enhances the visitor experience, bringing exhibits to life and deepening understanding. Imagine encountering a dinosaur in its natural habitat or witnessing the formation of the Earth—these are just some of the possibilities that augmented reality offers.

CHAPTER 4 EDUCATION

health and their own origins,” Dr. Svenson says. “We want you to see cool things, but also understand how those cool things are connected to you.”

He adds, “Ultimately, everything is a story. And if you pick the right stories and you pick the stories that are appealing to people, then you can get across really, really complicated scientific concepts.”

For instance, the Museum uses the familiar example of dog breeds to illustrate the concept of microevolution and artificial selection. By showcasing the dramatic differences in morphology between breeds like the mastiff and the pug, visitors can grasp the power of selective breeding and its impact on genetic diversity.

“Our new Museum model is very inquiry-based,” says Meenakshi Sharma, senior vice president and chief strategy officer. “Here you will see something and want to know why it happened. It’s all about how science and nature connect with our everyday lives.”

BUILDING TRUST THROUGH TRANSPARENCY AND ENGAGEMENT

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History fosters trust by being transparent about the scientific process. Exhibits often showcase the research and evidence behind scientific claims, allowing visitors to understand how scientists arrive at their conclusions.

The Museum also encourages engagement with experts through lectures, workshops and tours, providing opportunities for visitors to ask questions and deepen their understanding. These events feature scientists from the Museum’s own research departments, as well as guest speakers from other institutions, covering a wide range of topics from dinosaur discoveries to the latest advancements in medical research.

By presenting scientific information in an accessible and engaging way, the Museum empowers visitors to become active participants in the scientific process. The Museum fosters critical thinking skills and encourages visitors to question, explore and seek answers. This approach not only builds trust in science but also equips visitors with the tools they need to make informed decisions about their own lives and the world around them.

ASKING THE BIG QUESTIONS

The Museum poses thoughtprovoking questions that encourage visitors to contemplate their place in the natural world. Questions like:

WHERE DO WE COME FROM?

Visitors can trace the evolutionary journey of our species through interactive displays and fossil evidence. The Museum showcases our connection to other primates, the development of human characteristics like bipedalism and tool use and the migrations that led to the population of the globe.

HOW ARE WE CONNECTED TO OTHER LIVING THINGS?

Visitors can explore the origins of life on Earth, the building blocks of matter and the chemical processes that connect all living organisms, demonstrating that the very atoms that make up our bodies were forged in the hearts of ancient stars.

WHAT IS OUR IMPACT ON THE PLANET?

Through interactive maps, data visualizations and real-world examples, visitors can explore the impact of human activities on climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. The Museum also highlights innovative solutions and inspires action, empowering visitors to make a difference. ? ? ?

INNOVATING EDUCATION

Gone are the days of static displays and passive observation. The Museum has embraced a dynamic approach to education, recognizing that learning is an active and multifaceted process.

Get ready to embark on a learning adventure like no other as the Cleveland Museum of Natural History redefines the Museum experience, offering a captivating blend of indoor and outdoor exploration that caters to every curiosity and learning style.

“We’re done with the old way of walking into a room and hoping that you pick up some small piece of knowledge,” says Associate Director of Museum Experiences Josh Avsec. “When you walk into a gallery now, we are going to do our very best to inspire you by placing you in the center of the science.”

One of the most striking ways the Museum has transformed its approach to learning is by breaking down the traditional barriers between disciplines. Instead of separating exhibits into distinct halls based on artifact type—like a gem hall or a dinosaur hall— the Museum has adopted a thematic approach.

“Now when we show off our amazing gems, you’ll see the evidence of how they are connected to Earth’s story, or when you see an early human, you are going to see how far back our story begins, and where we’re heading,” Avsec says.

Each wing now revolves around big, overarching questions about the Universe and humanity’s role within it. These questions, like “How do living things change?” or “What is everything made out

of?” guide visitors through an exploration that connects seemingly disparate objects and concepts. A dinosaur fossil might stand alongside a meteorite, prompting visitors to consider the vastness of time and the interconnectedness of all things. This holistic approach fosters a deeper understanding of the natural world and encourages visitors to see themselves as part of a larger story.

“We are trying to make our Museum more accessible—more inclusive—and show that science is for everyone, not just somebody with a Ph.D. or a degree in science or education,” says Meenakshi Sharma, senior vice president and chief strategy officer. “Our goal is to make science so easy, so relatable, that if people are coming to the Museum, they can experience something they relate to and understand how nature is impacting us and how we’re impacting nature.”

When you walk into a gallery now, we are going to do our very best to inspire you by placing you in the center of the science.

— JOSH AVSEC, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MUSEUM EXPERIENCES

EVOLVING LIFE WING

The Evolving Life Wing takes you on an epic journey through the history of life on Earth. Explore the intricate web of life, from the tiniest microorganisms to the largest mammals, and check out the fascinating adaptations that have allowed life to flourish in every corner of the planet. Witness the power of evolution in action through interactive displays and captivating exhibits that trace the evolutionary journey of plants and animals, showcasing the incredible diversity of life that has evolved over millions of years.

Within the Evolving Life Wing, you’ll also find the Natural Areas gallery, an immersive experience that invites you to dive into the rich biodiversity of Ohio’s natural landscapes. Discover the hidden gems of our state’s ecosystems and learn about the delicate balance of nature.

In the Natural Areas gallery, wildlife encounters provide opportunities to meet the Museum’s animal ambassadors, learn their stories and discover how to connect with them in your own life.

DID YOU KNOW?

DON’T MISS THIS

RALPH PERKINS II WILDLIFE CENTER & WOODS GARDEN—PRESENTED BY KEYBANK

Step into a world where learning is as wild as the animals themselves. The Perkins Wildlife Center offers a dynamic outdoor classroom where you can connect with Ohio’s native species on a personal level. As you wander through naturalistic habitats, you’ll gain a newfound respect for these incredible animals and the delicate balance of their ecosystems.

Meanwhile, Wildlife Talks give you a behind-the-scenes look into the responsibilities of caring for these animals and the crucial role the Museum plays in their well-being.

Beyond animal encounters, this area welcomes you to embark on a mini-expedition through five distinct Ohio ecosystems, each a microcosm of the state’s diverse landscapes. Discover the fascinating adaptations that allow plants and animals to thrive in these unique environments.

You can scan QR codes throughout Perkins to unlock a wealth of information about the animals in front of you, including their natural history, unique adaptations and the conservation challenges they face. You can even delve deeper into the Museum’s conservation efforts and learn how you can help protect these amazing species.

CHAPTER 4 EDUCATION

NATHAN AND FANNYE SHAFRAN PLANETARIUM

Blast off on an unforgettable voyage through the cosmos in the newly renovated planetarium, where state-of-the-art technology and immersive experiences bring the Universe to life. Prepare to be wowed by the planetarium’s upgraded technology, featuring seamless screens and advanced projectors that create a breathtakingly realistic cosmic canvas.

The planetarium isn’t just a place to be awestruck; it’s a place to learn. Interactive exhibits delve into the science of the cosmos, providing visitors with the tools to understand the Universe around them.

COME FACE TO FACE WITH SPACE

In the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium, you can learn how to navigate the night sky while delving into the latest discoveries in space exploration.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Equipped with cutting-edge technology, virtual learning studios, including the Barna and Pomeranz Distance Learning Lab, offer live, interactive programs that transport students of all ages to the heart of the Museum’s collections. Multiple camera angles, dynamic lighting and close-up views provide an immersive experience, while the studios’ locations within the Museum’s galleries allow for real-time glimpses of exhibits and bring students face-to-face with scientists and researchers at work.

Most importantly, these virtual programs are far from passive video presentations. They are designed to be engaging, inquirybased learning experiences that encourage student participation. Educators use questioning techniques to spark curiosity and foster critical thinking, while hands-on activities and movement keep students actively involved. Some programs even include kits mailed to schools in advance, allowing students to manipulate objects and conduct experiments alongside a live, virtual instructor.

The Museum’s virtual programs cover nearly two dozen topics including human health and anatomy, dinosaurs and more. Here’s a closer look at four:

Visit the Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard and discover how you can create a haven for native wildlife in your own backyard.

THELMA AND KENT H. SMITH ENVIRONMENTAL COURTYARD

BRING

Step outside the Museum walls and into a tranquil oasis of learning in the Smith Environmental Courtyard. This outdoor classroom provides a welcome respite, offering a peaceful space to reflect and reconnect with the natural world. Learn about the vital role native Ohio plants play in supporting pollinators, from busy bees to delicate butterflies.

DINOSAUR DETECTIVES

Students in grades 2 through 5 become paleontologists as they identify fossils and learn about dinosaur anatomy and behavior through interactive games and activities.

EXPLORING OHIO’S INDIGENOUS CULTURES

Educators use the Museum’s artifacts to bring ancient, unique traditions and cultures to life and help children discover the rich history of the people who inhabited Ohio before European arrival.

AMES FAMILY CURIOSITY CENTER

Curiosity is the key to unlocking the wonders of science, and the Ames Family Curiosity Center is designed to spark that curiosity in visitors of all ages. Hands-on exploration is at the heart of this self-guided space, where interactive displays bring scientific concepts to life and make learning an active and engaging experience. Participate in specimen identification and connect with educators and scientists sharing the Museum’s latest research. With every touch, every experiment and every “aha!” moment, you’ll deepen your understanding of the world around you.

Learn about Ohio’s amazing biodiversity when you visit the Ames Family Curiosity Center.

Feel the ground shake beneath your feet as you learn about fault lines and seismic waves using the earthquake simulator in the Sears Dynamic Earth Wing.

SHAKE THINGS UP

LARRY SEARS AND SALLY ZLOTNICK SEARS DYNAMIC EARTH WING

The Sears Dynamic Earth Wing invites you to explore the powerful forces that shape the planet. Journey through billions of years of Earth’s history, uncovering the secrets hidden within rocks, fossils and geological formations.

Interactive displays and immersive experiences bring the Earth sciences to life. Witness the invisible forces that govern the planet with the Museum’s upgraded pendulum, a captivating demonstration of Earth’s constant motion. Coupled with several light- and motion-based displays, specimens enhance visitors’ understanding of the history of the world and humans’ connection to the planetary ecosystem.

BALTO: A STORY OF HEROISM AND HEALTH

This tale of canine heroism comes to life as kids explore the science behind vaccines, the challenges of disease outbreaks in remote areas and the history of public health.

CONNECTED NORTH

As part of a special, long-term partnership, students in remote Canadian communities connect with Museum educators, fostering a cross-cultural understanding and appreciation while providing access to valuable educational resources.

WORLDWIDE REACH

The Museum’s virtual programs have earned the Pinnacle Award from the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration since 2009 and reach students from 84 counties in Ohio, in all 50 states and more than 27 countries, from Mexico and Canada to England and Australia.

OUR VIRTUAL PROGRAMS HAVE REACHED:

OHIO COUNTIES

STATES

COUNTRIES

SCIENTIST SPOTLIGHTS

Get to know the researchers who are at the forefront of fascinating scientific discoveries.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has long been a leader in the field of human origins research. Today, as the Museum transforms the way it introduces visitors to the natural world, it continues to push the boundaries of scientific discoveries and make global headlines with groundbreaking research. From the earliest human origins to the complex interplay of biology, culture and environment, the Museum’s scientists are crossing continents and making remarkable findings that reshape our understanding of the past and inform our approach to the future.

But this research isn’t confined to labs and journals—it’s woven into the very fabric of the Museum, shaping exhibits and engaging visitors in the thrill of discovery.

SHEDDING LIGHT ON OUR ANCIENT PAST

The research of Dr. Emma Finestone, associate curator and the Robert J. and Linnet E. Fritz endowed chair of human origins, delves into the fascinating world of the earliest stone tools, seeking to understand how technological innovation is intertwined with human evolution. Her work takes her to Kenya, where she and her collaborators excavate and survey sites on the Homa Peninsula, a region rich in ancient history.

“The Museum has always had a strong focus on human origins research,” explains Dr. Finestone. “My research program brings a new perspective by focusing on the earliest stone tools and how they relate to the evolution of human behavior."

DR. EMMA FINESTONE, ASSOCIATE CURATOR AND THE ROBERT J. AND LINNET E. FRITZ ENDOWED CHAIR OF HUMAN ORIGINS

Dr. Finestone’s work brings together human evolution with the development of stone tool technology. She studies some of the earliest stone tools ever made, seeking to understand how human ancestors began making and using tools in a way that put us on a unique trajectory where cultural evolution—driven by tool use and technology—became as crucial as biological evolution in shaping our species.

In 2023, Dr. Finestone co-authored a groundbreaking study published in the journal Science. The research revealed the discovery of some of the oldest stone tools ever found, dating back over 2.6 million years. These tools, unearthed at a site called Nyayanga in western Kenya, were used to butcher hippos and process plant material.

Even more surprising was the discovery of fossilized teeth from Paranthropus, an evolutionary cousin of humans, alongside the tools. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that only our direct ancestors in the genus Homo were capable of making and using such tools. This revelation raises fundamental questions about the origins of technology and the capabilities of different hominin lineages.

Dr. Finestone’s work garnered international attention, with features on BBC, PBS, CNN and even The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her team’s collaborative research also was recognized in numerous yearend highlights, including National Geographic magazine’s “The 11 most astonishing scientific discoveries of 2023” and Smithsonian Magazine’s "Thirteen Discoveries Made About Human Evolution in 2023.”

Beyond her research, Dr. Finestone is committed to elevating the study of human origins in the regions where her work takes place. The Museum has a strong history of collaboration with African institutions, recognizing the importance of partnering with local organizations and communities on human origins research. Dr. Finestone is a research affiliate of the National Museums of Kenya and works closely with an international team that includes Kenyan scholars and interns, fostering a global network of scientists dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of human origins. In the Evolving Life Wing, which explores both the biological and cultural evolution of the human lineage and the environments where our ancestors lived and evolved, replicas of the planet’s earliest stone tools are displayed in the What About Us? exhibit. What About Us? focuses on human origins and evolution.

“We’re the only museum in the country displaying the world’s oldest stone tools, specially casted in Kenya for our exhibit,” says Dr. Finestone. “We are highlighting not only the biological evolution of our species, but also the evolution of our behavior and technology. This is a key part of what makes us human.”

We’re the only museum in the country displaying the world’s oldest stone tools, specially casted in Kenya for our exhibit.

— DR. EMMA FINESTONE, ASSOCIATE CURATOR AND THE ROBERT J. AND LINNET E. FRITZ ENDOWED CHAIR OF HUMAN ORIGINS

MEET THE DONORS: BOB & LINNET FRITZ

Bob Fritz fondly remembers the Saturday mornings he spent attending classes at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as a child. That early experience instilled in him a lifelong love of science and a deep appreciation of the Museum.

“I still enjoy Museum visits regularly,” Bob says, adding that the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a great credit to the city of Cleveland. “Most cities this size don’t have this kind of Museum—much less one with such a strong legacy of groundbreaking scientific research.”

Bob’s wife Linnet also has a longstanding interest in natural history, so it was only natural that they chose to support the Museum’s transformation, ensuring it continues to inspire the next generation of science lovers.

In 2024, the Fritzes contributed a $3 million gift to create the Robert J. and Linnet E. Fritz Endowed Chair of Human Origins (held by Dr. Emma Finestone), support the Museum’s Transforming the World of Discovery campaign and sponsor the Museum’s exhibit of Lucy, or Australopithecus afarensis

“I look forward to seeing how the new exhibits offer greater flexibility for the Museum to present the latest research and evidence, because it’s changing all the time,” Bob says of the transformation.

As for a favorite spot in the Museum, it’s hard to choose, but anything related to human origins and evolution is especially interesting to the Fritzes. “This is what motivated us to sponsor the exhibit of Lucy in the Visitor Hall,” Bob says. “Lucy was an important discovery because of how she helped us to answer those questions. Most of all, we can’t wait to see what the Museum’s new generation of anthropologists will discover.”

See Lucy in the Visitor Hall!

DR. ELIZABETH SAWCHUK

You can truly go through these galleries in any direction, in any order, any number of times, and you’re going get a slightly different experience.

— DR. ELIZABETH SAWCHUK, ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF HUMAN EVOLUTION

social transformations, ultimately painting a vivid picture of how we became who we are today.

But the Museum’s commitment to research goes beyond unearthing the past; it’s also about empowering the future. As part of Dr. Sawchuk’s dedication to elevating research in Africa, she co-organized the groundbreaking “DNAirobi” workshop held at the National Museums of Kenya in May 2023. This event brought together geneticists, archaeologists and educators from across Africa and around the world to discuss the future of DNA and ancient DNA (aDNA) research on the continent.

UNRAVELING THE STORY OF MODERN HUMANS

“The Museum is a base for researchers, and it has been for many decades,” says Dr. Elizabeth (Ebeth) Sawchuk, associate curator of human evolution, adding that when hiring curators, the Museum looks for scientists with well-developed research programs that align with its academic legacy.

Dr. Sawchuk’s work focuses on the intriguing story of our species, Homo sapiens, over the past 50,000 years. She leads expeditions to archaeological sites nestled within the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, a region she describes as an archaeological hot spot brimming with fossils and artifacts that illuminate the past. Her research seeks to understand how our recent human ancestors navigated challenges like climate change, economic shifts and

“Step one is to discuss African research in Africa,” says Dr. Sawchuk, highlighting the importance of amplifying the voices of the Museum’s African collaborators and African partners in doing this kind of work. “Many African scholars face major barriers to attending genetics conferences held in North America and Europe, limiting their ability to lead and partner in DNA and aDNA research. Holding conversations in Africa allows voices and perspectives that have been historically sidelined to be heard.”

A few months later, as a direct result of the workshop, Dr. Sawchuk led an effort with 35 other international scientists to publish a landmark paper in the American Journal of Human Genetics Titled “Charting a Landmark-Driven Path Forward for Population

“DNAirobi” Workshop, co-organized by Dr. Sawchuk, in May 2023 Image Credit: National Museums of Kenya

Genetics and Ancient DNA in Africa,” it calls for a more balanced and inclusive approach to DNA and aDNA research, advocating for equitable partnerships, capacity building and genuine community engagement in Africa.

At the Museum, Dr. Sawchuk’s research is showcased in new galleries that are designed to be interdisciplinary and allow groundbreaking research to be seamlessly incorporated into the exhibits. Now, Dr. Sawchuk and her colleagues are collaborating with scientists from a variety of fields, including genetics, archaeology and paleoecology, to answer complex questions about human evolution. The results are dynamic and interactive spaces where visitors can engage with science in new and exciting ways.

“You can truly go through these galleries in any direction, in any order, any number of times, and you’re going get a slightly different experience,” Dr. Sawchuk says. “We want people to understand that coming here is having access to more than physical exhibits; it’s having access to a world-class research institution—and one where we’re all working very hard to ensure that we’re staying on the cutting-edge of science.”

MARKING A MILESTONE

Earlier this year, the Museum celebrated a significant achievement by hosting its first chairing ceremony in 21 years. The event honored Dr. Emma Finestone, associate curator of human origins, as the inaugural recipient of the Robert J. and Linnet E. Fritz Endowed Chair of Human Origins. This prestigious position, made possible by a generous $3 million gift from Robert and Linnet Fritz, supports Dr. Finestone’s position and recognizes her dedication to her field, the community and the advancement of knowledge.

INSIDER TIP: THIS SPECIES MIGHT BE MISSING FROM YOUR FIELD GUIDE

Years ago, Museum entomologists got the clever idea to pin a tiny Volkswagen Beetle toy car among a display of real beetles. Observant visitors had to look twice to believe what they were seeing. Now, the VW is back and hidden in plain sight in the Evolving Life Wing. It’s a subtle way for the Museum to encourage someone to look closely and expect the unexpected.

This generous donation, which stems from the couple’s passion for natural sciences and a desire to give back to the community, also contributed to the Museum’s transformation project. This includes the new Visitor Hall, a 14,650-square-foot space showcasing some of the Museum’s most iconic objects and specimens. Among them is a lifelike replica of Lucy, the famous Australopithecus afarensis fossil discovered by former Museum Curator Dr. Donald Johanson. The Fritzes’ gift sponsors the Lucy exhibit, providing visitors with an engaging opportunity to connect with this pivotal discovery and learn about Cleveland’s contributions to the field of anthropology.

COMMITTED TO CONSERVATION

Protecting and preserving the local environment is the guiding force behind the Museum’s ecological efforts, with a focus on involving people in the past, present and future of the natural world.

Most people visit natural history museums to journey through time—walk among dinosaurs, marvel at ancient artifacts and trace the evolution of life on Earth. But imagine a destination where boundaries aren’t confined to the past and extend far outside its walls. That’s the reality of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Beyond its renowned exhibits and collections lies a hidden gem—a network of more than 12,500 acres of protected natural areas across Northeast Ohio that create a haven for rare

and threatened species, a living laboratory for scientists and an outdoor classroom for budding naturalists.

“Every person is part of the natural world, and that natural world is necessary for human survival,” says Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer. “The more we connect to it, the more everyone can develop a relationship with it and care for it and steward it properly—this is about our future.”

KELLEYS ISLAND

A VISIONARY BEGINNING

The roots of the Museum’s natural areas lie in the foresight of former Museum Director William Scheele, who held the position from 1949 to 1972. Scheele recognized the importance of preserving natural spaces in the face of urban sprawl. The Natural Areas Program was established in 1956 when the Museum acquired Fern Lake Bog, and Scheele’s vision was carried forward by dedicated successors, including Dr. Jim Bissell, former curator of botany and natural areas director. Dr. Bissell started working at the Museum in 1971, and his passion for conservation and knowledge of Ohio’s ecosystems have been instrumental in the program’s growth and success.

DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS AND RARE SPECIES

The Museum’s natural areas encompass a diverse range of habitats, from the ancient limestone cliffs of Kelleys Island to the expansive wetlands of Mentor Marsh. This diversity of ecosystems is crucial for supporting a wide array of plant and animal life, contributing to the overall biodiversity of the region. These protected lands provide refuge for over 250 uncommon or endangered species, including the Massasauga rattlesnake, the striped maple and the snuffbox mollusk.

“What makes us different from a lot of other conservation organizations is we really targeted ecosystems that were still intact—fragile ecosystems that still had rare species in them and were really representative of unique habitats in northern Ohio,” Dr. Svenson says.

Every person is part of the natural world, and that natural world is necessary for human survival.

— DR. GAVIN SVENSON, CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

STEWARDSHIP AND RESTORATION

The natural areas staff actively manages these preserves, conducting biodiversity surveys, monitoring invasive species and implementing restoration projects. At Mentor Marsh, for example, a major effort is underway to control invasive phragmites grasses. The goal is to restore the marsh to its former ecological health and provide habitat for a variety of native plants and animals.

CONNECTING THE MUSEUM AND ITS NATURAL AREAS

The Museum’s commitment to conservation plays an integral part in its identity. Biodiversity and conservation are woven into the very fabric of the Museum, extending from its research initiatives to its exhibits and educational programs.

“Our mission is to inspire people to connect with nature and develop a passion for conservation and the natural world,” says Dr. David Kriska, restoration ecologist. “But you can’t protect something or care for it if you don’t really know it. To quote Confucius, ‘Tell me and I will forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand.”

RALPH PERKINS II WILDLIFE CENTER & WOODS GARDEN

— PRESENTED BY KEYBANK

DISCOVER ECOLOGICAL WONDERS

At the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, involving people in the past, present and future of the natural world is part of the mission. Here’s how:

• Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank: This immersive wildlife center showcases live native Ohio animals that have been rescued and rehabilitated, serving as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. Visitors can observe these animals in naturalistic habitats and learn about the importance of conservation efforts.

• New Natural Areas Gallery: As part of the Evolving Life Wing, near the entrance to the Perkins Wildlife Center, this feature highlights the biodiversity of the Museum’s protected lands and the importance of stewardship. It includes interactive displays, stunning visuals and engaging narratives that connect visitors to the natural world. The exhibit includes dynamic murals presented by Judith K. and S. Sterling McMillan and the S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust. Also in this exhibit are engaging video installations featuring scientists at work, sponsored by Gretchen Hallerberg and J. Walton Tomford, MD, covering topics such as biodiversity, water and wetlands and human health and sustainability.

• Museum Collections and Galleries: Specimens of plants, animals and fossils provide a valuable resource for understanding the history of life on Earth. These collections are used for research, education and exhibits. Meanwhile, special galleries showcase the importance of protecting biodiversity and wetland ecosystems, the dangers of invasive species and the connection between human health and the health of the natural world.

• Educational Programs: A variety of educational programs focus on biodiversity and conservation, engaging visitors of all ages in learning about the natural world and encouraging them to take action to protect it.

• Outdoor Classrooms: Guided hikes, field trips and other activities offer a variety of ways for the public to participate in citizen science and foster an appreciation for nature. These experiences aim to inspire future generations of conservationists and scientists.

• Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard: A tranquil oasis in the heart of the Museum, the courtyard features a diverse collection of native Ohio plants. This living exhibit showcases the beauty and ecological importance of local flora, with an emphasis on pollinator-friendly species and the changing seasons.

• Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation Garden: Before even setting foot inside the Museum, visitors are greeted by a vibrant display of native Ohio plants. These gardens frame the Museum’s Wade Oval entrance, creating a welcoming and informative space that highlights the importance of incorporating native species into urban landscapes.

DID YOU KNOW?

OVER 250 SPECIES OF BIRDS

have been recorded in Mentor Marsh.

EXPLORE NATURE YEAR-ROUND

Three of the Museum’s natural areas are open to the public year-round, offering opportunities for hiking, birdwatching and exploring Ohio’s natural beauty:

• Mentor Marsh: This 800-acre Lake Erie wetland in Lake County is a haven for migratory birds. Visitors can explore the marsh on three trails, including a boardwalk that extends into the heart of the wetland. The marsh is a critical stopover point for birds migrating along the Lake Erie shoreline, providing them with food and shelter during their long journeys.

• North Kingsville Sand Barrens: This unique habitat in Ashtabula County features sand dunes, a rare ecosystem in Ohio. Visitors can walk along the beach, explore the dunes and learn about the specialized plants and animals that thrive in this environment. The sand barrens are home to a number of rare plant species, including the endangered Pitcher’s thistle.

• Scheele Preserve: Located on Kelleys Island, this preserve features an alvar, a rare grassland ecosystem found on limestone bedrock. Visitors can explore the alvar and learn about its unique plant and animal communities. The alvar’s thin soil and harsh conditions support a specialized community of plants and animals that are adapted to this challenging environment.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

As the Museum dives into its second century, its commitment to conservation remains a vital part of its mission to inspire a passion for nature and the protection of natural diversity. Its natural areas, which contribute to the overall biodiversity of the region, are a testament to the power of conservation and the importance of connecting people with nature. These protected lands are not only a legacy of the past, but also an investment in the future of Northeast Ohio, ensuring that the region’s natural heritage will be preserved for generations to come.

“Everything that we understand and preserve and put on display—all of it is to better prepare ourselves for navigating the world now and in the future,” says Dr. Gavin Svenson, chief science officer. “When people come into the Museum, I want them to leave having a deep connection with the natural world.”

MEET THE DONORS: JUDITH AND TED MCMILLAN

“I love animals and the natural world,” says Judith McMillan, who, in 1979, began volunteering several days a week in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History education department, introducing young visitors to the wonders of nature and science.

Judith now serves on the Board’s Community Engagement and Natural Areas committees. She played an integral advisory role in planning the reimagined exhibits—a natural point of focus for her after developing such close ties with curators throughout the years.

Judith is an artist, and her works depicting nests and botanical specimens are displayed at the Museum. In fact, she has staged a number of exhibits that have traveled to museums across the country, including the U.S. Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C.

She and her husband, S. Sterling “Ted” McMillan, are Discoverer’s Circle members and longtime supporters of the Museum, with Judith serving as trustee of the S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust that supports education, programs for children, mental health, social services, cultural activities and protection of the environment and natural resources. Ted McMillan’s grandfather was the trust’s founder. In addition, the Natural Areas gallery murals are presented by Judith K. and S. Sterling McMillan and the S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust.

Of the milestone transformation project, Judith says, “This has been the most rewarding experience, because it is an institution that is so important to the city and its young people, providing interactive programming that gets them involved in nature.”

INSIDER TIP: WHAT YOU WEAR MIGHT MATTER

Some of the best times to see the animals in the Perkins Wildlife Center are when they are most active. That includes 10 a.m. when the Museum opens and 3:30 p.m., when wildlife specialists are working in the habitats, engaging or training the animals.

The animals know the staff, of course. But visitors can sometimes spark animals’ curiosity by wearing a royal blue shirt or jacket. That’s the color of the staff’s uniforms, and some animals might get closer to you to investigate.

MEET THE ANIMAL AMBASSADORS

These furry and feathery faces exemplify the Museum’s commitment to conservation and educate visitors about the importance of protecting wildlife.

Imagine coming face-to-face with a beautiful bald eagle, hearing the howls of coyotes echo through the city’s landscape or witnessing the surprising agility of a porcupine navigating its habitat. At the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank, visitors can encounter the wild heart of Ohio as they meet a fascinating cast of 135 animal ambassadors, each representing a locally native species that, due to injury or circumstance, wouldn’t survive in the wild. These rescued animals serve as powerful symbols of conservation, educating and inspiring visitors to appreciate and protect the state’s diverse wildlife.

“We always use the words of conservationist Baba Dioum, who says, ‘In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught,’” says Jim Nemet, director of wildlife. “So, if we can teach visitors about the animals here, it gives people a new respect for animals in their backyard, and they can help with conservation.”

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

The Perkins Wildlife Center provides an immersive experience, with elevated walkways that place visitors in the canopy, offering unique perspectives of the animals and their habitats. Witness foxes traversing overhead in their trailways or observe a bobcat in its den and a bald eagle in its nest. On any given day, visitors can gain fascinating insights into the animals’ personalities, behaviors and daily routines. You might witness a training session, observe a feeding or learn about the enrichment activities that keep the animals mentally and physically stimulated. The center also showcases a diverse array of native Ohio plants, many of which are rare or endangered, highlighting the interconnectedness of the ecosystem.

LIVE ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

Live animal encounters offer the chance to connect with a variety of species, learn their individual rescue stories, witness their unique behaviors and discover how the Museum provides exceptional care for these amazing animals. It’s an opportunity to see species like opossums, skunks and even Buckeye Chuck, Ohio’s official weather-predicting groundhog, in a whole new light.

WILDLIFE TALKS

Learn directly from the wildlife specialists who care for the animals, and gain fascinating insights into the animals’ personalities, behaviors and daily routines. Wildlife Talks are a dynamic and everchanging experience, with different animals featured each day.

EXCEPTIONAL ANIMAL CARE

Beyond the habitats of Perkins Wildlife Center lies the Wildlife Resource Center, a behind-the-scenes environment that houses a food preparation area, veterinary clinic and individualized spaces for animals who reside inside. It ensures that each animal receives the highest standard of care, tailored to their unique needs, including:

• Specialized Diets: Each species receives a carefully curated diet that mirrors their natural feeding habits in the wild, promoting optimal health and longevity.

• Enrichment Activities: Daily enrichment activities, such as puzzle feeders, climbing structures and social interactions keep the animals mentally and physically stimulated, ensuring a high quality of life.

• Veterinary Care: Regular checkups and prompt medical attention from experienced veterinarians safeguard the animals’ wellbeing and address any health concerns.

WHO’S WHO?

OUR FAN FAVORITE ANIMAL AMBASSADORS

• Askate “Spaghetti,” the Bald Eagle: This majestic bird, unable to fly due to a past injury, serves as a symbol of resilience and the Museum’s commitment to conservation.

• Red, Tex, Ember and Charcoal, the Coyotes: Listen to their evocative howls and serenades, often triggered by passing sirens, and experience the wildness these canids bring to the heart of the city.

• Lance, the Porcupine: This charismatic and surprisingly agile animal loves to explore his habitat and interact with guests, showcasing the playful side of this oftenmisunderstood species.

• Blackjack, the Raven: Known for having exceptional intelligence, Blackjack participates in various training activities, demonstrating the cognitive abilities of these remarkable birds.

• Calvin, Atticus and Emmett, the North American River Otters: Watch these playful otters frolic and dive in their meticulously designed habitat, showcasing their aquatic prowess and engaging personalities.

CALVIN, ATTICUS AND EMMETT North American River Otters

LANCE Porcupine

ASKATE “SPAGHETTI” Bald Eagle

THE ORDER OF NATURE

The Museum’s nonlinear approach to exploring natural history helps connect the dots to tell the whole story of life on Earth.

Could that tiny, shimmering hummingbird at a backyard bird feeder be distantly related to a huge, fierce Tyrannosaurus rex that lived 83.6 million years ago? It seems impossible.

Much is still to be learned about the evolution of birds, including various lineages, the beginnings of bird-like, feathered dinosaurs in the Jurassic period and their connection to modern birds. But scientists do know that birds retained some physical and behavioral traits of dinosaurs and took those to, well, new heights.

Not only will visitors to the newly transformed Museum begin to understand that avian ancestry and evolution, but they will learn about it in a new, nonlinear way.

“Traditional natural history museums tend to display things in a chronological timeline, and you walk through galleries to see how things changed,” says Dr. Caitlin Colleary, associate curator of vertebrate paleontology. “There is also a traditional setup with a dinosaur hall, a mammal hall and others. And that makes sense, but it doesn’t tell the whole story or connect all life.”

The Museum transformation’s nonlinear approach allows a new, exciting look at that story.

“You move from a ‘what’ to a ‘why’ approach,” explains Dr. Gavin Svenson, the Museum’s chief science officer. “Nonlinear pulls things together for a better understanding. Also, with a more traditional approach, visitors were guided to forced, set paths. Now it is a more useful, flexible way for families to see the Museum.”

The decisions behind the design of the new Museum really boil down to one word: relevance.

— SONIA WINNER, PRESIDENT & CEO

FOSSILS EVERYWHERE

From a paleontologist’s standpoint, Dr. Caitlin Colleary is thrilled to have the opportunity to “place fossils basically everywhere in the Museum and not just have them grouped in one area.” That method, she believes, helps fossils “tell the amazing story of evolution.”

That includes the Evolving Life Wing, with its presentations of dinosaur/bird evolution. It is just one example of the nonlinear Museum experience and how the development of plants and animals on Earth often changed in different directions at the same time.

“It starts 200 million years ago with a dinosaur called Coelophysis the earliest dinosaur we have on display,” says Dr. Colleary. “Then we move to the Allosaurus, Archaeopteryx and others. After that came an explosion of modern birds where you can really see the diversity that is apparent in birds today.”

The mix of types of objects in these exhibits with fossils, bones, casts and other

objects associated with dinosaurs, along with representatives of the Museum’s collection of taxidermized birds, presents the evolution of our feathered friends. The result is no less fascinating, but easier to understand scientifically and logically.

MAKING NATURAL HISTORY RELEVANT

The Museum’s approach to the environment and global warming throughout multiple exhibits is another illustration of its nonlinear approach.

“The decisions behind the design of the new Museum really boil down to one word: relevance,” says Sonia Winner, president and CEO. “Most people can’t fully conceptualize a timeline that spans billions of years of scientific history. And while the evolutionary timeline is important, we knew it was time to blow up the stale, insular model that you often experience in a natural history museum. By organizing our exhibits and interactions by processes and case studies, rather than a linear timeline, we are able to build that relevance into scientific concepts.”

90% OF AMERICANS THINK IT IS NECESSARY TO KNOW ABOUT SCIENCE, BUT 44% ARE FALLING BEHIND IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING.

Source: Marist Poll

Winner cites a Marist Poll showing that 90% of Americans think it is necessary to know about science, but 44% claim to be falling behind in their understanding.

“While it will take further observations to see the benefits of this new approach, we are confident that retaining scientific information and following a call-to-action will be easier than ever,” says Winner.

“We avoid exhausting visitors with an overwhelming amount of information. Visitors find their place in evolutionary history, today’s ecological story and ultimately, their impact on the planet.”

AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

Interactive opportunities put the people into the Museum’s displays.

TWINKLE, TWINKLE

The new We’re All Stardust interactive, immersive exhibit in the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears Dynamic Earth Wing is “a keystone, ‘wow’ exhibit,” according to Dr. Nicole Burt, the Museum’s curator of human health and evolutionary medicine. Visitors use the motion of their bodies to control stardust on the media screen, creating and learning about real stars.

“Our approach to this Museum has shifted from the traditional natural history model dramatically,” says Dr. Burt. “We want people to think like scientists and interact with concepts of science and evolution. We wanted to create active thinking spaces, not just places you would walk through. And we wanted to make it more accessible for families. Stardust does just that.”

“For this transformation, we wanted to help visitors learn about certain scientific concepts,” adds Dr. Caitlin Colleary, the Museum’s curator of vertebrate paleontology. “We know people learn in different ways and we also have a huge range of ages that come through the Museum. This interactive involvement will appeal to most everyone and bring in those who may not have ever visited the Museum before.”

The images on the ceiling and wall screens of the We’re All Stardust exhibit, which is sponsored by Jane and Jon Outcalt and Katie and Ken Outcalt, will mesmerize with intense illustrations of celestial events, including a supernova exploding. Participants move through a series of activities to understand how stars are formed, their life cycles and their importance to life on Earth.

ALL STARDUST

“You stand in front of this giant screen and open and close your arms to collect the early particles of life and to build a star. The digital program sees your body and builds an actual star, depending on how much and what you collect,” says Dr. Colleary.

The two star-makers can work separately or together at the same time. The takeaway: We are all made from the same materials.

DUNK IN ACTION

WE’RE

SPONSORED BY JANE AND JON OUTCALT AND KATIE AND KEN OUTCALT

MOVE OVER, JAWS

The Dunk in Action exhibit submerges Museumgoers into the dark depths of the watery Devonian period in Ohio when huge, ferocious fish ruled the Earth 360 million years ago. The undisputed star of this new, immersive media experience is “Dunk” (Dunkleosteus terrelli), with its wicked, crushing jawbone that terrified prehistoric sharks. The Museum owns authentic Dunk fossils and displays three models of boney-plated Dunk heads.

“Dunk is in the past, but he’s an important part of understanding the development of Ohio and Cleveland shale. That connection to our region is something we want to emphasize with the transformation,” says Dr. Burt. “The Dunk experience has ambient noise, like you are actually in the ocean. It’s a little scary, and you meet a life-size Dunk. It’s a quiet space with an edge of terror.”

CONNECT THE EVOLUTIONARY DOTS

The Museum’s new Mechanics of Evolution digital interactive component is “complicated, crazy and programmed to work accurately,” says Dr. Nicole Burt. “You get actual results in real time that show how evolution works.”

The exhibit includes two screens. Visitors can play and explore the simulation using the interactive screen, while onlookers watch.

“The stars of the simulation are really cute characters named ‘Selects,’ patterned triangles, squares or circles with expressive little faces,” Dr. Burt explains. “You know it’s accurate and a hit when a roomful of scientists try out the game and say things like, ‘Clearly, the triangles are the best option here for survival.’”

SEISMIC ACTIVITY

Visitors won’t want to miss the earthquake simulator. It’s not just a shaking platform that you stand on, explains Dr. Burt. “It really teaches you the basics of earthquakes and how they are formed.”

MEET THE DONORS: DOUGLAS AND DR. LAURIE MCCREERY

ROADWAYS TO YOUR HEART

The What About Us? health gallery is one of only a few galleries of its kind in the United States, according to Dr. Burt. The space is filled with interactive elements, which teach important lessons about the human body, its evolution and health.

One of Dr. Burt’s favorite interactive exhibits, What’s Different About the Way Sickle Cells Move? focuses on sickle cell disease. Visitors control a set of giant veins. One contains standard red blood cells and the other sickled red blood cells. When flipped, the visitor can see the different way the red blood cells flow or get stuck due to their shape.

Connecting visitors to science and natural history in a tangible way is an exciting outcome of the extensive Museum transformation project, says Douglas McCreery, who has been a trustee since 2010 and engaged on the executive committee.

McCreery’s counsel was instrumental in developing and adhering to an operating budget, CAPEX plan and obtaining financing when needed.

He acknowledges the inherent challenges of undergoing a significant construction project during the pandemic. “Leadership was able to not only execute it—but execute it on time and on budget, and it’s going to be an internationally recognized landmark that reflects well on Cleveland as a whole,” McCreery says.

The sweeping timeline displayed in the new Visitor Hall was generously funded by Douglas McCreery and his wife, Dr. Laurie McCreery, who has always been committed to opening up opportunities for exposure to science education for young people.

This Museum was built for you— our audiences, neighbors, community members, supporters and curious minds around the world.

— SONIA WINNER, PRESIDENT & CEO