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Exploratorium 50th Anniversary Press Kit
In 1969, Frank Oppenheimer saw the need for hands-on, public engagement with scientific phenomena and founded the Exploratorium, instilling the institution with the idea that we would always be evolving, and never finished. Since then, we've transformed the idea of what a science museum can be, from a passive experience to an interactive public learning laboratory. A half-century later, we continue to inspire visitors at our museum on Pier 15 in San Francisco, engage educators in classrooms across the state of California and beyond, and fuel a movement for experiential STEAM learning through global collaborations.
In our anniversary year, we're celebrating not only our legacy but also the work of our future. In the coming decades, we will continue to transform the experience of learning worldwide through innovative programs with educators, global collaborations, and exhibits right here at our museum in San Francisco. We are also deeply engaged in climate science research and education, and we create tools and experiences that help citizens become active explorers of climate change and the environment. Our sustainable museum on Pier 15 is a wired environmental field station, and we partner with international science organizations to further understanding of our environment, and to help communicate astronomical phenomena to the public, such as our work with the 2017 Great American Eclipse.
Press Assets
Special Exhibitions in our 50th Year
In addition to 50th year highlights, such as our award-winning After Dark events and membership, our annual Science of Cocktails, and our famous Pi Day Celebration, the Exploratorium is planning three groundbreaking exhibitions to be released in 2019.
Cells to Self
Fall 2019
Cells to Self is a tour through the astonishing diversity of the form and function of human cells, from bacteria in your gut that can sense their surroundings, to human heart cells beating in response to electricity. As you interact with digital models, microscopes, and living tissues, you’ll find out how cells move and communicate. And you’ll discover how genetic and environmental forces work together to make and maintain your uniquely human self.
Self, Made
Summer 2019
Self, Made dives headlong into the kaleidoscope of our multiple, fragmented (and potentially negotiable) selves, explored through a suite of new interactive, inquiry-based exhibits and experiences, as well as artworks and curated cultural objects. Challenging, comforting, immersive, personal, and family-friendly, the exhibition weaves together elements from seemingly disparate realms—fashion, genetics, comic books, slang, and games—to connect with broader social matters of freedom, bias, agency, and authenticity.
Middle Ground
Summer 2019
Middle Ground goes outside the museum's walls to San Francisco's Civic Center, a perfect place to explore how we interact with and think about our fellow human beings. Middle Ground will provide exhibits and experiences on social psychology for a diverse audience. In a series of stations, visitors will connect with passersby, confront their biases, challenge conformity, practice generosity, and share stories of life in the social realm.
Relevant Press Releases
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Exploratorium Announces Publication of “The Art of Curiosity”
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Exploratorium Announces New Permanent Exhibit Collection: Cells to Self
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Exploratorium Announces New Public Space Installation: Middle Ground
- Exploratorium Announces Summer Exhibition: Self, Made
- Party at the Piers: Alchemy Celebrates the Exploratorium's Golden Anniversary
Relevant Press Kits
About the Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a portal to the astonishing scientific phenomena that animate our world and shape our actions. We create extraordinary learning experiences that ignite curiosity, upend perceptions, and inspire brave leaps forward. Since 1969, the Exploratorium’s museum in San Francisco has been home to a renowned collection of exhibits that draw together science, art, and human perception, and that have changed the way science is taught. Our award-winning programs provide a forum for the public to engage with artists, scientists, policymakers, educators, and tinkerers to explore the world around them. We celebrate diversity of thought, inspired investigation, and collaboration across all boundaries.
Media Contact:
media@exploratorium.edu
Exploratorium
Pier 15 (Embarcadero at Green Street) • San Francisco • California
(415) 528-4444 • www.exploratorium.edu
