exploratorium

Upcoming Events Calendar
Curious Contraptions Activities

Wednesday, November 20–Sunday, January 26, 2020

Come and play with motion and mechanisms. Explore the intersection of art and engineering, and tell playful stories building a contraption made with everyday materials.

Pegusus
Curious Contraptions: Flights of Fancy

Thursday, November 21, 2019–Sunday, January 26, 2020

Explore fantastical, often amusing mechanical sculptures known as automata. These small, handmade flying, sailing, and cycling machines bring whimsical dramas to life through low-tech mechanisms, inviting you to investigate how they work.

Buckyball art installation
Glow: Festival of Lights

Thursday, December 5, 2019–Sunday, January 26, 2020

Celebrate the holidays and excite your atoms at Glow, our annual festival of ebullient lights and subtle glows celebrating the close of the year. Bask in the mesmerizing gleams of special installations and kinetic sculptures, take a shine to illuminating exhibits, and show your sparkle with scintillating activities.

At Home: Prelinger Archives Home Movie Collection

Tuesday, January 7–Sunday, February 2, 2020

These selections showcase personal stories with universal appeal. From families traveling to far-flung landscapes to birthday parties for toddlers, these intimate films made by strangers feel quite familiar.

Jan
23
Photo collage of a man on a bicycle with a background of colorful, patterned circles
After Dark: Flights of Fancy

Thursday, January 23, 2020 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.

From bewitching bicycles to astounding aviation to crazy cars, take a look at the art, science, and storytelling behind bewildering and transcendent modes of transport.

Jan
26
Full-Spectrum Science: Radioactivity

Sunday, January 26, 2020 • 2:00 p.m.

What's going on inside the nucleus of an atom? Why does it spit out radiation? Did you know that you are exposed to radioactivity every day? Learn the facts about this somewhat controversial topic.

Jan
30
After Dark: Radioactivity

Thursday, January 30, 2020 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.

What's going on inside the nucleus of an atom, and why does it spit out radiation? Get the facts about this somewhat controversial topic with scientific raconteur Ron Hipschman.

Feb
1
Storytime Science for Kids

Saturday, February 1, 2020 • 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Join us the first full weekend of every month for Storytime Science! Enjoy a science-themed storybook read aloud followed by a simple related activity geared toward very young children.

Feb
1
Cinema Arts: Color Visions

Saturday, February 1, 2020 • Noon and 2:00 p.m.

In this collection of shorts, watch vibrant colors pop off the screen that reflect the pigments of the natural world, conjure saturated landscapes, and creatively display the rainbow spectrum. 

Feb
1
Tactile Dome Evening Hours
Tactile Dome: Special Evening Hours

Saturday, February 1, 2020 • 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The museum closes at 5:00 p.m. today, but the after-hours interactive fun continues in our Tactile Dome. Journey through total darkness in this twisting, turning, tactile sculpture. 

Feb
2
Storytime Science for Kids

Sunday, February 2, 2020 • 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Join us the first full weekend of every month for Storytime Science! Enjoy a science-themed storybook read aloud followed by a simple related activity geared toward very young children.

Feb
2
Cinema Arts: Color Visions

Sunday, February 2, 2020 • Noon and 2:00 p.m.

In this collection of shorts, watch vibrant colors pop off the screen that reflect the pigments of the natural world, conjure saturated landscapes, and creatively display the rainbow spectrum. 

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