Mineral Exhibits

Recently I visited the Houston Natural History museum and was able to peruse their natural mineral exhibit. Impressive is a dramatic understatement. It is not surprising that a natural history museum situated at the center of the American oil industry would have an impressive collection, both in size of the pieces and their quantity. The museum has rooms upon rooms of uncut stones. I still am unsure if I walked through all of the rooms, as many of them are hidden around corners. I can not begin to imagine what natural wonders sit protected in museum storage.

The exhibit, while mesmerizing was less than fascinating. The exhibit listed what each object was, but gave little or no information about how the mineral was formed. The exhibit was designed to showcase the collection rather than educate the visitor. The floors were covered with red carpeting. The lights were turned down, as jazz music played through unseen speakers. The ambiance reflected that of a jewelry store, not a museum.

On the other side of the spectrum is the Natural History Museum in New York city. This exhibit is clearly designed to educate the visitor. The mineral collection is less impressive than the one in Houston, but what they have has been put to good use. The exhibit is designed to educate, but the last time I was able to see the exhibit some of the educational tools where out of service. The exhibit seems to really on the fact that the visitor will already have a basic knowledge of minerals, or that they will be with someone who does.