I know this is an incendiary question but I can't think of a more appropriate way to ask it: Is the Science Center a joke?
First, I love science centers. I get what they're supposed to do, and I think I have an idea of what makes a good one. But I have never seen a more slap-dash, haphazard place of interest than our own. It's been that way in some respects for years, but in the past few years (starting pre-covid, if that would otherwise be an excuse) it's had seemingly no cohesion or direction as they whittle away at exhibit space. What used to be a public gallery has been lopped off by a "fossil lab" which seems to only be open to staff. I clearly remember the exhibits around that area - a bit about plate tectonics, a bit about fossils, a bit about evolution - but it's as though they just took half of everything away to make room for a perpetually closed area, and whatever was left is still there. Significant parts of the exhibits that remain are broken. Other areas are cordoned off into Discovery Zone and Makerspace and MakerGarage and Life Science Lab and various other things with random hours that require reservations.
There is a new(er) area that seems like it could be really cool, devoted to the evolution of gaming. At first you see historical video consoles, a subject which could appeal to so many generations of people. But there's no cohesion to it. The few games are mixed with some broken exhibits, and those are mixed in with some old Boomer-era board games, which doesn't make much sense in context. Oh and also there was chess at one time, and here's a tubular version of a ping pong table. There are a few plaques that kind of start to tell what makes a good game..but everything is disjointed, with vast amounts of empty space and very few hands-on activities. One area has a poster/board that talks about how senses can change your perception of a virtual world and then.....nothing...but across the room is a Galaga console.. Cool.
There is another well-worn section on energy which is clearly sponsored by (and favors) Peabody Coal. Again, 'energy' is sort of a catch-all, with one exhibit about potential vs. kinetic energy leading right into one about the electrical grid. There are some things in there that could be really cool if it could bring you from one exhibit to the next, but it just doesn't.
I know the main exhibit spaces don't have anything in them at the moment, but it just makes the rest seem more forlorn. I haven't seen the giant machine with all the balls on in more than a year. There's a sign that says they turn it off from 9-1 each day because it's too loud (???), but I haven't seen it on outside of those hours.
The Structures area is significantly closed due to roof leaks. Most of the hands-on exhibits had been removed already anyway. You can look at a model of Willis Tower or some posters about structures, but you could also look at them on YouTube.
I don't know if it's new for February, but there's a sad, pathetic exhibit about Black Inventors. Inside was a table with some inventions scattered on it, and the rest of the room was filled with boxes and building materials. If this is for Black History Month...I'm just disappointed.
The Planetarium side is probably the most cohesive (it deals with "space" at least), but even a significant chunk of that is devoted to a Mars Rover (two I think) that are controlled from elsewhere when not broken, and don't really lend much to the space. The exhibits past the ticketed planetarium area are very dated, and the interactive parts are significantly broken, but they are interesting and there's really no reason that they're only available for a few minutes after a planetarium show.
Am I wrong in asking if SLSC either overextended or has poor leadership? Maybe it's just too big for itself, trying to do too much and not doing any particular thing well. Even the tiny Science Center we had when it was just in the planetarium and interactive outdoor area was much more enjoyable and entertaining. I expect more from a ZMD institution, but maybe less would be more in this case.
First, I love science centers. I get what they're supposed to do, and I think I have an idea of what makes a good one. But I have never seen a more slap-dash, haphazard place of interest than our own. It's been that way in some respects for years, but in the past few years (starting pre-covid, if that would otherwise be an excuse) it's had seemingly no cohesion or direction as they whittle away at exhibit space. What used to be a public gallery has been lopped off by a "fossil lab" which seems to only be open to staff. I clearly remember the exhibits around that area - a bit about plate tectonics, a bit about fossils, a bit about evolution - but it's as though they just took half of everything away to make room for a perpetually closed area, and whatever was left is still there. Significant parts of the exhibits that remain are broken. Other areas are cordoned off into Discovery Zone and Makerspace and MakerGarage and Life Science Lab and various other things with random hours that require reservations.
There is a new(er) area that seems like it could be really cool, devoted to the evolution of gaming. At first you see historical video consoles, a subject which could appeal to so many generations of people. But there's no cohesion to it. The few games are mixed with some broken exhibits, and those are mixed in with some old Boomer-era board games, which doesn't make much sense in context. Oh and also there was chess at one time, and here's a tubular version of a ping pong table. There are a few plaques that kind of start to tell what makes a good game..but everything is disjointed, with vast amounts of empty space and very few hands-on activities. One area has a poster/board that talks about how senses can change your perception of a virtual world and then.....nothing...but across the room is a Galaga console.. Cool.
There is another well-worn section on energy which is clearly sponsored by (and favors) Peabody Coal. Again, 'energy' is sort of a catch-all, with one exhibit about potential vs. kinetic energy leading right into one about the electrical grid. There are some things in there that could be really cool if it could bring you from one exhibit to the next, but it just doesn't.
I know the main exhibit spaces don't have anything in them at the moment, but it just makes the rest seem more forlorn. I haven't seen the giant machine with all the balls on in more than a year. There's a sign that says they turn it off from 9-1 each day because it's too loud (???), but I haven't seen it on outside of those hours.
The Structures area is significantly closed due to roof leaks. Most of the hands-on exhibits had been removed already anyway. You can look at a model of Willis Tower or some posters about structures, but you could also look at them on YouTube.
I don't know if it's new for February, but there's a sad, pathetic exhibit about Black Inventors. Inside was a table with some inventions scattered on it, and the rest of the room was filled with boxes and building materials. If this is for Black History Month...I'm just disappointed.
The Planetarium side is probably the most cohesive (it deals with "space" at least), but even a significant chunk of that is devoted to a Mars Rover (two I think) that are controlled from elsewhere when not broken, and don't really lend much to the space. The exhibits past the ticketed planetarium area are very dated, and the interactive parts are significantly broken, but they are interesting and there's really no reason that they're only available for a few minutes after a planetarium show.
Am I wrong in asking if SLSC either overextended or has poor leadership? Maybe it's just too big for itself, trying to do too much and not doing any particular thing well. Even the tiny Science Center we had when it was just in the planetarium and interactive outdoor area was much more enjoyable and entertaining. I expect more from a ZMD institution, but maybe less would be more in this case.
