DENVER — The Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) will look a lot different in a few years.
Since 2017, DMNS has been working on the “future first” project. The project is set to redesign the full 20,000 square foot first floor of the museum with new exhibits.
The museum worked with communities around Denver to figure out what people wanted to see, and what the museum was lacking. From there, DMNS held meetings to figure out what all the new exhibits would encompass.
“It started off small with a few community members, being very honest with us saying, ‘Hey, I like the museum but I hardly ever come, and here's why,” Jodi Schoemer, Director of Experiences and Partnerships at DMNS and project lead said. “And those conversations grew and grew and developed into a multi-year project where community members and consultants led us, other community members and the museum into understanding how we could change to be a community-centered museum.”
And with a community-centered exhibit, the plan is to create a more meaningful experience for guests.
“People want to explore and discover and have personalized journeys that are deeply relevant to them,” Schoemer said.
The project aims to create an interactive and "choose your own adventure" approach to learning and exploring the exhibit. When people walk in, they'll be able to choose their own adventure based on their own interests.
According to Schomer, there will be multiple different real-world exhibits including things that are happening to people, to our planet and in our ecosystem. Guests can choose whichever subject interests them and then they can explore and make their own choices throughout the exhibit and create their own story.
As people go through different ecosystems that reflect both Colorado and other places around the world, the story and the content will change based on individual interests and choices. At the end of the adventure, people can see how their own story connects to the story that others at the museum created and how it compares to what’s going on across the world in real life.
There will also be a Gems & Minerals exhibit that can be integrated into choosing your own adventure. This exhibit will demonstrate different geology in the state and across the world.
According to DMNS website, the community partners for the project are Broncos Boys & Girls Club, Christ Lutheran Church, Golden History Museum & Park, Jewish Community Center, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, JeffCo Boys & Girls Club and The People’s Building.
The Museum is still working with communities to finalize details in the exhibit, including what the official name of it will be. They expect it to open in 2-3 years.
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