Endangered. Photo BY DAVID HINE Bruce Rauner’s campaign to destroy the Illinois State Museum risks losing tourist income, the services of top scientists and administrators and priceless artifacts, not to mention any claim Illinois might make to being a civilized commonwealth. Might there be yet one more loss – the loss of the museum building […]
Illinois State Museum
Posted inOpinion
Closing a deal
Bruce and Diana Rauner PHOTO BY ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/TNS Trust me, readers, I am no more eager to write another column about the closing of the Illinois State Museum than you are to read it. I have been moved to do it because the most important aspect of the story is the one that remains the […]
Posted inOpinion
The Museum Museum, 2515
PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Eleven thousand years ago no human beings yet lived in the central Illinois river valley. The climate was cool and glaciers from the last great ice age still covered parts of the land to the north and the east. When the first people arrived, they hunted the long-extinct elk, white-tailed deer, […]
Posted inOpinion
Through a glass beautifully
A paperweight from the Illinois State Museum’s Morton D. Barker collection was made in the Baccarat glassworks in France, circa 1845-1855. PHOTO BY DOUG CAR/ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM In a climate in which open windows are as rare as an honest tax return, I don’t need paperweights on my desk. I have one anyway. It’s a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Scavenge for symbols
Get the kids out of the house and keep their brains sharp this winter break with the Illinois State Museum’s Winter Holiday Search. The free activity is available for pickup at the museum’s front desk Dec. 20 through Jan. 5 during normal museum hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from noon to 5 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Compete for cash
The Price is Right Live Come on down to Sangamon Auditorium on Monday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. for The Price is Right Live, an interactive production of the hit TV game show by the same name. This high-energy stage show has been touring nationally for more than nine years and has given away more […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Field day
PHOTO BY DOUG CARR Families will have the opportunity to discover where food from their dinner plates comes from during Amazing Agriculture at the Illinois State Museum Saturday, June 28. Activities planned include a sweet corn farm-to-table relay, fruit and vegetable stamp painting, building a hamburger flannel board and seed planting. There will also be […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Latin-themed look-see
We’re excited about these new Friday night shindigs at the Illinois State Museum. This Friday, May 2, is another good time to explore the museum when they present a Latin-themed evening called First Friday Fiesta. Learn the salsa (5:30-6:30) from Apollo Shaw (pictured left with dancer), dance instructor and choreographer with The Shaw Dance Company […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Libation creations
Illinois State Museum joins downtown First Fridays with an event for science, art, history, music and beer lovers. Art + Science Craft Beer is set from 5-8 p.m. Find curators and scientists who will discuss and answer your questions in the Art + Science of Drink Changes exhibition that includes vintage beer bottles (some from […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Embracing differences
Illinois State Museum is planning a fun and educational Saturday for families and individuals on Feb. 22. Learn about the heritage and traditions of various world cultures through hands-on crafts, international displays, live performances and more at Celebrate Cultural Diversity. Countries and groups represented include India, China, Philippines, Japan, China, the Middle East, Lithuanian-American Club, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Going batty
Rob Mies, TV personality, conservation biologist, bat expert, author and executive director of Organization for Bat Conservation, will speak about traveling the world to discover the truly unique and sometimes strange life-forms that inhabit our planet. Learn about ecosystems, how animals are connected, the risk to biodiversity from human activities, conservation success stories and things […]
Posted inArts & Culture
On the shoulders of giants
Joining the Downtown First Fridays lineup is the Illinois State Museum. Nov. 1, Springfield’s unsung gem will stay open past hours and present an array of activities. In the lobby, you can watch the assembly of a huge sculpture by Michael Ferris Jr. named Rusty Finnegan. Staff will begin putting together at 5:30 p.m. the […]
