EXHIBITIONS
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ADMISSION
Adults: $8 | Children 4-14: $5 | Children 3 and under: FREE
ABDM members and ASTC reciprocal memberships: FREE
*Select exhibits may require an additional fee for
both members and non-members. |
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HALL OF IDEAS
The Hall of Ideas is a permanent interactive exhibition
comprised of three levels of colorful and engaging exhibitry.
Alden Dow said, "Over all it is a source of ideas to stimulate
all ages to create and appreciate the facts and feelings of life."
It is a graphic story of the evolution of the ground on which
the Center stands. It traces the spiraling evolution of civilization
of this area. The themes unfold as follows... |
  
Hours
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Level 1: Restless Earth, Groundworks, Glaciers, Greening and a Life-size Mastodon
The
"big blue marble" earth turning on its axis in the
blackness of space greets visitors. Michigan’s geological
formation and resources are presented using joystick activated
interactive programs, hands-on samples, computer interactive
exhibits and photomurals. Fossils of a Mastodon molar, giant
beaver skull and a trilobite help visitors visualize Michigan
thousands of years ago. A giant American Mastodon skeletal
replica dominates the first level of the Hall of Ideas. |
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Level 2: Trailblazers, Waterways, Lumberjacks, Farmers, Miners and Chemists
Visitors
are introduced to the early people who inhabited mid-Michigan,
including Native Americans, and how they created a life from
woodland resources. Forest smells, touchable artifact replicas,
a waterfall, and maps present the information. A "cast
from life" Native American figure plants corn in front
of a forest mural. Visitors can try their luck at handling
a log using a "peavey," sit in the cab of a combine
at harvest time, and enter a mineshaft to assist two "powder
monkeys" in setting off a blast. A larger-than-life periodic
table provides a hands-on consideration of the most commonly
used system for the classification of chemical elements. |
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Level 3: The Individual, Balance, Look, Listen, Build, and Envision
These
exhibits enhance the philosophy of Alden B. Dow. Mr. Dow,
architect of the Center for the Arts, believed that science
and art are inseparable; that feelings must be combined with
facts before anything new can be created. A Rainbow Dazzler
Arch, a 13-seat replica of the Frolic Theater, Nature’s
Gallery, and various displays showing how music is created
are all part of Level 3. |
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Level 4: The Panoramic and Ever-changing Art and
Science Galleries
The
"big blue marble" earth turning on its axis in the
blackness of space greets visitors. Michigan’s geological
formation and resources are presented using joystick activated
interactive programs, hands-on samples, computer interactive
exhibits and photomurals. Fossils of a Mastodon molar, giant
beaver skull and a trilobite help visitors visualize Michigan
thousands of years ago. A giant American Mastodon skeletal
replica dominates the first level of the Hall of Ideas. |
  
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VIEWSPACE
Winner
Of the 2003 Muse Award, ViewSpace brings the wonders of the journey
of celestial exploration to the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science
and Art as a permanent addition to the Hall of Ideas and Museum
Galleries. This multimedia exhibit program comes from the Space
Telescope Science Institute of Baltimore and brings the most recent
photographs from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, as well as
other programs.
Purchased with funds from the Todd Gunkler Memorial Fund and with
a recent grant from the Alden B. and Vada B. Dow Family Foundations,
ViewSpace entices and mesmerizes visitors with beautiful, high
resolution images, digital movies and animations, interpretive
captions and evocative space music. |
  
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ViewSpace directly feeds via the Internet to feature
numerous programs such as:
Celestial Tours Featuring the breathtaking Hubble photographs.
Hubble Update Providing the latest images and discoveries from the telescope as they are released.
Celestial Update Featuring news from the frontiers of astronomy with emphasis on the latest
from the NASA Great Observatories.
Astronomy Picture of the Day Each day a new "astronomically-themed" image with interpretive text.
Mars Exploration Rover Update Stay informed on the Mars Exploration rovers as they explore Mars.
Cassini-Huygens Update Reports from the Saturn orbiter and the Titan Entry Probe
now en route to the ringed planet.
Skylines Beautifully illustrated introductions to the constellations, planets, deep sky objects and special astronomical events of the night sky updated monthly.
Science as Art Because there’s more to life than science, we feature visualizations
of astronomically-inspired and –informed poetry.
New programs are continually added by the Space Telescope Science Institute of Baltimore. ViewSpace runs continuously and is included in regular museum admissions, Members of ABDM and Friends of the Center are free. |
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