FINAL_FW2607-08_DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 54
That Belongs
in a Museum
Caption
G
A NEW STYLE OF MUSEUM EXHIBITING
nature of the visual, the auditory, the
HAS EMERGED exemplified by The
feeling, the storytelling. It's simple,
Blue Paradox. The exhibit is an
it's direct, it's very accessible,
immersive, science-driven expeand all that together takes you
rience that launched at the
through it, invoking differGriffin Museum of Science
ent emotions at different
and Industry in Chicago
times,” says Dr. Patricia
in 2023. The attraction
Ward, the associate vice
takes guests “underwater”
president of exhibitions
with LED wave walls,
and partnerships and head
recycled-plastic sculptures,
scientist at the museum.
and interactive displays to
She tells Funworld that
reveal the scale, causes, and
the experience “engages
solutions to global ocean plastic
you intellectually, but very
FI
N
M
pollution. The experience
much emotionally, right from the
US
O
EU
AG
M
IC
OF
blends large-scale visuals,
get-go.”
CH
N
SCI
I
RY
E NC E
AN D IND US T
data storytelling, and interacThe exhibit masterfully blends art and
tive environments to spark action
technology to draw guests into the subject matter,
and highlight humanity’s impact on
surrounding them with 360-degree LED screens—
marine ecosystems.
including the floor beneath their feet. Its message
The museum partnered with
lands through interactive moments that move visiS.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. to mastors from the sobering scale of plastic pollution to a
terfully produce an exhibit that
grounded sense of optimism. The metrics back it up:
successfully expands the idea of
In follow-ups conducted weeks after their visit, the
—Dr. Patricia Ward, Griffin
immersion to highlight a profoundly
museum found that nearly 84% of visitors continued
Museum of Science
important purpose. “It's the holistic
to make changes in their plastic use.
and Industry in
RI
F
“
It's
simple, it's
direct, it's very
accessible,
Chicago
GRIFFIN MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY IN CHICAGO
52
Funworld | JULY/AUGUST 2026 | IAAPA.org/Funworld
