Sep. 30, 2015
Four Powerful Exhibits Open at the Museum Of Culture And Environment October 1
The four new exhibits opening at the Museum of Culture and Environment will excite your imagination and touch your soul. The opening reception will take place October 1, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in Dean Hall at Central Washington University.
Pluto and New Horizons allows you to explore the outer reaches of our solar system in the exhibit on New Horizons, the robotic spacecraft that has sent back stunning images and data about Pluto. Astronomy Professor Bruce Palmquist will explain NASA’s latest discoveries about Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, a vast region beyond the orbit of Neptune. Planetary scientist Darci Snowden will report on NASA’s brand new discovery of running water on Mars.
In Touring the Solar System, Museum Studies students have installed a campus-wide map of the solar system. Our sun is represented by an object the size of a baseball (just three inches wide) hanging at the MCE’s entrance. At a scale of 1:18,560,000,000 that means Pluto is located 1,038 feet away in the Art Department in Randall Hall. Students will celebrate with an “inter-planetary” procession that starts in the Art Department at 6:00 pm, heading into the inner solar system in Dean Hall.
Elwha: A River Reborn takes you to the Northwest’s legendary Elwha River Valley to discover the people, places, and history behind a remarkable local story—and the largest dam removal project ever undertaken.*
The Penitent by artist Chris Heard presents 15 haunting images from Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), the birthplace of the modern American prison system. This exhibition is part of the university-wide year of dialogue, Mass Incarceration and Racial Violence: Black and Brown Lives Do Matter.
The event is free and open to the public. Parking in CWU lots is free after 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, except in specially designated spaces (handicapped, loading) and in residence hall lots.
The Museum for Culture and Environment is open Wednesday through Friday, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information got to www.cwu.edu/museum/current-exhibits. There is no admission charge.
*Elwha: A River Reborn, based on a Mountaineers book of the same name by Seattle Times reporter Lynda Mapes and photographer Steve Ringman, was developed by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in collaboration with The Seattle Times, Mountaineers Books, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. National touring sponsor: The Snoqualmie Tribe.
Media Contact: Professor Mark Auslander, Museum Director, auslanderm@cwu.edu, 509-963-3213