Download The Weinman Mineral Gallery Review

The Weinman Mineral Gallery Review
The Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville is a gem of knowledge in Georgia’s own
back yard. About half an hour north of the Kennesaw State University campus, the Tellus
Museum is very accessible to a wealth of college students as well as many young learners in
the Cobb county area. Their mission statement reads, “Because science matters, we engage,
educate, and inspire visitors to make scientific connections through dynamic exhibits and
enriching experiences”. The grounds and the museum itself are designed to allow for the
success of this mission statement.
The museum itself is designed to be easy to navigate. Upon first entering the museum,
visitors can see an enticing glimpse into the great hall where the giant brontosaurs looks over
the many exhibits. Once there however, there are even more peeks into the different galleries,
each of which offer something unique to the science world.
The Weinman Mineral Gallery in particular, had more to see than any other of the
exhibits. Visitors are welcomed to the gallery by a two ton Amethyst Geode from Brazil. This
breathtaking specimen was displayed at eye level and had a very simple label describing the
mineral itself and its origins. This mineral is a perfect example of what visitors have to look
forward to in the gallery. The next thing seen is “The Cartersville Meteorite”, followed by, as
accurately described by the guide, was the (unofficially named) “Geology 101” section. This
area included all the basics of geology. There were also two displays with brief and
understandable explanations of the difference between rocks and minerals, which stretched
on into more specific explanations of geology including touch and feel stations of Igneous,
Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks, and a large globe showing tectonic movement over the
past 6 million years. Next was a large installation of a tumbler and brief history of mining.
What followed was minerals visitors could find in everyday objects from the food we eat to
the products we use. The periodic table followed which is the museums most popular piece,
showed each element and where they can be found in the world. Behind that was the
fluorescent minerals which had an audible explanation of fluorescents in nature. If following
the flow, the visitor would find themselves in an even deeper explanation of minerals and a
vast display of thousands of examples including mineral treasures and minerals of Georgia.
The Weinman Mineral Gallery supports the mission of Tellus by providing multiple
hands on portions for viewers to interact with. The “Make-a-Quake” machine encourages
visitors to hit a pad and see the seismographic impact of their hit. There were multiple signs
that read “Please Touch” which was unusual, but only reinforced the mission to entice and
intrigue visitor. One of the most interesting pieces was the globe which showed tectonic
movement over the past six million years, which interestingly had a red dot that tracked the
Cartersville location over those years.
The objects and texts showed the vast world of minerals well. Because the first thing
visitors encounter is an explanation of basic geology and then are lead through the many
impacts that minerals have, and finally shown hundreds of examples of minerals, there is an
obvious strong focus on the theme of this exhibit. Because of the size, extent, and interactive
nature of this exhibit it is difficult to leave without learning something.
Once seeing the other exhibits it is obvious there is a great interest in geology and
minerals, which was confirmed by the guide, the Museum curator, who is a geologist himself.
This exhibit is far larger, and includes a much larger number of pieces than the other exhibits.
While one could argue that it is easier to come by examples of minerals, and due to size it is
easier to exhibit multiple pieces, however, there were also far more interactive pieces and
more technology used by the museum to explain and draw interest to the mineral gallery.
The flow of the gallery made sense for the most part. It began with basic explanations of
geology and went on to more specifically breaking down kinds of rocks and minerals and
ended with an in-depth breakdown of minerals. It did flow logically, however the only way
out was through the entrance. If there had been another exit, and perhaps an entrance to the
next gallery, it would have been a bit easier to follow.
The breathtaking Amethyst Geode at the entrance would be enough to draw anyone into
the exhibit with hopes of seeing more. And if the bright colors and beauty of the minerals
isn’t enough, the use of interactive technology encourages visitors to stay and see all that the
mineral world has to offer. Also as suggested by the striking geode, there is the opportunity to
see mineral treasures in this exhibit which though they are not quite as large, are just as
spectacular in appearance.
One of the best things this exhibit carries throughout is its emphasis on Georgia’s
participation in the mineral world. In fact the first thing viewer see upon entering is “The
Cartersville Meteorite”. This small but captivating piece shows an actual meteorite that fell
through a resident’s home close-by. It also has the pieces of the house it came through in the
decent, and a diagram of the house to show how it fell. About half way through, in the mining
portion of the exhibit, is an interactive map of Georgia which shows where certain minerals
and rocks have been mined over the years. The globe which shows the movement of land
over millions of years has a red dot which tracks Cartersville specific location over those
years. In the final portion which shows specific kinds of minerals, there is a section with each
that shows minerals found in Georgia.
Although the Gallery was excellent, there were opportunities for improvement. The
portion which shows fluorescent minerals includes several which don’t seem to change at all
under the different lights. Also, the many minerals shown at the end could be quite
overwhelming for some. Visitors may go through and not learn anything from that specific
section because there are so many shown. Perhaps narrowing down to a few choice examples
would be more effective.
Overall this exhibit was highly successful. The labels were short and simple enough for
anyone to understand, and even if a visitor were to skip the reading portions, the interactive
parts were interesting enough to draw even the fastest museum streaker in to stop and learn.
Even with a limited time visitors can learn so much from this exhibit. It is indeed strong
enough to entice students, educators, children, adults, and everyone in between.