FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT:
Anna Story
(414) 390-5500
mpm@muellercommunications.com
MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM WRAPS UP GALLERY UNVEILINGS FOR FUTURE MUSEUM
Museum leadership energized by public reaction to exhibit previews, partner support
MILWAUKEE —Throughout the past three months, Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) and exhibit design partner Thinc Design have been excited to share design concepts for the Future Museum’s five permanent galleries: Time Travel, Wisconsin Journey, Milwaukee Revealed, Living in a Dynamic World and We Energies Foundation Gallery: Rainforest as well as additional unique spaces like the Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium, Mixing Zones and Bucyrus Rooftop Terrace.
The rollout of gallery themes and exhibit examples highlighted high-level concepts and focus areas for the Future Museum galleries, or groups of connected exhibits. Each announcement provided an inside look at a sampling of exhibits, collection items and features visitors can expect to encounter upon the Future Museum’s opening.
Gallery and exhibitry overview
As shared in individual announcements, the Future Museum will feature six galleries across four exhibit floors, inclusive of five permanent galleries and a temporary gallery space to host a rotation of special or traveling exhibitions. In addition to these galleries, the Future Museum will also include two flexible spaces – tentatively named Mixing Zones – dedicated to showcasing a rotating selection of collections items with views into research labs and storage areas, the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium and the Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium, where visitors can expect to once again find live butterflies and moths.
Time Travel
The Time Travel gallery is dedicated to exploring the deep past, including when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, through exhibits focused on three of the planet’s geological chapters: the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. It will include exhibits like the Hebior Mammoth Hunt and Torosaur Clash.
Wisconsin Journey
The Wisconsin Journey gallery is an entire exhibit floor focused on the geological wonders and varied cultures of Wisconsin – from the Driftless Area to the Northwoods, Apostle Islands, Great Lakes and Wisconsin’s vast prairielands. This gallery will include exhibits like the Lead Mine Look-In, Prairieland Bison Display and Hebior Mammoth Dig Site.
Milwaukee Revealed
Milwaukee Revealed will immerse visitors in city streetscapes they can explore to learn about the history of Milwaukee, the people who came to settle and live here and its interconnected systems, neighborhoods and ecologies (and where future generations of children can stop for a sweet treat at the Haymarket Candy Shop). In addition to the neighborhood streetscape and several storefronts, Milwaukee Revealed will include the Mitchell Building, Schlitz Palm Garden and Cream City Medical Society.
Living in a Dynamic World
In Living in a Dynamic World, visitors will take an unconventional journey across the world and learn about five distinct landscapes: deserts, the Arctic, islands, grasslands and mountains. Each immersive landscape will include stories of distinct cultures—including a focused look at a specific individual or group of people and species who call the landscape home today—and will show visitors unique ways of life that have developed in continuous dialogue over generations with these landscapes.
Mixing Zones
The Mixing Zones, including the Burke Foundation Mixing Zone, are two special, flexible spaces that will allow Museum staff to rotate displays of collections items. With one Mixing Zone dedicated to research and science and the other focused on culture, each space will present visitors with new ways to look at and experience the 4 million collections items in the Museum’s care, offer space for public interaction and programming and turn the Museum “inside out” by providing behind-the-scenes views into the collections’ storage areas.
We Energies Foundation Gallery: Rainforest and Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium
The We Energies Foundation Gallery: Rainforest will take visitors to the tropics to learn about the biodiversity that flourishes in rainforests and the life those climates support. Within Rainforest, the Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium will welcome visitors into a warm, lush greenhouse thriving with real tropical plants and live butterflies flying freely throughout the space.
Bucyrus Rooftop Terrace
The Bucyrus Rooftop Terrace will function as an outdoor classroom and observation area, allowing visitors to smell, touch and see the natural world nestled right into the Milwaukee skyline. Designed by landscape architects at GGN, gardens on the Terrace will include native Wisconsin plantings and be designed to shift with the seasons.
The gallery details shared throughout the spring represented only a sampling of the exhibits, collections items and experiences visitors will encounter in the Future Museum. Additional specific details about the full array of exhibits and collections items that will make up each gallery are still being determined and are subject to change as the design process progresses. More information about visitor amenities, including the lobby space, Museum store, café and programming, will also be shared in the future.
The following quotes were issued following a series of announcements from MPM and Thinc Design about the Future Museum’s gallery designs and planned visitor experiences.
David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive
"I am filled with joy and pride after witnessing the incredible public response to the gallery previews for the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Future Museum. Details about the Future Museum’s captivating exhibits have already ignited a deep curiosity within visitors of all ages, fostering a greater appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us and for the extensive County-owned collections in the Museum’s care. This response reaffirms our commitment to supporting this historic project and ensuring Milwaukee County residents continue to have access to a world-class museum that inspires future generations of researchers, scientists and conservationists.”
Cavalier Johnson, Mayor, City of Milwaukee
“Every introduction of a new Milwaukee Public Museum element brings additional excitement throughout the city. The Museum does a great job of telling the stories of Milwaukee, our region and the world beyond. It engages visitors and opens the eyes of young people in ways that no other institution can. I look forward as each step is announced toward the completion of the project.”
Tom Hennes, Principal, Thinc Design
"I'm so proud of the Thinc Design team for playing an integral role in developing and presenting the details of each gallery in the new Museum building. It's a privilege for us to be a part of this exciting journey with the Milwaukee Public Museum, and we are humbled by the support and anticipation we feel from the community."
Todd Schliemann, FAIA, Design Partner, Ennead Architects
“Stepping into the realm of designing Milwaukee Public Museum’s new home is like embarking on a thrilling expedition through time and nature. It's an exhilarating opportunity to weave together the captivating stories of our planet's past, present and future, and create a sanctuary that celebrates the wonders of life. The energy the public has created around this venture proves that we will be doing more than just constructing walls and displays; we will weave the threads of art, science and heritage into one beautiful, immersive experience.”
Al Krueger, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, Principal-in-Charge & CEO, Kahler Slater
“I know I speak for my colleagues at Ennead, GGN and Thinc Design as well when I say that we at Kahler Slater are truly inspired by the intentionality and thoughtfulness behind this new Museum project. The payoff for both the city and the state will be immense. This project and its impact on our community will be a highlight in our firm’s history.”
Azzurra Cox, Associate, GGN
“The rollout of gallery details throughout the spring has further affirmed to our team that Milwaukee is a truly special community who deserves a truly special museum. The ideas brought forth by Thinc Design have laid the groundwork for our team to employ landscape architecture and native ecologies, both in the Museum Garden and Roof Terrace, that are a perfect fit for the goals of the new Museum. At GGN, we believe that landscape architecture is an intuitive, creative and beautiful fusion of art, function, service, science and equity. This project is the perfect opportunity to live out our mission, inspire and excite visitors while at the same time creatively expressing Milwaukee’s community and ecology.”
Kurt Theune, General Manager, Mortenson
“Seeing the positive reactions from the public about the Future Museum has underscored what an honor it is to build a facility that will surely become a landmark for our city and state for generations to come. This project will result in a vital vessel that will house Wisconsin’s rich heritage and provide space for endless learning.”
Ana Lopez, President, ALLCON LLC
“After each gallery reveal, the ALLCON team became more inspired and honored to be participating in such a uniquely historical project. The groundwork laid by the Milwaukee Public Museum and Thinc Design teams for each exhibit will tell a diversified story throughout the duration of the Museum’s development. The Museum’s vision will surely be admired by generations for many years to come.”
PJ DiStefano, Board Chair, Milwaukee Public Museum
“This was a fantastic undertaking by the MPM and Thinc Design teams to reveal details about the new Museum’s galleries and the positive reaction from the public has affirmed all of their hard work. This incredible support validates our vision of creating a world-class institution that not only celebrates our collections and local history but also engages, educates and captivates visitors of all ages. We are poised to create a Museum that will inspire curiosity and foster a love for learning just as we are doing now.”
Peter Feigin, President, Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum
“I am elated for the Museum to establish its new home in the Deer District alongside Fiserv Forum, bringing another iconic cultural entity to the neighborhood. This project will continue to revitalize downtown Milwaukee, and the Future Museum will become another anchor point for the city’s residents and visitors alike to experience the magic Milwaukee has to offer.”
Peggy Williams-Smith, President & CEO, VISIT Milwaukee
“Along with the rest of the city, I am thrilled to have gotten a preview of what’s to come in the new Milwaukee Public Museum – a true beacon of knowledge, culture and curiosity in the region. In its new home, the Museum will continue to act as a gateway for visitors to the heart of our vibrant city, showcasing our rich history, diverse heritage and limitless learning opportunities. This is a defining moment for our beloved city, and we at VISIT Milwaukee are honored to promote it to the world.”
John Schlifske, Chairman, President & CEO, Northwestern Mutual
“The Milwaukee Public Museum has been a premier downtown destination and cultural institution for generations, and the preview of what’s to come has bolstered the new Museum as a valuable addition to Milwaukee’s evolving downtown. Northwestern Mutual Foundation is proud to support this ambitious project and invest in the future of Milwaukee.”
About the Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is a natural and human history museum located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884. MPM has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rainforest, and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Daniel M. Soref National Geographic Dome Theater & Planetarium. The Museum houses more than four million objects and hosts some half-a-million visitors each year.
MPM is operated by Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., a private, non-profit company, and its facilities and collections are held in trust and supported by Milwaukee County for the benefit of the public.
About the Future Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin’s natural history museum, will be relocating from its current location on Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee to a newly constructed building due to open in late 2026. To be located on a 2.4-acre site at the corner of Sixth and McKinley Streets in the Haymarket neighborhood adjacent to the city’s Deer District, the Future Museum will be the largest cultural project in Wisconsin history. Heavily influenced by the ecological histories of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, the design of the new Museum will be reminiscent of the geological formations in Mill Bluff State Park, emblematic of the region’s diversity of landscapes formed by the movements of water through time.
The building will be approximately 200,000 square feet, including five stories, with an additional 50,000-square-foot collections storage building.
###