I had a huge crush on this particular natural history museum for many years before I was tapped to work there. It used to be in a different location — and was a LOT funkier before it built a stunning new building and renamed itself the Nature Museum. (Before then, it had been called the “Chicago Academy of Sciences.” It’s the oldest museum in Chicago.)
I worked at the Nature Museum as the vice president in charge of exhibits and public programs. We put together the museum’s very first self-curated and self-produced temporary exhibit: Lawn Nation: the Art & Science of the American Lawn. (For an example of some of what was in there, see this outdoor piece called the Revenge Of The Lawn, by artist Joshua Pablo Rosenstock.) In 2007 we gave the photographer Colleen Plumb her first solo museum show, and we hosted an ambitious exhibition by Antonia Contro called “Field Guide.”
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is still a terrific place and even if you’re only in town for a few days, put it on your list of places to go.
