Can Man Survive? (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1969 May 16 - 1971 May 16

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened May 16, 1969 and closed May 16, 1971. Located in Section 12, Floor 2 in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda of the New York State Roosevelt Memorial at the American Museum of Natural History. Can Man Survive?, which was part of the Museum's centennial celebrations, was an immersive multi-media exhibition with films, slides, soundscapes, artifacts, and three-dimensional displays. It addressed the issue of humans' exploitation of their environment through accelerating technology, growing human population, and pollution. The exhibition was curated by Harry L. Shapiro, Chairman of the Museum's Department of Anthropology, coordinated by Gordon R. Reekie, Chairman of the Museum's Department of Exhibition and Graphic Arts, and produced by Dimensional Communcations, Inc. Music for the exhibition was written by Eric Salzmann.

Summary

Can Man Survive?, which was part of the Museum's centennial celebrations, was an immersive multi-media exhibition with films, slides, soundscapes, artifacts, and three-dimensional displays. It addressed the issue of humans' exploitation of their environment through accelerating technology, growing human population, and pollution. The exhibition was curated by Harry L. Shapiro, Chairman of the Museum's Department of Anthropology, coordinated by Gordon R. Reekie, Chairman of the Museum's Department of Exhibition and Graphic Arts, and produced by Dimensional Communcations, Inc. Music for the exhibition was written by Eric Salzmann. The exhibition took two years to create and cost approximately $650,000 (1, p. 1).

The exhibition was suspended by a Takanata truss, a clear-span space frame. Visitors entered via a ramp which led to a tunnel or "conditioning chamber." The tunnel led to a softly-lit room with two films which covered the delicate balance and interrelationships of nature, simultaneously projected on ten-foot-high screens. As visitors moved on, they saw another film, photographs, and objects, which traced humans' development of and relationship to technology. The next rooms featured the downsides of technology with increasingly discordant music, asymmetric pieces jutting out from the walls, the walls closing in, and images of pollution, overcrowding, and decay. Moving down an exit ramp, the exhibition became quieter, and visitors were confronted with a mirror with the illuminated words, "Can Man Survive?" and a recorded voice repeating, "It's up to you." (1, p. 1-2)

It was estimated that the exhibition could accommodate up to 500 persons an hour. Visitors were charged admission due to the high cost of the installation (1, p. 2).

This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "Can Man Survive?' Opens as the American Museum of Natural History's Centennial Exhibit." May 16, 1969. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

For more information on this exhibition see:

Allison, Jane. "We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Us: Pogo." The Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, IN), May 28, 1969.

"Can Man Survive?" A-V Communications, June 1969.

"Comes Now the Hero." Product Engineer, June 2, 1969.

Danne, Richard. "Can Man Survive?" CA Magazine (Palo Alto, CA), August/September 1969.

Devlin, John C. "Museum Show Here About Survival is Good—Or Bad." New York Times, May 16, 1969.

Finston, Mark. "A Horrible Way to Spend an Afternoon." Newark Star-Ledger. May 16, 1969.

Keating, Michael. The Environment. WCBS-TV Editorial, June 2, 1969.

Knox, Sanka. "Natural History Museum Asks: 'Can Man Survive?'" New York Times, December 19, 1968.

Martin, Jo. "In Conservation's Corner." Daily News (New York, NY), May 16, 1969.

"On Exhibit: Can Man Survive?" Newsday (Garden City, NY), May 23, 1969.

Robbins, Michael. "An Exhibit Asks the Question of the Century." Museum News, September 1969.

Sheed, Wilfrid. "Evolution on a Bad Trip." Life, July 11, 1969.

Smith, Robert M. "Museum Uses Psychedelic Lights and Electronic Music to Show That Life Can Be Ugly." New York Times, May 19, 1969.

Taubman, Bryna. "Museum Exhibit Shakes Up Public." New York Post, May 17, 1969.

"Takenaka: New Twist in Space Truss Geometry." Engineering News-Record, March 27, 1969.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Anthropology.
Related department (1)

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Exhibition.
Coordinated exhibition (1)

Dimensional Communications, Inc.
Produced exhibition (1)

New York State Roosevelt Memorial.
Location of exhibition (Rotunda) 1969 May 16 – 1971 May 16 (1)

Reekie, Gordon
Coordinator of exhibition; Chairman of the Museum's Department of Exhibition and Graphic Arts(1)

Salzman, Eric
Composed music for exhibition (1)

Shapiro, Harry L. (Harry Lionel) 1902-1990
Curator of exhibition; Chairman of the Museum's Department of Anthropology (1)

Related Resources

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1968-1969: 18.

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1969-1970: 4.

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1970-1971: 4, 30, 39, 43.

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1971-1972: 40.

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1974-1975: 7.

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1978-1979: 6.

American Museum of Natural History photographic drawers
Repository: AMNH Special Collections [Black and white photo prints and contact sheets of exhibition planning, installation, and on view]

American Museum of Natural History press releases, 1933-1990s.
"'Can Man Survive?' Exhibit to be Open on 'Pay What You Wish Basis' on Every Third Wednesday of Every Month." November 16, 1970.; "'Can Man Survive?' to Close May 16 After a Long and Successful Run." May 11, 1971.

American Museum of Natural History Special Collections vertical files
Repository: AMNH Special Collections [Correspondence, minutes of the AMNH Centennial Celebrations Committee, internal AMNH memos, exhibition planning materials, news articles, press releases]

subjectOf

Can man survive? The American Museum of Natural History centennial, 1869-1969.
Date of resource: [1969?]

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