American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Pearls (Exhibition)
birth: 2001 October 13
death: 2002 April 14
Exhibition. Opened October 13, 2001 and closed April 14, 2002. Located in Section 20, Floor 4 in the LeFrak Family Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. Pearls covered the natural history of pearls, the animals that produce them, and the role pearls have played in human culture.
Summary
Pearls covered the natural history of pearls, the animals that produce them, and the role pearls have played in human culture, and featured more than 800 specimens. The exhibition was prepared in collaboration with the Field Museum in Chicago with Neil H. Landman of the American Museum of Natural History’s Division of Paleontology as lead curator and Paula M. Mikkelsen, assistant curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Museum; Rüdiger Bieler chair and associate curator, Department of Zoology at the Field Museum and Bennet Bronson, curator, Department of Anthropology at the Field Museum, as co-curators. The lead national corporate sponsor of the exhibition was Tasaki Shinju (1, p. 28).
The exhibition introduced visitors to the subject with an immersive video experience of swimmers diving for pearls. The first section of the exhibition addressed the composition and formation of pearls, and two following sections covered the marine and freshwater mollusks that produce pearls. The central gallery featured an evolutionary tree of the Mollusca with animal specimens and pearls. Another section was devoted to the history of pearl gathering and pearl culture (perliculture), and a final section presented pearls in human history (2, p. 2-3). As part of a larger effort to advance New York City’s recovery from the events of September 11, 2001, Pearls was dedicated to deepened cultural understanding and peaceful coexistence (1, p. 28).
Highlights (1 p. 28; 2, p. 2-3):
*Fossil pearls
*Nepalese royal crown with pearls and emeralds
*Pearl-encrusted chalice of the Basilica of San Marco, Venice
*Pearls that formed around crabs
*Pearls trapped in snails and fish
*Paintings of Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh featured the subjects wearing pearls
*Pearl artifacts from the Hopewell Culture (300 BC – 500 AD) to present-day Ohio
*Marine and freshwater pearls
*Interactive displays, including one that allowed visitors to examine the layered structure of a pearl
*Classic cultured pearl necklace bought by Joe DiMaggio for Marilyn Monroe
A companion book by the curators, Pearls: A Natural History, was released in conjunction with the exhibition. Related public programs included a lecture series and workshop for children. A webpage on the Museum’s website featured videos and behind-the-scenes photographs of the making of the exhibition as well as information on public programs (3, p. 7-8).
The exhibition was designed by the Museum’s Department of Exhibition under the direction of vice president for exhibitions, David Harvey (3, p. 8).
Pearls won the 2002 Design Honor Award from the Society for Environmental Graphic Design. It received an honorable mention Creativity/Special Effects/Animation, Communicator Awards 2001, for the “Pearl Formation” animation and the Third-Place Certificate for Creative Excellence in Visitor Center Presentations, Museums, Theme Parks, Plant Tour Presentations, World’s Fairs, etc., U.S. International Film and Video Festival, 35th Annual Awards Competition, 2002, for the “Pearl Formation” animation (1, p. 33).
Pearls was exhibited at The Field Museum in Chicago from June 28, 2002, through January 5, 2003, and at the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta from March 25 through July 13, 2003 (1, p. 33).
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.