Pearls (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

2001 October 13 - 2002 April 14

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

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.

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 2001-2003.

(2) Landman, Neil H. "Pearls." Rotunda (Vol. 26 No. 8 October/November 2001)

(3) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "Landmark Exhibition on Pearls Opens at the American Museum of Natural History." October 2001. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

---

Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. LeFrak Family Gallery.
Location of exhibition 2001 October 13 – 2002 April 14; referred to as Gallery 4 in Museum documentation (1, p. 28)

Bieler, Rüdiger
Co-curator of exhibition; chair and associate curator, Department of Zoology at the Field Museum (1, p. 28)

Bronson, Bennett
Co-curator of exhibition; curator, Department of Anthropology at the Field Museum (1, p. 28)

Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Atlanta, Ga.)
Exhibition on view 2003 March 25 - 2003 July 13 (1, p. 33)

Field Museum of Natural History
Institutional partner; exhibition on view 2002 June 28 – 2003 January 5 (1, p. 33)

Harvey, David 1950-
Exhibition designed and executed under his direction; vice president, Museum Department of Exhibition (3, p. 8)

Landman, Neil H.
Lead curator of exhibition; curator, Museum Division of Paleontology (1, p. 28)

Mikkelsen, Paula M.
Co-curator of exhibition; assistant curator, Museum Division of Invertebrate Zoology (1, p. 28)

Tasaki Shinju
Lead national corporate sponsor of exhibition (1, p. 28)

Related Resources

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 2001-2003.
Pages 5, 11, 28, 32-33, 36, 90, 95

subjectOf

American Museum of Natural History. “Pearls.” Accessed 26 September 2018
Exhibition website

American Museum of Natural History. Press Kits. “Pearls.” [2001] DR 103a
Traveling exhibitions brochure

American Museum of Natural History press releases, 1933-1990s, DR 101
“Fact Sheet.” March 2001; “Pearls Open October 13, 2001 at the American Museum of Natural History.” August 2001; “Tip Sheet.” October 2001; “Landmark Exhibition on Pearls Opens at the American Museum of Natural History.” October 2001; “Pearls: Biographies.” October 2001; “Public Programs at the American Museum of Natural History Reveal the Beauty and Mystery of Pearls.” October 2001; Pearls October 13, 2001-April 14, 2002: Special Pearls Shop Opens at the American Museum of Natural History.” October 2001; “Special Book Accompanies Pearls at the American Museum of Natural History.” October 2001; “A Few Facts About Pearls.” October 2001

American Museum of Natural History Special Collections vertical files
Repository: AMNH Special Collections [Exhibition brochures; Rotunda article]

Exhibition Tape Collection
Floor 6, Stack 6-39

"Pāru" ten : sono kagayaki no subete : 2005-nen 10 tsuki 8-nichi-2006-nen 1 tsuki 22-nichi, Kokuritsukagaku hakubutsukan = Pearls : a natural history : October 8, 2005-January 22, 2006, the National Science Museum.
Date of resource: 2005; QL430.7.P77 P37 2005

subjectOf

Pearls : [videorecording]. American Museum of Natural History Library Special Collections.
1 CD (1 CD) 1 Videorecordings (1 DVcam) 1 DVD (1 DVD) 2 Videorecordings (2 HD Beta) 2 Videorecordings (2 VHS) 32 Videorecordings (32 Mini DV) 35 Videorecordings (35 Beta SP); Identifier: EXH.060

subjectOf

Pearls : a natural history / Neil H. Landman, Paula M. Mikkelsen, Rüdiger Bieler, Bennet Bronson.
Date of resource: 2001; QL430.7.P77 P43 2001

Rotunda.
Landman, Neil H. “Pearls.” (Vol. 26 No. 8 October/November 2001)

---