Irma and Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life reopens

Natural History, May, 2003

One of New York City's grandiest spaces, the Museum's beloved Hall of Ocean Life, reopens this May after a major renovation, its first in over 30 years. Current scientific research and cutting-edge exhibition technology have been combined with the restored Beaux-Arts elegance.

The 29,000-square-foot hall is still dominated by the famous blue whale, one of the Museum's star attractions, which now floats in a "virtual ocean" created through dramatic lighting, video, and sound effects that include whale songs. The 94-foot female--the largest model of the largest animal on Earth--has been modified to reflect current scientific knowledge of living blue whales. Above the whale, skylights gently illuminated by shimmering blue lights contribute to the illusion of being submerged in the depths of the sea.

Exhibition designers have fabricated over 600 new models, ranging from tiny green bubble algae to a 14-foot-long whale shark to computerized bioluminescent fishes and invertebrates. Joining the renovated ocean dioramas created in the 1930s and 1960s will be an 18 x 8-foot wall of video combining high-definition footage of undersea life, animations, graphics, and an evocative soundtrack that will transport visitors further into the heart of the ocean realm.

The classic dioramas on the lower level have been cleaned and restored, with new lighting brightening areas formerly obscured. In some cases, new backgrounds have been painted from sketches made in the field by exhibition staff. New exhibit text reflects the latest information about the elephant seals on Guadalupe Island, a school of leaping dolphins, and northern sea lions from Alaska's Pribiloff Island, to name just a few.

In particular, the spectacular Andros Coral Reef diorama, the only two-level diorama in North America, underwent a complete overhaul to enhance its visibility. The diorama's upper level, covered for the last 30 years, depicts life above the coral reef. It has been opened for display, repaired and restored, and now offers visitors a breathtaking complete view of the coral reef system below the ocean level and above, a perspective not possible in nature.

The mezzanine level of the hall now features new exhibits on the major ocean ecosystems, including estuaries, mangrove forests, the polar seas, continental shelves, coral reefs, kelp forests, the deep water column, and the deep-sea floor. High-definition video of the ecosystems shot on location around the world combines with explanatory text and newly handcrafted models alongside historical models to depict the tremendous diversity of the Earth's seas and the life therein.

Two new "Spectrum of Life" walls flank the entrance to the hall. They reinforce the idea that all life is connected through an intricate web of evolutionary and ecological relationships. One wall depicts vertebrate life including fishes, reptiles, and amphibians (and even a human), while the other showcases a profusion of invertebrates and plants. Interactive computer stations in front of each wall provide details about the biology and taxonomy of the organisms represented on the wall, as well as information about their "place" in the ocean.

Three of the Museum's classic dioramas depicting life in the oceans of the Ordovician, Permian, and Cretaceous periods--from 450 to 70 million years ago--have been meticulously restored to highlight the history of life in the primordial oceans. The exhibit features an ancient seafloor slab from the Jurassic Period containing the fossilized remains of a horseshoe crab and the tracks of its last journey. Special panels will showcase several fossil specimens, including cyanobacteria, the first-known life form to emerge in the sea 3.5 billion years ago.

Life on Earth emerged in the oceans and much of it stayed there--scientists estimate that 80 percent of all living organisms may live under water. Over 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water and yet very little is known about the complexity and diversity of life in the oceans. What is known, however, is that the oceans play a vital role in supporting life on Earth. The aim of the renovation of the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life is to open a window onto the spectacular ocean ecosystems, to bring current scientific knowledge about the oceans to the public, and to reveal the mysteries and diversity of this, Earth's final frontier.

The Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life was designed, developed, and produced by the Museum's Exhibition Department. The lead curator is Melanie L. J. Stiassny, Axelrod Research Curator, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, working with a team of co-curators including Mark Siddall, Associate Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology; Paula M. Mikkelsen, Assistant Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology; Nell H. Landman, Curator, Division of Paleontology; and Robert S. Voss, Associate Curator, Division of Vertebrate Zoology.

A project of this magnitude would not have been possible without an extraordinary public-private partnership. The American Museum of Natural History wishes to acknowledge the following donors for enabling us to undertake the magnificent restoration and rejuvenation of the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life.