Opens February 15th
Explore an Enduring Symbol of Wealth, Beauty and Power
When GOLD Opens at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Friday, February 15, 2008
GOLD Reveals the Dazzling Art and Intriguing Science
Behind this Icon of Wealth
Gold. Even the word dazzles. Discovery. Splendor. Wealth. And the power to shape history. The largest collection of gold ever to be exhibited is coming to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science from February 15 to June 8, 2008. The Museum is hosting the Rocky Mountain Region’s premiere of GOLD, a stunning exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History and based on an exhibition by the Houston Museum of Natural Science. GOLD is presented in Denver by Newmont Mining Corporation, with major support provided by Wells Fargo.
More than 600 extraordinary geological specimens and cultural objects in the exhibition trace the path of gold from the depths of Earth to glittering jewelry and artifacts that have captivated civilizations for centuries. Gold also has played a starring role in Colorado’s history. The allure of gold—and the chance to strike it rich—brought thousands of people to Colorado in the late 1800s. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science houses a top-notch collection of crystalline gold, including the famous Tom’s Baby, the largest single mass of crystalline gold ever found in Colorado.
The Museum has developed special enhancements to the GOLD exhibition that showcase gold from its own collections and bring Colorado’s colorful past to life. Visitors will see more than 80 natural specimens, 170 cultural objects, 400 coins and gold bars, and a spectacular 300-square-foot room with walls and ceiling completely covered in just three ounces of gold, flattened to exquisite thinness.
“In this exhibit, you’ll have the rare opportunity to see in one glance the gold that led to the birth of the American West, that inspired the myth of El Dorado, that defined Africa’s Gold Coast, and that made Tiffany & Co. the embodiment of elegance,” said Dr. Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh, curator of anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. “Gold uniquely crosses the boundaries of time to reveal the essence of the human experience and the depth of human nature. It caused the rise and fall of empires. It is the adornment for ancient kings and modern hip-hop stars. It is a holy offering, and it is everyday jewelry.”
Among the exhibition’s featured artifacts are marvelous specimens of crystalline gold and gold nuggets; Precolumbian jewelry and some of the ancient world’s first gold coins; rare doubloons from sunken Spanish galleons; an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, and other golden symbols of prestige. Colorado specimens from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science collection featured in GOLD include the 114-pound Summitville boulder, a volcanic rock flecked with more than 22 pounds of crystalline gold, found in 1975 on the access road to the Summitville Mine in Rio Grande County. Another highlight is the Campion gold, which was a founding collection when the Museum was established in 1900. Mine owner John F. Campion’s exquisite and fragile crystalline gold specimens were mined from the Farncomb Hill area near Breckenridge in Summit County.
“It is unlikely that there will ever again be assembled such a collection of large crystalline gold pieces as in the GOLD exhibit,” said Dr. Paul Morgan, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science curator of geology and chair of the Earth Sciences Department. “Having the specimens in the GOLD exhibit in the same building as the Museum’s own Campion gold collection, which includes Tom’s Baby, the largest piece of gold mined in Colorado, provides visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the finest examples of this rare form of gold.”
GOLD also describes the mineral’s amazing physical properties, such as its extreme ductility, malleability, reflectivity, and conductivity that make it invaluable for technological uses from telephones and televisions to satellite circuitry and astronaut visors. The exhibition explores where and how gold is deposited in the Earth and how it is detected and extracted from hard rock. GOLD also features exhibits that compare historical mining to the processes of today.
Family activities include trying out a special scale that tells visitors their own weight in gold; weighing in at an assayers office; creating your own “golden” crown like those on display in the exhibition; and participating in mining-related activities and demonstrations.
“Throughout human history, gold has been synonymous with wealth, beauty, and status,” said Colwell-Chanthaphonh. “Through its natural essences of malleability and brightness, gold has been worked to the heights of artistic achievement. Through its perceived power and economic value, gold has brought on wars and environmental degradation. Gold lays bare the consequences of human desire in all its aspects.”
GOLD is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, (www.amnh.org), based on an exhibition by the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and with contributions from the collections of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
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| GOLD is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, (www.amnh.org) based on an exhibition by the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and with contributions from teh collections of Denver Museum of Nature & Science. |