FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World Explore the Wit and Wisdom of America’s Favorite Founding Father
DENVER
He was enamored of electrical experiments.
He composed lyrics for drinking songs.
He swam with wooden swim fins and almost became a swim coach.
He wanted the turkey to be the national bird.
Expect the unexpected in an atypical history and science exhibition coming to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World, on view from March 2 to May 20, 2007, will help you get to know the “real” Benjamin Franklin—scientist, inventor, diplomat, humorist, journalist, and philanthropist. The hands-on, highly interactive exhibition celebrates Franklin’s 300th birthday and shows how his legendary wit, keen wisdom and eye-opening ingenuity are still an important part of our lives today.
“Franklin is much more than the kite and the key,” said Page Talbott, PhD, associate director for the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary and chief curator of Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World. “This exhibition brings you the man behind the myth and immerses you in his world. You’ll be inspired by Franklin’s desire to try new things, his endless enthusiasm for science and life-long learning, his incredible humor, and his desire and commitment to enrich the lives of all Americans through diplomacy.”
More than 250 priceless original Franklin artifacts are on display in this exhibition. They include many items owned by Franklin and preserved by his descendants. Franklin was the only American to sign five of the United States’ founding documents. Original versions of all five of these, with eye-opening scribbles and notes from our founding fathers, are on display for the first time in the Western United States.
- Declaration of Independence
- Constitution of the United States of America
- Treaty of Paris
- Treaties of Amity and Commerce
- Albany Plan of Union
You’ll also see the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack, an anti-slavery medallion, Revolutionary War weaponry, a re-creation of Franklin’s print shop, bifocals, and his musical invention called the glass armonica. The exhibition is lively, humorous and full of fun, interactive ways for adults and children to experience history. You can:
- relax in chairs used by Franklin that fan you as you rest.
- climb aboard a 25-foot ship environment and re-create Franklin’s method of charting the Gulf Stream.
- play an interactive computer game to see if you can successfully travel from Boston to Philadelphia in the 1700s, as Franklin did in 1723.
- set your name in type on a computer interactive as you learn about Franklin’s printing expertise.
- hear from Franklin’s many alternate personas, including Silence Dogood and Poor Richard.
- stand by Franklin as Britain’s privy council accuses Franklin of treason in London, in the wake of the Boston Tea Party.
- watch an animation of Franklin’s experiment of swimming while being pulled with a kite.
Exclusive Denver additions to the exhibition include the opportunity to:
- interact with actors in period clothing posing as “Franklin’s neighbors” and learn about life in colonial and early-American times.
- play with a “busybody,” an invention often attributed to Franklin, to see who’s knocking at the front door, then go around the corner to learn about the lightning rod.
- get a feel for everyday colonial life by examining inking balls, trying on an old-style pair of bifocals, handling colonial money, and figuring out how to make money less susceptible to counterfeiting.
- learn how to make your own Leyden Jar, a component of the early battery invented by Franklin.
- weigh in on critical issues facing the founding fathers and learn about the historical documents that helped shape America.
- learn about Franklin’s fitness advocacy. Try on a pair of Franklin’s swim fins, and see how they compare to modern flippers and those in the animal world.
- leave a message for the future—what do you think the major discoveries, inventions, and social changes will be in the next 300 years? Your message will be permanently archived in a 300-year time capsule in the Museum’s collections.
- put YOUR face in the $100 bill next to Franklin’s for a fun photo opportunity.
This exhibition was organized by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, a non-profit organization founded in 2000 by five Philadelphia institutions with ties to Franklin: The American Philosophical Society; The Franklin Institute; the Library Company of Philadelphia; the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the University of Pennsylvania. The Tercentenary is supported by a lead grant of $4 million from The Pew Charitable Trusts. In addition, an Act of Congress in 2002 established the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, a panel of 15 outstanding Americans chosen to study and recommend programs to celebrate Franklin’s 300th birthday. For more information, visit www.benfranklin300.org.
“We are proud to support Benjamin Franklin’s birthday season,” said Rebecca Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts. “The Trusts’ grant is our gift to the nation to celebrate Benjamin Franklin in the 21st century, and we hope all citizens take this opportunity to truly reflect on his impact and strive to model his civic leadership.”
Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World is presented in Denver by the Key Foundation and KeyBank.
Tickets: Tickets to the exhibition are free with general admission to the Museum. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $6 for children (3–18) and $6 for seniors (65+). Members are admitted free. For complete information, visit www.dmns.org or call 303.322.7009.
Family Guide: A guide for kids and their parents designed by the Tercentenary will be available to show how Franklin went from a rebellious teenager to one of the most influential personalities of his day. Educators and parents can find additional ways to augment a child’s visit to the exhibition by going to www.benfranklin300.org.
In Spanish: A Spanish language gallery guide for Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World is available at no cost. Key exhibition interactives and activities are available with a Spanish language option.
Museum Shop: The Museum Shop will offer many items that Franklin would have enjoyed owning himself including books for all ages, science experiments, kites and stuffed Skuggs (squirrels). You’ll also find two enlightening exhibition catalogues: Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2005), edited by Page Talbott and Benjamin Franklin: A Guide to the Exhibition (produced for the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2005), written by Page Talbott and Melissa Clemmer.
Special Events: Come to the Museum of Nature & Science and host a business or social event with a colonial flair. Your special event will be catered from menus based on 18th-century recipes and may include an opportunity to experience the Benjamin Franklin exhibition. For more information, contact the Museum’s catering department at 303.370.6400.
Volunteering: To support an upcoming exhibition as a volunteer, call 303.370.6419 or e-mail volunteers@dmns.org.
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DMNS-06-77
