A new temporary exhibit, Hidden Wisconsin: Unseen. Unknown. Uncovered., explores Wisconsin’s history through the narrative of nearly 50 objects that are rarely on display to the public. A decade had passed since the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) curated a special exhibit from their own collection.
“Since inception, the Museum has always been a research institution. Our Collections and Research team has been preserving and studying Wisconsin’s history since 1882,” said Dr. Ellen Censky, Senior Vice President and Academic Dean, MPM. “Many of the items in the collection are for scientific research and not normally used in display while others are simply too fragile to be on display long term. We’re extremely excited that Hidden Wisconsin will allow us to take some additional objects out of the lab and share those stories with visitors.”
Visitors can explore four themes during the exhibit to be fully immersed in the interactive experience:
- Hidden in Plain Sight encourages visitors to learn to look at what’s hidden right before their eyes.
- Hidden Beneath takes what is underground and underwater to show visitors what makes Wisconsin what it is today.
- Hidden in History seeks to debunk popular myths and uncover true stories from ancient fossils to native peoples to immigrants.
- Hidden Forever takes a look in the past, and deeper into things that may never be understood.
“Wisconsin is a magical place,” Julian Jackson, Vice President of Design, MPM. “It’s so much more than just the stereotypical beers, brats and cheeseheads once you scratch the surface. Wisconsin’s story changes with the seasons, it changes with time and we built the exhibit to showcase that. At first, it appears to be one thing but you dig a little deeper and you find a treasure you never knew you were looking for.”
Hidden Wisconsin: Unseen. Unknown. Uncovered. will be on exhibit from October 6, 2016 until January 8, 2017. Admission is free for MPM members or $23 for adults, $16 for youth (5-12), and $18 for seniors (65+) and includes general admission to the Museum. Children under 4 are free. Hidden Wisconsin will be the first Museum made exhibit to be presented in both the English and Spanish languages. For more information, go to www.mpm.edu/HiddenWI.
