If you’ve been downtown lately, you may have noticed a gaping hole adjacent to the Museum of Idaho (MOI). This, of course, is the construction project for the museum’s expansion. MOI, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, raised money for several years to fund this expansion, which will, among other things, improve and increase the space available for traveling exhibits, education programs, collections and research. Much of that will become a reality when the new wing opens in Fall 2019. But just as significant is the second phase of construction – a renovation of the current building’s interior by Summer 2020 – that will more than double the space for exhibits about our region.
We at the museum understand when locals sometimes overlook the Idaho exhibits. They are updated less frequently than the traveling exhibits, and a few pieces, frankly, have gotten stale. We agree. Even so, a high percentage of out-of-state guests prefer the humble Idaho exhibits to the flashy Titanic, Dinosaurs, and Steampunk – a fact that might surprise locals. As it happens, many tourists come to the Museum of Idaho hoping and expecting to learn about Idaho.
Expanding and overhauling the Idaho exhibits isn’t about pleasing tourists, though. It’s an opportunity to tell a more thoughtful, cohesive and dynamic story about our region and what makes it special – what makes it Idaho. “We want this to be something all Idahoans can be proud of, and can see themselves in,” said MOI Executive Director Karen Baker.
(Read the full article in the November 2018 issue here.)
