Field Museum of Natural History

Field Museum of Natural History
Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Field Museum of Natural History
Caption	Exterior of the museum on Lake Shore Drive
Established	1893
Location	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Type	Natural history museum
Collection size	Over 40 million specimens and artifacts
Visitors	Over 1 million annually (pre-pandemic)
Director	Julian Siggers

Field Museum of Natural History is a major natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1893. The museum originated from the collections assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition and has grown into an international center for research, conservation, and public exhibitions. It houses vast holdings in paleontology, anthropology, botany, zoology, and geology and collaborates with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Natural History Museum, London.

History

The museum was established following the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and opened to the public as the Columbian Museum before being renamed in honor of industrialist and philanthropist Marshall Field, who provided crucial funding, linking the institution to figures like George Pullman and Chicago civic leaders of the Gilded Age. Early directors and curators included prominent naturalists and collectors associated with organizations such as the United States Geological Survey and the Royal Geographical Society, and the museum participated in landmark expeditions alongside the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution. Over the 20th century the museum expanded its wings and collections during eras shaped by donors like Marshall Field III and trustees drawn from firms such as Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Commonwealth Edison. The institution navigated challenges of the Great Depression, wartime resource constraints during World War II, and modernization drives in the postwar era influenced by trends set by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History movement. Recent decades saw strategic leadership from directors collaborating with global partners including the University of Chicago, the Field Research Station network, and conservation programs linked to the World Wildlife Fund.

Collections and Exhibitions

The museum's collections exceed 40 million specimens with flagship holdings such as the mounted Tyrannosaurus rex "Sue", associated with paleontologists who have worked alongside institutions like the University of Chicago and the Field Museum Paleontology Division, and anthropological collections accumulated from expeditions to regions represented in partnerships with the British Museum, National Museum of Natural History (France), and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Exhibitions have featured archaeological materials related to the Maya civilization, artifacts sourced from collaborations with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and ethnographic objects tied to collectors who traveled with expeditions supported by the Royal Geographical Society and the American Philosophical Society. The museum displays comprehensive botanical specimens curated in concert with herbaria such as the New York Botanical Garden and the Kew Gardens collections, and maintains extensive ichthyology and mammalogy holdings developed in conjunction with researchers from the Field Museum's Zoology Department and external partners like the California Academy of Sciences and the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Special exhibitions have included loans and joint projects with the Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Gallery of Art.

Research and Education

Research programs at the museum operate across disciplines including paleontology, systematic biology, cultural anthropology, and conservation science, with scientists publishing alongside colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, the Yale Peabody Museum, and the Max Planck Society. Educational initiatives link to curricula developed with the Chicago Public Schools and higher education partnerships with institutions such as Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Chicago, while training programs and fellowships involve agencies like the National Science Foundation and foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Field work encompasses expeditions to ecosystems studied with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Amazonian Research Institute, and collaborators in the Great Barrier Reef region, supporting conservation partnerships with organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Society and research networks including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Architecture and Grounds

The museum's neoclassical building on Lake Shore Drive was designed following precedents set by architects working with commissions like those for the Chicago Cultural Center and the Art Institute of Chicago, and its monumental facade complements nearby landmarks such as the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. Grounds and landscape design have been influenced by city planning initiatives tied to the Burnham Plan of Chicago and public spaces along the Lake Michigan lakefront. Interior halls and exhibition spaces have undergone renovations reflecting museum practices seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, while climate-controlled collections facilities meet standards established by conservation professionals associated with the American Institute for Conservation.

Governance and Funding

Governance is overseen by a board of trustees drawn from corporations and philanthropic organizations akin to leaders from Boeing, McDonald's Corporation, and financial firms with historic ties to Chicago such as Northern Trust. Funding sources include endowments supported by philanthropists in the tradition of donors like Marshall Field, grants from agencies including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation, and earned revenue from admissions and partnerships with cultural institutions such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for event collaborations. Fiscal strategies have mirrored development campaigns used by museums including the British Museum and the Guggenheim Museum to balance operating budgets and capital improvements.

Public Programs and Outreach

Public programs encompass exhibitions, school programs, teacher professional development, and community initiatives coordinated with city agencies like the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and nonprofits such as the Field Museum's community partners. The museum stages lectures, film festivals, and workshops featuring scholars affiliated with the University of Chicago, visiting curators from the American Museum of Natural History, and collaborators from institutions such as the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago). Outreach extends to digital initiatives modeled on projects by the Smithsonian Institution and online collections partnerships with networks like the Biodiversity Heritage Library and the Digital Public Library of America to increase global access to specimens and research.

Category:Museums in Chicago Category:Natural history museums in the United States