IDAHO FALLS - The Museum of Idaho’s (MOI) newest traveling exhibit, Dinosaurs in Motion: Where Art & Science Meet, opened to the public on Friday, Jan. 26.
Unlike other dinosaur-themed exhibits, Dinosaurs in Motion features fully interactive recycled-metal dinosaur sculptures created by late North Carolina artist John Payne. Visitors of all ages and abilities can control the 14 dinosaurs with mechanisms such as via lever-and-pulley systems and video game controllers, gaining a sense of how the beasts’ bodies actually moved. The exhibit weaves science, art, and innovation themes throughout and touches on these topics – as well as the dinosaurs themselves – at each sculpture. It also features “innovation stations”, where visitors are encouraged to experiment with sketching, gears, engineering design, robotics, and more. Velociraptor Statue
In advance of the exhibit’s opening, people in Idaho Falls might notice colorful dinosaur tracks popping up around town, as well as miniature dinosaur toys hidden throughout the city. Residents who find one of the miniature dinosaurs and bring it into MOI will receive $1 off admission. Five miniature dinosaurs may also be exchanged for a larger, plush dinosaur in the museum store.
Dinosaurs in Motion runs through April 22, followed by the world premiere of an exhibit called Discover Steampunk, which will highlight innovations by Victorian-era thinkers such as Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, and George Eastman.
Friday, Jan. 26 also marked the beginning of new, later operating hours for MOI. The Museum will now open each day at 10 a.m. and close most days at 6 p.m., with later hours – until 8 p.m. – on Mondays and Fridays. Sunday hours remain 1 to 5 p.m. Previous daily hours were 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with late closings on Mondays and Tuesdays. Jeff Carr, MOI Director of Public Relations, said the new hours are a direct response to popular demand.
T Rex Sculpture Dinosaurs in Motion is produced by Imagine Exhibitions, Inc., and presented at the Museum of Idaho by Westmark Credit Union.