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On September 17, 2014, The Children's Museum took part in #AskaCurator Day for the third year in a row. #AskaCurator is a global social media campaign that gives online users the chance to tweet with curators at museums around the world. This year, over 700 museums from 43 countries took part, and we were right there with them! We like to include a variety of staff in the #AskaCurator fun, including our Director of Collections, our Archivist, our Exhibit Developers, and our Paleontologists.
Many of the questions are so great, the answer can't possibly fit in a tweet! So we compiled the answers in blog posts to make sure that nothing is missed. This blog highlights the #AskaCurator responses from Children's Museum paleontologist and natural science curator, Dallas Evans.
What is the most random question you have ever been asked about an artifact or exhibit?
“Would a T. rex bury its poo like a cat does?”
That was a totally unexpected question from a 7 year old girl. It’s a good question too. She was able to make an observation, speculate on the behavior of a long extinct animal, and ask a very novel question. She’d have a great future as a scientist. But what about a T. rex litter box? We don’t have any evidence of this in the geologic record,… but it’s an interesting possibility.
What is your earliest museum memory?
My 4th grade class from Leo Elementary went to The Field Museum in Chicago. Do I remember the exhibits? – No. Do I recall the incredible geological, biological and ethnographic objects on display? – Nope!
My first museum memory is depositing money into a machine that created dinosaur models out of hot wax. I was particularly fond on the Apatosaurus and the T. rex.
How do you feel about the increased use of technology in museums? Would you like to see more, or less?
Absolutely - let’s have more technology in museums.
Let’s also have more cool exhibits, increased use of artifacts, lots of hands-on programs, and of course lots of visitors too. More is good.
Any juicy inside info or perks about the glamorous life of a curator?
- Sometimes we get free muffins.
- I've rappelled into a pit cave to collect ice age bones. I landed right on several years worth of raccoon poo.
- I've been grilled by a Canadian Customs official about a plastic dinosaur replica.
