Lesson 2: The Role of Exhibitions in Science Museum and Science Centre

Abstract

A new type of museum based on newly created materials for learning, exploration and discovery was created in the second half of the twentieth century. Science centres find their roots in the working technology exhibits displayed in the Deutsches Museum in Munich in the 1920s. The Evolution of Eindhoven, the Exploratorium in San Francisco and the Ontario Science Centre sprung up in the 1950s–1960s and represent the first real examples of science centres as we know today, presenting interactive exhibits throughout the whole world. The collections in these types of museums require less maintenance both during preparation and on display, even though interactive exhibitions sometimes require a specialised type of workshop space.