When did they move the Exploratorium?
Where was the Exploratorium in San Francisco?
How big is the Exploratorium?
Who founded the Exploratorium?
Do you need to be vaccinated to go to the Exploratorium?
What happened to the old Exploratorium?
Who owns the Exploratorium?
...
Exploratorium.
| Main entrance to the Exploratorium at Pier 15 | |
|---|---|
| Director | Lindsay Bierman |
How long does it take to go through the Exploratorium?
Is Exploratorium a reliable source?
The Exploratorium website is a great resource for teachers and students. It has many different activities and labs that students can use to help encourage their interest in Science.
How much does the Exploratorium cost?
| Adults (18–64) | $29.95 |
|---|---|
| Seniors, People with Disabilities, Teachers, Students, Youth (13–17) | $24.95 |
| Children (4–12) | $19.95 |
| Children (3 & under) | FREE |
| Members (Join us!) | FREE |
When did the Exploratorium open?
The Exploratorium opened to the public in the fall of 1969. Richard M. Nixon was president, and the Vietnam War and racial tensions continued to divide the nation. Neil Armstrong had just taken humankind’s first walk on the moon, Andy Warhol was creating pop-art images of soup cans, and the hot tub had just been introduced in California.
How many children were in San Francisco during the baby boom?
More than 70 million children from the post-war baby boom were becoming teenagers and young adults, and San Francisco had become a nexus for social experimentation. It was the perfect place—and the perfect time—to try out a new way of learning.
Who was the director of the Exploratorium?
The Exploratorium grew enormously during the 1980s, continuing the work Frank set in motion. In 1987, Dr. Robert L. White became the Exploratorium’s Director.
Who was the father of the atomic bomb?
A brilliant physicist in his own right, he’d been a university professor and worked beside his brother, J. Robert Oppenheimer (known to some as the “father” of the atomic bomb), on the Manhattan Project of the 1940s. Barred from pursuing scientific research during the McCarthy era of the 1950s, Frank retreated to small-town Colorado and became a cattle rancher. Before long, his passion for knowledge and learning led him back to teaching, and he began to share his view of the world with students at the local high school.
Where is the Exploratorium in San Francisco?
The Exploratorium relocated from the Palace of Fine Arts to Piers 15 and 17, located between the San Francisco Ferry Building and Pier 39 along the San Francisco Embarcadero, in April 2013. The Piers location was identified by Goéry Delacôte and then-board chairman Van Kasper as a potential space for relocation in 2004.
When was the Exploratorium opened?
The Exploratorium was founded by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer and opened in 1969 at the Palace of Fine Arts, its home until January 2, 2013. On April 17, 2013, the Exploratorium reopened at Piers 15 and 17 on San Francisco's Embarcadero.
What was the design scheme for the Exploratorium's Seaglass Restaurant inspired by?
The design scheme for the Exploratorium's Seaglass Restaurant was inspired by the exhibit Color of Water.
How many people visited the Exploratorium in 2012?
In 2012, 570,000 people visited the Exploratorium; 55% were adults and 45% were children. Geographically, 52% were from the Bay Area, 24% from the rest of California, 14% from other states, and 10% outside the US. Some 36% received free or discounted admission, and 44,000 attended on free admission days.
How big is the Exploratorium?
The Exploratorium campus comprises 330,000 sq ft (31,000 m 2) of indoor and outdoor exhibit space, and includes 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) of freely accessible public space. The exhibits are housed in and around Pier 15, which extends over 800 ft (240 m) over the Bay.
How many pages are there in the Exploratorium?
Since Oppenheimer's death in 1985, the Exploratorium has expanded into other domains, including its 50,000-page website and two iPad apps on sound and color. It has also inspired an international network of participatory museums working to engage the public with general science education.
What is the Bay Observatory?
The Bay Observatory building is the only new building constructed on the Exploratorium’s campus. It holds the Seaglass restaurant on its lower level and exhibits on the upper level relating to the waterfront and the cityscape. The gallery focuses on what visitors can see in real time, including the movement of clouds and tides, the changing waterfront, the movement of ships, and interpretation of oceanographic data. The Observatory has glass walls on all four sides to facilitate observation. Many of the exhibits were developed specifically for the location, such as Oculus (a circular opening in the ceiling that allows the entire gallery to be used as a timepiece, tracking seasons, solstices, and the sun’s movement), Visualizing the Bay (a 3-D topographic map of the Bay Area that allows visitors to see real data mapped over the landscape, such as the movement of fog and the salinity of the Bay over the course of days or years), and the Map Table (an assortment of historic and contemporary maps and atlases displaying different views and perspectives on the landscape).
Where is the Exploratorium in San Francisco?
In 2013, the Exploratorium is moving from the Palace of Fine Arts to Pier 15, on San Francisco’s historic Embarcadero. Located on the waterfront, just a 10-minute walk from the landmark Ferry Building, the new nine-acre campus will be easily accessible by visitors coming from every part of the Bay Area—and beyond.
How many concrete piles are there in the Exploratorium?
Beneath the 100-year-old piers that will soon house the new Exploratorium, highly specialized divers are working around the clock to repair and restore a part of the museum that most people will never see: the 1,200 concrete piles—sunk into the bay mud—that support the piers.
Where is Pier 15 in San Francisco?
We’re at Pier 15, which is on the Embarcadero at Green Street in San Francisco.
Where is the loading zone in the Embarcadero?
There is a white-curbed loading zone on the Embarcadero, just south of the museum, where you can drop people off or pick them up.
What to wear to the Exploratorium?
We recommend layers, so that you're ready for whatever San Francisco weather comes your way—sun, fog, or a chilly ocean breeze. Comfortable shoes are a must. The Exploratorium campus covers 3.3 acres, so expect to do plenty of walking. Don't worry if your shoes do turn unfriendly, though; we have bandages at our First Aid station.
What age do you need to be to visit San Francisco?
In accordance with the City of San Francisco Vaccine Requirement, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and a valid photo ID are now required for all visitors ages 12+ , without exception.
Why is the museum restricting ticket sales?
The museum will limit ticket sales to help maintain low visitor density.
Can you postpone an Exploratorium visit?
No. However, if anyone in your party has any symptoms of COVID-19, please postpone your visit. Exploratorium staff are required to answer health screening questions each day prior to arriving at work.
Does Pier 15 have recirculation?
All galleries and office spaces use 100% outside air with no recirculation. We’ve done this ever since we moved to Pier 15. We also change our HVAC MERV 14 filters at appropriate intervals to ensure clean air.
What is the original SF Exploratorium?
The original SF Exploratorium like you've never seen it before. A scene from the 1974 film "Exploratorium.". In the 1974 Academy Award-nominated documentary “ Exploratorium ,” the camera zooms in on a hypnotic spiraling “Depth Spinner,” an exhibit designed to show how the eye and brain process motion (and make you a little dizzy in the process).
When was the Exploratorium Museum opened?
Originally conceived by Manhattan Project physicist Frank Oppenheimer after his career shifted to education, the Exploratorium museum opened its doors in the Palace of Fine Arts in 1969 (and relocated to Pier 15 in 2013).
What is the Exploratorium photo?
An archival photo of the exterior of the original Palace of Fine Arts location of the Exploratorium.
How long was the movie Exploratorium filmed?
And from those exhibits came a movie. Shot over the course of 18 days on 35mm film, "Exploratorium" mixed brief staged shots of actors with sensory overload montages and hidden camera footage of visitors.
How did the film crew capture the spirit of the museum?
The film crew built elaborate lighting rigs to capture the laser and holograph installations , and getting truly candid footage of visitors took a spy-like level of subterfuge.
Is the experimental film "Exploratorium" better than "Don't"?
Although it lost out on the Oscar to “Don’t,” a film about the Monarch butterfly life cycle, “Exploratorium” has aged far better. It’s an experimental film at its core, but one that transcends the pretentious trappings that come with that label. The visuals are a real treat, abstract enough to create the same sense of child-like curiosity and wonder that one experiences from visiting a great museum. Boorstin went on to teach film at USC, publish the award-winning novel "The Newsboys' Lodging-House" and write a film theory guidebook entitled "The Hollywood Eye."
Is the Exploratorium documentary?
Courtesy of the Exploratorium. “It worked incredibly well because it was so experiential, it really lets you feel what it’s like to be at the Exploratorium. It’s not a documentary of what the place looks like, as much as it is the way it felt to come and visit,” says Semper.
Overview
History
The Exploratorium is the brainchild of Frank Oppenheimer, an experimental physicist and university professor. Oppenheimer, who worked on the Manhattan Project with his brother J. Robert Oppenheimer, was diverted from an academic career when he was forced to resign from his position at the University of Minnesota in 1949 as a result of an inquiry by the House Un-American Activitie…
Architecture and design
The Exploratorium campus comprises 330,000 sq ft (31,000 m ) of indoor and outdoor exhibit space, and includes 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) of freely accessible public space. The exhibits are housed in and around Pier 15, which extends over 800 ft (240 m) over the Bay.
The Exploratorium at Pier 15 was designed by architecture firm EHDD. Nibbi Br…
Layout
The new site contains over 600 exhibits, 25% of which were developed specifically for the Pier 15 site. With the exception of some art installations, all exhibits are developed and made onsite. The indoor and outdoor spaces are divided into six galleries, each highlighting a specific content group. Many exhibits are mobile, however, and move among different galleries; similarly, no…
Educational programs
The Exploratorium seeks to bring hands-on inquiry to education, including training teachers in the teaching of science. Between 1995 and 2012, an estimated 6,400 educators from 48 states and 11 countries directly participated in Exploratorium workshops.
The Teacher Institute, founded in 1984, is an Exploratorium-based professiona…
Arts
Despite being generally thought of as a science museum, the Exploratorium has always incorporated both science and art. As early as 1966, Frank Oppenheimer presented a paper discussing the connections between art and science, and the role of a museum in appealing to both casual visitors and serious students of all ages.
Influence
In 2007, the Exploratorium was highlighted in the book Forces For Good as one of the 12 most effective non-profits in the United States, and was the only West Coast institution and only museum to make the list. It has inspired science museums worldwide, from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego to the Garden of Archimedes in Florence, Italy. In 2003, The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Sciencenoted that about 400 science centers in 43 countri…
External links
• Exploratorium official site
• Official website for the Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio
• Guide to the Exploratorium Records at The Bancroft Library
• Jennifer Frazier, Exploratorium Curator, Short Talk: "Science Museum Curator"