Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs was the first traveling exhibit to be hosted at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, and was the largest project I worked on during my tenure there. The exhibit was loaned to us from the American Museum of Natural History and occupied FCMoD’s large temporary gallery space from November 17 2016 to April 2 2017, and required extensive preparatory work during the preceding months before it opened to the public. Throughout most of that October, I worked with a team of museum staff, volunteers, and an AMNH overseer to modify the existing space to accommodate the extensive collection. This not only involved measuring and marking every square foot of the gallery, but also required the construction of a large dividing wall through the middle of the otherwise empty room.
The construction process of Pterosaurs was a very important factor in my museum experience. It was extremely insightful in terms of interdepartmental collaboration. Although the exhibits team generally took the lead in building the exhibit itself, collections staff and employees from across the museum came together to contribute their own skills to the project. Building Pterosaurs was also a helpful leadership exercise for me. Although I worked under the direction of FCMoD’s exhibit manager, Ben Griswold, I was frequently tasked with leading teams of volunteers throughout the building process.
During construction (and deconstruction), I learned much about object handling and different mounting and lighting techniques. The exhibit contains several life-size pterosaur models which I was fortunate enough to help hang from the ceiling. Most of my technical exhibit knowledge stems from this period and was used in subsequent projects.
Pterosaurs was very successful upon opening, though its popularity ensured that I frequently had to maintain many of its different attractions. In doing so, I gained experience working with electrical and AV systems, and also learned about the restrictions of caring for loaned artifacts. Pterosaurs was also an excellent instance to interact with the public, as I often had to conduct my work in the presence of guests.
Click here for more photos of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs.
