The secret of geodes

As a person who holds a bit more knowledge on certain obscure topics than the general population, I’m sometimes considered a specialist, at least in regard to rocks and fossils from Indiana. That being the case, I often entertain visitors who bring in bizarre objects for identification. Among the most common objects to come through the [...]

Pushing Power

Dozens of expensive racing cars are arriving at the Indiana State Museum this week, in preparation for the Gathering Before the Green Flag event this Saturday and Sunday.  Some 70 vehicles, valued at well over $21 million will be on display around the museum.  They represent all sorts of racing, including Indy 500 cars, NASCAR, sprint cars, [...]

Becoming Clifford

As part of the museum’s 2008 Celebration Crossing exhibit, I was in costume four times roaming the halls as Clifford. Hidden inside a suit where you are completely anonymous, the kid in me was set loose—maybe it was all that adoration coming my way.
At the first sighting for most kids, there was instant recognition and [...]

Happy 80th Birthday, Dr. King

Today is the official day, and as such, the State of Indiana held their celebration at the museum today.  Besides Gov. Mitch Daniels, there were dignitaries from the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and various King Commission awards were handed out.
My personal favorite was the ‘Sound Machine’ choir from College Park Elementary School, who sang “I [...]

Playing with Owl Puke

Everyone has boring things they have to do at work as well as parts of their job that rock. Not only does my job have a ton of things that rock – but the best part is sharing the fun stuff with the public. (Luckily for those people, I keep all the boring data entry [...]

First Love, then Hope

Pop artist – and native Hoosier – Robert Indiana was made famous in the 1960s with his iconic “LOVE” sculpture. Visitors to the Indiana State Museum are greeted by his 55-foot-tall “Indiana” obelisk in the Great Hall – the artist’s largest sculpture. We just found out the Robert Indiana and Rosenbaum Contemporary in Florida have teamed [...]

The Power of One

There is a quote I try to live by that says,
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. (Edward Everett Hale)
This quote speaks well for our own Karine Huys, the museum’s Volunteer Coordinator.  She [...]

Family New Year’s Eve

What a great time was had by about 1500 people on New Year’s Eve, here at the museum!  The band was perfect, with a distinct Caribbean feel to their holiday and other familiar tunes, there was face painting and bowling and other fun activities for kids, and the balloons dropped at 8 p.m. for an [...]