Traveling exhibit at Natural History Museum explores darkness

A traveling exhibit that was meant to bring “darkness” to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum back in March is now open at the downtown museum.

“In the Dark” invites visitors to discover the dark, often unseen, ecosystems of the world, such as caves, the deep sea, the forest at night and underground.

Guests can explore these mysteries with electronic, mechanical and computer interactives, immersive dioramas, and lifelike models.

The traveling exhibit from the Cincinnati Museum Center has been in storage since spring, when its schedule was paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Natural History Museum reopened June 1 and has instituted new health and safety measures to make the temporary exhibit possible.

“With the way (“In the Dark”) is constructed, it does feel like walking into a darker, cooler area,” says Kate Porter, development and marketing director of the museum. “It explores darkness in soil, underground, the depths of the sea. It’s a nice immersive, experiential setup.”

Porter says the exhibit, which explores the natural evolutionary pressure that caused plants and animals to adapt to darkness, initially featured a more hands-on experience.

Some of those features had to be made unavailable because of the ongoing pandemic.

The museum has enacted heightened cleaning and social distancing measures that allow groups to move through the museum in one direction.

“We’ve been pleasantly surprised. We’ve had a steady flow of people and would love to welcome more. We’re thrilled that the community is comfortable enough to come back,” Porter says.

Contact Janna Karel at jkarel@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jannainprogress on Twitter.