Celebrating 100 Years of Discovery
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s centennial celebrations kick into full swing this summer with the launch of new programming and special events. The Museum’s centennial festivities highlighting 100 reasons to celebrate natural history commenced in December 2020—exactly 100 years after its articles of incorporation were drafted—and continue through spring 2022, in honor of its first exhibition in 1922.
This summer, the Museum will launch new special programming, including the
Centennial Soirée Series, a quartet of four-course dinners at the Museum featuring exquisite food and wine pairings and themed conversation with curators, and the Centennial Speaker Series, which will bring national experts on a variety of topics to speak at the Museum. The celebration will continue this fall with the debut of a specially curated exhibition that will lead visitors through the 100-year history of the Museum.
“The founders of this institution set out to establish a museum dedicated to creating and serving a community of learning,” said Sonia Winner, Cleveland Museum of Natural History President & CEO. “It is no small feat that, for 100 years, this Museum has cultivated curiosity about the natural world and invited us all to become citizen scientists in pursuit of a better tomorrow. While we look to the future of the Museum, we find it equally important to celebrate its longstanding impact on scientific knowledge, conservation, and community empowerment.”
Centennial Soirée Series
Guests can experience the Museum in a unique and engaging way with the Centennial Soirée Series—four events featuring food and wine pairings and conversations with Museum experts on a variety of science and nature topics. Each evening will include a special four-course dinner prepared by executive chef Aaron Coon of Zack Bruell Events, along with wine pairings developed by wine expert Greg Miller, Dip WSET, featuring wines from European Wine Imports. The special dinners will run 6:30pm to 10pm and also incorporate live music and opportunities to visit exhibits and enjoy Museum programming.
The first soirée will take place June 18, 2021—in celebration of the summer solstice—and allow guests to explore astronomy and enjoy dinner in the Museum’s newly redesigned courtyard. The evening will feature a lively discussion with the Museum’s astronomy experts as well as planetarium shows and, weather permitting, stargazing in the observatory. The mostly outdoor event will be limited to 50 guests, will seat members of the same households at individual tables, and will follow additional COVID safety protocols.
The
Centennial Soirée Series will continue with evenings dedicated to biodiversity on September 24, to the Museum’s history and decades of discovery on January 21, 2022, and to human health and nutrition on April 29, 2022. Tickets for each soirée are $150 per guest, or $540 for the full four-dinner series.
Learn more about the series and purchase tickets.
Centennial Speaker Series
Launching in August, the Museum’s Centennial Speaker Series will feature discussions by trailblazing leaders on a variety of unique topics relating to science and nature and spotlighting work in health care, activism, art, and poetry. The lecture series will take place in the Museum's newly modernized Murch Auditorium and will cover new research, discoveries, and scientific ideas, in celebration of lifelong education and exploration. The lectures and conversations will allow guests to interact with nationally renowned experts and look to the future of scientific inquiry and engagement. The lineup of speakers will be released in June 2021.
100 Years of Discovery Exhibit
In November, the Museum will open a special exhibition guiding viewers through an interactive exploration of its 100-year history—and a preview of its next 100 years.
Visitors can delve into the Museum’s past, including its inspired beginnings in the 1920s, its first exhibit in 1922, the famous 1923 Blossom expedition to collect thousands of specimens in the South Atlantic islands, and the Museum's early years overseeing the Metroparks, zoo, arboretum, and aquarium. The journey will continue through the decades as the institution evolved into a renowned leader in the areas of human-origins research and conservation.
The exhibition will also explore the future of the Museum, including the upcoming transformation of its campus and exhibits, which will pioneer a bold new model for how natural history museums engage the public, protect the environment, and empower individuals to be a voice for the planet.
Additional exhibit details will be announced this summer.
Centennial Icons and Themed Programming
Continuing through the culmination of the centennial in the spring of 2022, the Museum is highlighting icons from its collection in celebration of 100 years of discovery. Visit the Museum to see the specimens that have been designated with centennial plaques—including prehistoric sea predator and newly named state fossil fish
Dunkleosteus terrelli; the Viking Biological Instrument, which conducted experiments on Martian soil samples; and the Foucault pendulum—or follow along on the Museum’s social media each week to watch as each icon is revealed.
The centennial celebrations also include various months of themed online and in-person programming that explores Museum accomplishments and priorities. Past themes have spotlighted water—the planet's most vital natural resource—and the hero sled dog Balto. June celebrates the solstice and September will focus on conservation.
Learn more at
CMNH100.org.
Media Contact: Samantha Guenther,
[email protected], 216.403.4557