Dinosaur triumph at the turnstile
Te Manawa’s dinosaurs are a triumph.
The Palmerston North museum’s chief executive Andy Lowe said 45,000 people visited the five-month long Dinosaur Encounter exhibition from London’s Natural History Museum, many from beyond the region.
The numbers queuing to see the nine animatronic dinosaurs and associated displays easily eclipsed the museum’s targets, while smashing the previous top rating exhibitions – last year’s Frida Kahlo, with 11,000, and 2007’s Da Vinci Machines, with 10,000 – out of the gallery.
‘‘We know from our own education and holiday programmes that dinosaurs are as popular with kids and families as they’ve ever been, but we’re still stunned by the numbers that have been through to see them,’’ Lowe said.
It was the first, and so far only, showing of Dinosaur Encounter in the southern hemisphere. ‘‘Although it wasn’t a big show, the scale of the operation needed to bring these models from the other side of the world was a massive undertaking for a regional museum.
‘‘The exhibition has really put us on the map, while the amazing public response shows that this kind of ambition is worthwhile. We don’t have to rely on the main centres alone to deliver this kind of experience.’’
Te Manawa enhanced the exhibition, which closed on February 28, using displays, talks, activities and related entertainment to provide a multi-layered experience.
Opening on Saturday March 11, is the relatively quickfire six-week visiting exhibition Rembrandt Remastered in Te Manawa’s art gallery. It features 57 actual size digital reproductions of the 17th century Dutch master’s works, restored to original colours by the Rembrandt Research Project.
‘‘People perhaps don’t realise the amount of dirt, smoke and soot in those days before electricity that darkened the paintings,’’ Lowe said.