Vol. 18, No. 15	Dec. 17, 1998

University Gallery plans blockbuster space exhibit

Chaikin's award winning book, A Man on the Moon, was the basis for the television miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon, produced by Tom Hanks for HBO.

The exhibition will run through Nov. 1 in the University Gallery in Old College, and will be in place to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing on July 20.

The Apollo missions will be the special historical focus of the exhibition, but the framework also includes a look at the start of the manned space program with the naming of the original Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959.

The July 4, 1997, robotic landing on Mars will also be explored and the exhibition will discuss how the current study of that planet, and such activities as the building of the International Space Station, will shape the future of government sponsored and commercial space travel.

The exhibition will follow three major themes:

• the role of science and technology in accomplishing the signal event of the 20th century-landing human explorers on another world;

• the impact of space exploration on the visual and literary arts, politics, mass media and other aspects of popular culture; and

• the strong connections Delaware and the region have to space history-from being the birthplace of astronomer Annie Jump Cannon-to ILC, Dover Inc.'s role in developing the Apollo space suits and inflatable air bags that cushioned the Mars Pathfinder Rover.

The museums also have secured a number of important loans from private collectors and space enthusiasts from the region and nation. Three works by astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon and an accomplished painter, are among the art works selected for the exhibition. Negotiations are underway for a loan of artifacts and art from the National Air and Space Museum collection, including images by Robert Rauschenberg and Jamie Wyeth.

Charles Schmidt, professor of art at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and an original NASA artist, is lending works to the exhibition. Schmidt's mural commemorating the Challenger astronauts hangs in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol. UD's own NASA artist, retired professor of illustration, Charles Rowe, also is participating in the exhibition with several drawings.

This exhibition and its related activities are being designed to capture the imagination of Delawareans and the regional audience, and increase their understanding of the significance of space exploration, both in terms of its historical/cultural contexts and its future applications.

In the interest of encouraging education and awareness of space history, a series of public events in which prominent speakers connected to the space program and the disciplines of geology, art, astronomy, engineering, history and material and popular culture studies, will be featured. Alan Bean is scheduled to visit UD in September, 1999. The date will be announced later.

Since the University is one of the foremost institutions concerned with art and object conservation, the museums will present several outreach activities centered on the preservation of space-age objects and materials, including a lecture by Edward McManus, the chief conservator of the National Air and Space Museum. Special workshops for teachers, children, and families are also being planned.

The University Gallery is a teaching museum, where students play a direct role in developing exhibitions. Students from the museum studies program are involved in the exhibition planning as part of their coursework.

Faculty from numerous scientific disciplines are providing expertise for the exhibition. They include Norman Ness, formerly of NASA, and president of the Bartol Research Institute at UD and a leading expert in planetary magnetism; Bill Glass professor of geology, who has worked on lunar specimens; and Harry Shipman, professor of astronomy and physics, who was involved in Hubble Telescope research and teacher education.

The museums' efforts are being supported, in part, by the Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation and by the University of Delaware Space Grant College, the College of Arts and Science and the Museum Studies Program.

The University Gallery is located on the second floor of Old College. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays; and 1-5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. The Gallery is closed on Mondays and all University holidays.

The University of Delaware Mineralogical Museum is located on the first floor of Penny Hall on Academy Street. The Mineralogical Museum is scheduled to re-open in February and at that time hours will be noon-4 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; and 1-4 p.m., weekends.

The University Gallery is wheelchair accessible and those individuals requesting other disability accommodations are encouraged to call at least 10 days prior to the event.

All museum events are free and open to the public.

For more information, call 831-8242. Visit the University Gallery on-line at <http://seurat.art. udel.edu>. The University Mineralogical Museum web site may be found at <http://www.udel. edu/geology/min/ index.html>.

-Beth Thomas