Museum of Idaho commemorates 20th anniversary with new exhibit

IDAHO FALLS – The Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls is celebrating a special milestone and inviting everyone to join.

On February 18, 2003, the museum opened its first traveling exhibit, “A T-Rex Named Sue.” This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first time east Idahoans first met Sue. The museum is marking the occasion by opening a new exhibit that reflects on the past two decades of MOI traveling exhibits.

“Bringing the World to Idaho: 20 Years of MOI Special Exhibits” gathers a collection of artifacts that represent the wide array of different exhibits that have visited the museum. The exhibit also features posters from each of the 37 exhibits, with photos of museum visitors interacting with the displays.

Museum curator Kristina Frandson tells EastIdahoNews the exhibit doesn’t just celebrate the passage of time. It also celebrates the growth of the long-term relationship between the museum and the east Idaho community.

“We wanted to create something that a visitor could come to that reminded them of something they saw when they were a kid,” Frandson said. “Now that they’re bringing their children to the museum, they can see how the museum has grown and how they’ve grown within the museum space.”

Putting the exhibit together began by figuring out the best way to cover such a long span of time while also taking into consideration the limited amount of space they were working with.

“It’s a small room,” said Frandson. “One of the ways we decided to do it was to create those posters that are on the walls. We wanted to make sure the images we chose for those were of people interacting with the exhibits in the space. That’s what the museum is about — bringing the world to Idaho and Idaho to the world.”

Pulling together all the artifacts for the exhibit meant searching their archives for the right pieces and reaching out to the right people when needed. Sometimes, it meant contributing their own possessions to the exhibit.

“We tried to pick artifacts that were on display while that exhibit was here or something that represented that was in our collection or something we could get on a loan,” Frandson said. “Every now and then, like with the guitar (representing ‘Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World’), that was part of the exhibit that was given to (MOI Director of Exhibitions) Rod Hansen. So that’s Rod’s guitar that he’s letting us have for the exhibit.”

The new exhibit doesn’t just celebrate the history of MOI. It also celebrates the relationship with the residents of Idaho Falls and surrounding areas that has been fostered over the years.

“People will come in and if they see something in the exhibit that could be worded better or they want to know more about, they can approach the team,” said Frandson.

“Bringing the World to Idaho: 20 Years of MOI Special Exhibits” is the kickoff to a year’s worth of special events celebrating the museum’s history and connection to Idaho Falls. Visit the MOI website or follow MOI on Facebook or Instagram to keep tabs on upcoming events.