The Chicago Field Museum of Natural History

"Sue", as this impressive near complete Jurassic dweller has been named after Sue Hendrickson who discovered her, dominates
the Field Museum's "Stanley Field" foyer. Sue is enormous (13ft tall & 41ft long) and deserves such a large display area but the
Field could still cope with her being housed in one of its other large gallery areas. Happily though she is not shoved up the back
away from all the action, but is boldly on display, as the museums top draw card should be, right in the face of the visitor as
they enter. This is what they've come to see, why some museums make it impossible for visitors to find key objects or
specimens is a riddle only obscure designers (and the executive management they have convinced) seem able to answer.
The Field may have had some help in being convinced to display Sue so prominently as McDonalds and Disney are the sponsors
that made her purchase, by the Field Museum, possible. Consequently there is a McDonalds "Restaurant" in residence and
lots of "Disney" like Sue merchandise; corporate sponsors can effect positive outcomes yet they can also keep "biting".
The permanent Dinosaur Hall is where you can catch many more "real" fossil bones though only 4% of the collection is on
display. I'd love to see their storage. We discovered diorama o rama here, just like the good old days but with better and bigger
displays, one for example concentrating on animals that live underground and their habitats. Displays put these habitat in
perspective by scaling these environs and beasties up to our size. A large exhibition taking in peoples of the Pacific Rim
included impressive to scale constructions such as the Maori Meeting Hut below.

image © lee-anne raymond