California Academy of Sciences - 150th Anniversary Celebration

Academy Exhibits staff on the public floor.

DEPARTMENT MILESTONES

1909
John Rowley, renowned for assembling habitat groups at New York’s AMNH, is hired to create exhibits for a new Academy museum.

1934
Simson African Hall opens after a decade of preparation and field work in Africa by Frank Tose.

1951
African Annex opens, followed by Eastwood Botany Hall in 1959. Toshio Asaeda and Cecil Tose design and fabricate exhibits for both halls.

1958
Photographer Ansel Adams, Academy member since 1935, is a Research Associate of the Exhibits Department.

1990
The Exhibits Department staff grows to over sixty people to create exhibits for two major halls, Wild California and Life Through Time.

2003
Staff works with international designers and architects to develop exhibits for a transition site and the new Academy in 2008. Chairwoman Linda Kulik collaborates with the Charles Darwin Center in the Galápagos to help redesign its Visitor Center.

Exhibits | Interpretation in Support of Research and Education

Explaining the Natural World
This Department works with scientists and educators to engage and inspire Academy visitors, and explore new ways to convey the wonders of the natural world. Their goal is to enrich the museum experience for visitors of every age and background.

Family Matters
Frank Tose, a world renowned master craftsman, was the Academy’s Chief of Exhibits. His daughter, Sarah, produced plants for Simson African Hall. His son Cecil continued his father’s tradition of excellence and, in time, also became Chief of Exhibits.

Artistry
Toshio Asaeda’s talent is seen in his photographs and watercolor studies from the 1932 Galápagos Expedition. His career was cruelly interrupted during World War II, when he was interned along with other Japanese Americans. After the war, Asaeda came to work for the Academy and, together with Cecil Tose, completed African Annex and Botany Hall.

Volunteers Extraordinaire
Superb artists and graphic designers, Diane Dias and Andy Lopez are two of several talented professionals who volunteer their time to help create the Academy’s world-class exhibits.

Photographic Documentation
From studio “portraits” of a newly discovered sea slug, to hours of videotape tracking researchers through a rain forest, photographer Dong Lin captures a visual record of Academy activities.

150th Anniversary Celebration | 150 Years: A Timeline | 150 Years of Research | The New Academy