From solving mysteries in Sherlock Holmesto escaping from quicksand, Science Museum Oklahoma is planning to immerse its visitors in not one but two marquee traveling exhibitions this summer.
"Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition" and "The Worst-Case Scenario: An Ultimate Survival Experience" will open May 1 and continue through Sept. 6 at the Oklahoma City landmark.
"I'm calling it a historic opportunity — and it really is," said Linda Maisch, the museum's vice president of organizational development and community engagement. "We've never brought in two major travelers like this before."
After struggling to cope with COVID-19 over the past year, the museum's staff was able to turn the pandemic to its advantage to land the summer exhibits.
"We have an incredibly talented staff and a large building, and these traveling exhibit groups were struggling trying to find placement for their exhibits during times when many museums are closed. So, they reached out to us and said, 'Hey, would you be interested in hosting this exhibition when the time is right, but you would have to take delivery of it right now?'" said Science Museum Oklahoma President Sherry Marshall.
"We kind of pooled our collective talents and found space, so we were able to store the exhibits for several months before thinking about opening them. So, that helped out the exhibit companies because they're not having to pay for storage.
"And it helps us because we're able to get not one but two crazy, amazing exhibits that we would not normally have the resources to obtain. ... Either one of these would be considered a traveling blockbuster and have been featured in other museums throughout the nation as such, as their summer blockbuster exhibitions."
Where will the exhibits be?
An encompassing interactive experience based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic fictional detective, "Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition" will be located on the more than 390,000-square-foot museum's second floor.
Adapted from the popular book series, "The Worst-Case Scenario: An Ultimate Survival Experience" also will be upstairs in the space normally occupied by the permanent exhibit "Mind Games."
"We were able to rearrange.We didn't lose anything off the floor; everything's still here. But our staff was able to unload 18 semi-truck trailers full of exhibit content and find a place to store it," Marshall said.
The museum will bring the energy of the two special exhibits to the whole building, Maisch said.
"We are creating immersive environments for both of these exhibits — and that starts outside the exhibit. All of the staff they encounter are going to be fully costumed and in character for both exhibits. So, that experience starts at the door," she said.
"When we talked to the national reps for these exhibits, they thought that was so groundbreaking in our approach to these exhibits that they haven't seen anywhere else — and 'Sherlock' has toured internationally. They've never seen a museum that has turned their staff into characters. And that's what we're doing ... to bring those experiences alive for our guests and make them meaningful and fun and fully engaging."
What's in the exhibits?
Although each exhibit has a different vibe, Marshall said both offer interactive experiences that support the museum's mission of revealing the wonder and relevance of science.
"'Sherlock Holmes' is an incredibly immersive and thoughtful environment. You're definitely seeing the influence of the Conan Doyle estate with this partnership ... because you walk in and you're transported to Baker Street, you go into the office, you're doing these experiments, basically, the exact same way Sherlock Holmes would. ... The activities are incredibly engaging, incredibly hands-on," Marshall said.
"You see that engagement in 'Worst-Case Scenario,' but it's a little more active approach. It's more colorful, it's bright, it's very energetic. You're guided through this exhibit, with basically your '80s gym coach, working with you and supporting you through all these experiences."
"Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition" pays homage to the legendary character's continued influence on the sciences, literature and popular culture, including in Guy Ritchie's movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and in the recent television series "Sherlock" on the BBC and "Elementary" on CBS.
"There's a gallery section that includes artifacts and really neat manuscripts and props from the current Sherlock Holmes movies and the Conan Doyle estate. ... So, the history buffs are going to love this as well, because they're going to get to see some of these artifacts that come from the estate. It's a little bit of history, it's going to have the movie props. If they're a fan of the current movies, they're going to see something for them in there: We're getting the getting the car from 'Game of Shadows,'" Maisch said.
"The whole concept is kind of looking at Sherlock Holmes through a lot of different lenses ... What those books talked about, what Conan Doyle talked about during that time period, that science from back then, it's still relevant. It's the fundamentals of forensic science that we're using today: There's blood splatter patterns, there's footprint analysis. ... That's what the guests are going to do: they're going solve a mystery by using all of those techniques. And we're not gonna give them the answer, by the way, they've got to solve it."
Although the activities are recommended for visitors 7 and older, Maisch said the visual nature of the exhibit will give it all-ages appeal.
Also intended for all ages, the tongue-in-cheek "The Worst-Case Scenario" will challenge visitors to escape quicksand, land a plane and outsmart a mountain lion.
"These are real-life scenarios — though unlikely — and how would you deal with it? And it's using science, it's using critical thinking, it's using logic, engineering. From knowing how to defuse a bomb or how to jump off a moving train — my favorite is lock-picking — it's true worst-case scenarios," Marshall said.
"It's not part of our model to bring in these traveling exhibitions, because we think that Oklahoma deserves quality all the time, not just every now and then. So, we invest in experiences that they can access at any time of the year. But if we find an opportunity to bring in exhibitions of this caliber that we can keep at a reasonable price for our community, we'll take advantage of it."
What will the exhibits cost?
It's unlikely that visitors would see two traveling exhibits of this size on display at the same time at any other science center in the country, Marshall said.
"Sometimes you'll see it in places like Vegas where a mall or an empty building will open these two exhibitions, but they make the price point so high. You're looking at an entry ticket price for both of these combined around $50 a person elsewhere. We're not going to charge that," Marshall said.
Science Museum Oklahoma will offer both special exhibitions for one premium ticket. Tickets are $9.95 for adults and $7.95 for children and seniors plus general admission.
General admission to the nonprofit is $16.95 for adults and $13.95 for children and seniors.
Museum members will receive a $2 discount on their premium tickets for the traveling exhibits.
"That's always important to us is that we keep those tickets affordable — and we negotiated hard to get that," Maisch said. "One of the reasons that we like this combination of exhibits is that (with) one ticket, you're going to be able to have a really great experience, no matter what your interests are, or what your ages are. Because there is literally something for everybody between these two exhibitions."
After struggling with COVID-19 over the past year, Marshall said museum staffers are looking forward to an exciting summer with the special exhibits.
"Last year was rough financially for a hands-on, interactive museum during a pandemic. It is challenging. So while we are looking at strategies to forge a successful path ahead, this is one way to sort of celebrate where our state is in getting our vaccinations and getting back to what our new normal is going to be," she said.
"It will benefit us in the long run, but it's also kind of like a big celebration of our grit and our determination and, even though it's not over, the progress that we are making."
COMING SOON
'Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition' and 'The Worst Case Scenario: An Ultimate Survival Experience'
When: May 1-Sept. 6.
Where: Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place.
Information: www.sciencemuseumok.org.
