The iconic dinosaur exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History will undergo renovations over the next several years. The museum announced Wednesday a $25 million gift from Daniel and Carole Kamin will not only revamp that space, but also sustain the museum’s research.
It’s the largest individual gift the natural history museum has received since Andrew Carnegie founded Carnegie Museums in 1895. It follows a $65 million gift from the Kamins last year to Carnegie Science Center — set to be renamed the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center later this year.
Director of the natural history museum and vice president at Carnegie Museums Gretchen Baker explained some money will help update the nearly 20-year old Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit, but the majority will fund an endowment to support the museum’s educational mission, research, and world-famous collection.
The exhibit will be renamed in perpetuity as the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs, but Baker explained the existing dinosaurs on display won’t go away.
“We're going to wrap all these dinosaurs in more engaging storytelling, new media, [and] new kinds of atmospheric design to make it even more immersive and more meaningful to visitors today,” she said.
In a news release from the museum, Carole Kamin said she has “long been an admirer of the cutting-edge research and field-leading work that the museum does so that science can be engaging and accessible to individuals of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
“It’s an incredible honor for Dan and me to support the museum’s upcoming transformational efforts and scientific discoveries over the long term.”
Baker said the $25 million gift will help catalyze changes to help the hundreds of thousands of annual museum visitors realize the 100-thousand square feet of galleries is only the tip of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History iceberg.
“We have more than 22 million specimens and objects in our care,” Baker said, “as well as dozens of scientists who are here every single day conducting research on those collections or out in the field.”
“Twice in the past year, Dan and Carole Kamin have demonstrated their profound commitment to the work of our museums through transformational gifts totaling $90 million,” said president of Carnegie Museums Steven Knapp in a news release. “We are deeply grateful for their unparalleled endorsement of our museums’ power to inspire and inform, and we are honored to be a part of their great legacy of generosity in the Pittsburgh region.”
