|
|
|
the Fleet Center gets technologically hip and the Old Globe board has some new players |
|
The San Diego Natural History Museum this month rolls out the red carpet for some mastodonic movie stars. "The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park: The Lost World" is an all-new scientific and educational exhibition, completely different from the "Jurassic Park" exhibit which broke the museum's attendance records in 1997. With a cost of $1 million and a projected attendance of 300,000 visitors, Delle Willett, the museum's director of marketing, expects the new Jurassic Park exhibit to pay for itself. "The projected attendance is a conservative number," Willett says. "We will probably top that." Hundreds more also are expected to attend public education programs surrounding the traveling exhibit. With San Diego its only tour stop on the West Coast, "The Lost World" has seen top attendance at other hosting museums since its inception. The exhibit drew 285,000 people at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City; 341,000 at the Columbus Museum in Ohio; and 150,000 at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore. The dinos also visited the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Milwaukee Zoo before making their way to Southern California. A collection of 40 dinosaurs from all over the world, the exhibition includes the 72-foot-long Mamenchisaurus from China, the world's largest reconstructed dinosaur; and the skeleton of the recently discovered 42-foot-long Giganotosaurus carolinii, the largest known meat-eating dinosaur. Also found are recreations from "The Lost World" movie, such as a T. Rex baby in a nest, a pair of Velociraptors, the dome-headed Pachycephalosaurus and a Stegosaurus baby; plus storyboards, costumes, sets and props. Dinosaur fossils found in the San Diego region complement the exhibit. Visitors to the Natural History Museum can learn the distinction between dinosaur reality and fiction in the movies, and how the prehistoric reptiles lived, behaved, evolved and died through the course of their 180 million-year existence. Many suggested theories on the dinosaurs' disappearance are covered in the Extinction Theatre, including a film hosted by Jeff Goldblum, star of the "Jurassic Park" films. Real dinosaur fossils and fossil eggs, in addition to a dozen touch-screen interactives, teach dinosaur exploration and identification. Children can stop by the dust-free dig pit to uncover a dinosaur using simple tools. "The Lost World" is on view through Sept. 10. Call the museum at (619) 232-3821 to unearth more details. *** Kicking off the city of San Diego’s "Technology's Perfect Climate" month, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center opens TechnoVation, an unprecedented exhibit uniting locally based science, technology and education organizations. Running until the end of the year, the exhibition is a collaboration between eight companies: Applied Micro Circuits Corp., city of San Diego Water Resources Management Program and San Diego County Water Authority, Coleman College and Computer Museum, ConnectNet, Qualcomm, Science Applications International Corp., Scripps Mericos Eye Institute and Sony Electronics. Each will exhibit innovative science and technology advances, and together present how technology affects lives in San Diego now and in the future. Click on www.rhfleet.org or call (619) 238-1233 for more information. *** Some new employees are found at the Fleet Center as well. As the new manager of special events, Jana Purdy will build the corporate rental program for outside events held at the Fleet Center. Purdy comes from the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, where she was manager of events and visitor services. She also held positions at the Music Center and the Natural History Museum, both of Los Angeles County. In addition, Daniel Vecchitto was named deputy executive director of development. He oversees all facets of development and membership activities for the Fleet, such as fund-raising, individual and corporate membership programs, grant writing, research, the endowment campaign and government affairs. Most recently director of development at the San Diego Children's Museum and the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Vecchitto also headed the development department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and served as associate director of development for the Yale School of Medicine. *** Harvey P. White, chairman and CEO of Leap Wireless International, is the new president of the 38-member Old Globe Theatre board. He succeeds John M. Robbins Jr., chairman and CEO of American Residential Investment Trust, who was president for two years. Also appointed to the board are executive v.p. David Down, a managing partner at KPMG Peat Marwick; v.p., development, Steve Miller, who serves as chief of staff at Gateway; treasurer, Thomas Insley, a managing partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers; and secretary, Tracey DeBello, a Globe board member and patron. Named as committee chairpersons were Jack Queen, first v.p., Merrill Lynch, who will serve as marketing committee chair; Julie Meier Wright, president and CEO, Economic Development Corp., who is the new strategic planning committee chair; Paul Meyer, partner, Latham and Watkins, the new compensation committee chair; and Sheryl Palmer, senior v.p., California Bank and Trust, the nominating committee chair. Three new directors also were elected for three-year terms: Sam Brown, managing director, Northern Trust Bank of California; Richard Coons, president, Viewpoint Investment Partners; and Sue Major, v.p., AT Kearney Search. Re-elected to a second three-year term were directors Kathryn Crippen Hattox, Stanley Nadel and Arthur Neumann. *** Finally, don’t forget to check out Brushstrokes 2000, an exhibit of paintings in oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels and mixed media by six professional local artists: Mary Connelly, Shirley Lemmon, Virginia Mitton, Irma Radcliffe, Henrietta Wahl and Hope Wilts. Brushstrokes 2000 runs March 17 to 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at Gallery 21 at the Spanish Village Art Center. |
Home | Features | Info | Cover Story | About Us | Back Issues | Search
