Current Exhibits

GOLD

February 6 through May 16, 2010

Our newest exhibit is going to dazzle your socks off. GOLD explores the splendor of the world’s most valued mineral. Throughout history people have been fascinated by gold as a symbol of wealth, power and beauty. Now you can see why.

Follow gold from the molten depths of the Earth to glittering examples of jewelry and artifacts, from gold rushes that shaped the world to the modern pop culture baubles that mesmerize us today. You can experience firsthand the attraction of the finest gold specimens on Earth and learn how gold has been located, mined, processed and turned into objects both beautiful and useful.

See enormous nuggets like the “Boot of Cortez,” at more than 26 pounds, and the 108-pound Summitville Boulder, a volcanic rock flecked and veined with more than 22 pounds of crystalline gold. The treasures on display include examples of the first gold coins minted in ancient Lydia and Ionia (now Turkey), gleaming pre-Columbian jewelry, rare doubloons retrieved from sunken Spanish galleons and gold bars.

Ever wanted to see any of the awards statues up close? Well in the “Golden Achievement” section of the Gold exhibit you can see Beyoncé’s  Grammy® award, Tom Brokaw’s Emmy® and Susan Sarandon’s Oscar®, among other reputable prizes.

Discover gold’s amazing physical properties that make it useful for everything from telephones and televisions to satellite circuitry and astronauts’ visors. Walk through a 300 square-foot gold room. Just three ounces of gold have been flattened to exquisite thinness to completely cover the ceiling and three walls of our gold room. There you can also determine the value of your own weight in gold!

Museum Center will feature pieces from our own collection in Queen City Gold: Out of the Vault, including gold medals won by local Olympians, gold records, awards and other accolades. See locally made jewelry, gold-leafed pots, vases and more.