Update: My friend Ryan went to the grand re-opening and took some 40 pictures, including this spectacular panoramic shot.
We went to Bishop Museum today to see the results of the $21M renovation of Hawaiian Hall. It's glorious. We spent four hours there and could have spent triple that.
It reopened about two weeks ago, so this video is incomplete, but it's still a good start on seeing what's been done. All the artifact cases have been re-done with under-display lighting, the floors are organized more logically than before, and there are more things to see as well as interactive displays/slideshows.
Come see it!
Posted by Linkmeister at August 27, 2009 03:36 PM | TrackBackWow! I'll be there as soon as I can book a ticket!
Posted by: Juli Thompson at August 28, 2009 06:38 AMI was out there a week or so after Hawaiian Hall reopened. Amazing. I spent about 5 hours there, including an hour lecture by an art historian on the wooden sculptures. And there's still so much more to see.
My only complaint is that the place seems too dark. Maybe I'm getting old, but I had a hard time reading the descriptions and seeing the details of the artifacts.
I know, too much light can harm some of the exhibits. But my guess is that turn-of-the-20th-century Richardson Romanesque structures, such as the Bishop Museum, are meant to be dark and brooding places. The story of Hawaiian culture, which is so rooted in nature, seems out of place being told inside such a building.
Posted by: Rob_in_Hawaii at August 28, 2009 11:55 AM