Exhibiting Excellence: Challenges to Finishing a Museum Exhibit

Associate Director: Collections
Amanda McGuire places exhibit text

Last week, I posted about how a museum exhibit is built. Associate Director of Collections Amanda McGuire took some time to talk with me about what goes into choosing an exhibit theme and content. Today, I'd like to tell you all a little more about the challenges we face when we're preparing our exhibit.

What are some of the challenges you encounter when putting together an exhibit?

Anything and everything.  Sometimes you have too much information, sometimes not enough.  Sometimes you can’t find artifacts to help tell the story and sometimes it is hard to decide what to leave out.  We print a lot of things in house and technology doesn’t always cooperate when you need it.

We have also had guest curators in the past.  In 2009, for the exhibit “Embattled”, Gail Stephens wrote the text.  She has studied Wallace’s military career extensively and wrote the book “Shadow of Shiloh” so who better to write the exhibit text on Wallace’s military experiences

Do you only use artifacts that belong to the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum collection?

No.  We use as much of our own collection as we can but it is very limited so we often look to other individuals or institutions for loans.  We have borrowed items from the Ramsey Archives at Wabash College in the past and last year we borrowed some items from Wallace Scholar Roger Adams.  We do not have any artifacts relating to Wallace’s time in Cincinnati in 1862 and that was a big part of our exhibit last year so we knew we needed to have some objects to help tell that part of the story.  Roger graciously loaned us several items that helped fill the gap left by our collection.  This year we borrowed a jacket and kepi that belonged to Henry Wallace as a young boy from the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.  One of the curators there attended a meeting here and told our Director about the items in their collection.  When we decided to do the exhibit about the family, we knew this was something that we wanted to include because we really don’t have a lot of objects related to Henry.  Our Associate Director: Collections got in touch with the curator and started the process of obtaining the loan.

Are there challenges related to the amount of space or the shape of the exhibit room?

Of course!  There is no straight wall in the carriage house so it is hard to get the exhibit cases level and the labels to appear straight on the walls.  The large exhibit case only has two places that it can sit and be level (this year is actually the first time it will be in a different location) so that limits how we can display items as well as the flow of the exhibit.  If you use a level to hang the labels or the large acrylic quotes, they look incredibly crooked due to the slope of the ceiling so it all has to be done by eye and what looks straight instead of what actually is straight.

What factors do you have to take into consideration when planning an exhibit?

You have to think about how much space you have, where artifacts and labels can go to make the exhibit flow well and how to tell the story in an interesting way. Another important factor is the balance of artifacts and text. Visitors at a museum learn from the information on labels, but an artifact can often convey more emotional impact than text, so it's important to have a good balance.

What are some challenges that occurred specifically with “Generations”?

World War I US Marine Corps
uniform belonging to Tee

We didn’t know a whole lot about some of the family members.  At first we didn’t know how we were going to talk about everyone.  It looked like it was just going to be biographies about everyone but that is kind of boring.  After doing some more research we found that there were a lot of similarities so we decided to explore those more.  Making the connection of shared characteristics with Lew and Susan tied the exhibit together.  Once we figured that out it was a little easier to focus the research and ask the family the right questions.  We also did not have a lot of artifacts for some people.  We have a lot of stuff related to Lew’s grandson Tee but it is all centered on his military career.  We barely have any artifacts related to Henry (other than his photographs) and his other son Lew Jr.  Some members of the family like Josephine and Lew III, we had never seen pictures of or only had baby photos.  Members of the Wallace family were kind enough to scan some for us to use in the exhibit.

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Our exhibit officially opens tomorrow, so be sure to stop in and check it out! We're also running a Facebook check-in special to kick off our exhibit opening. If you visit, make sure you check in on Facebook to receive a 10% discount on all gift shop purchases!

Exhibiting Excellence: How a Museum Exhibit is Built

We are all getting excited about our upcoming exhibit. "Generations: The Descendants of Lew and Susan Wallace" opens to the public Tuesday, March 12. If you visited us today, you would find the Lynne D. Holhbein Education Room mostly empty, which just a handful of vinyl labels and an artifact or two. But show up on March 12 and you'll find a full-fledged exhibit!

Since this is my first time behind the scenes of putting together a museum exhibit, I was fascinated by the process behind putting an exhibit together, and wanted to give you all a behind-the-scenes look at how we put together the story you'll see in a couple of weeks.

How do you decide on a theme for an exhibit? Is it done by the whole staff or a single person?

It is usually a staff decision.  We talk about what we have done recently and what questions we get frequently from visitors.  Sometimes the exhibit decides itself.  For example, in 2010 when the Study was closed for renovation, we still wanted visitors to see the iconic pieces of the Study and still be able to tell Lew Wallace’s story without them actually going into the Study.  That led to us doing the exhibit “Sanctuary”.

Right now we are in the middle of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, so last year it made sense to talk about what Lew was doing in 1862 since that was big year in the war for him.  He really didn’t do a lot as far as the Civil War goes in 1863, so we decided to take a year off from talking about the war. We wanted to focus on the rest of his family because that is something visitors frequently ask about, and we wanted to learn more about them as well.

What factors are involved in deciding what the exhibit should focus on?

It helps to already know something about the topic.  Even if we don’t have a lot of information to begin with, as long as we have a starting point, we can usually fill in the rest later.  We also have to think about what artifacts we have to go along with the exhibit topic.  Objects sometimes tell a better story than what we can do through exhibit labels. If we don’t have artifacts in our collection, is there somewhere or someone out there that does have them?

We also have to think about how big of a story it is.  We have a very small exhibit room so we have space limitations to deal with.  No one wants to stand in that room for an hour reading exhibit text, so we need to be able to tell the story we want to tell in a short and concise way that is interesting.

What is the research process for an exhibit?

We always have an exhibit fact sheet for each exhibit.  This tells us the logistics of who is responsible for what, what the budget is, who the audience is, what the thesis of the exhibit is and what impression we want visitors to walk away with.  This really guides where our research should go and what we want to tell our visitors.

Research often starts a year or two before we actually install an exhibit.  We start with what we know and what has already been written about that topic.  Sometimes we have interns who have already researched and written up papers on it. An intern last summer researched Lew Wallace and the Henry Wirz trial and wrote up a paper on it.  We will start with this when we plan our exhibit for next year.  

We also look at Lew’s own words about a subject by looking at his autobiography.  That usually leads to more information or even more questions that need to be answered.  We have a group of Wallace scholars that are always willing to answer questions.  You never know where you are going to find an answer to a question. 

Our Associate Director: Education (Erin Gobel) often does research on the internet and ends up finding some obscure piece of information completely unrelated to her original search.  We always file these away so we have them when we need them.  The Indiana Historical Society has a huge collection of Lew Wallace material so we usually look to see what information they have as well.  For this year’s exhibit, Amanda and Erin spent a day looking through records to find out more about the Wallace family.

Who picks the artifacts that are used in an exhibit? How do you make those decisions?

This is usually done by the Associate Director: Collections (Amanda McGuire) with input from the rest of the staff.  She looks through the collections records and compiles a list of artifacts that are relevant to the exhibit subject and shares that with the staff.  Then it is a matter of logistics and what makes sense.  There are some things that are just too big to fit in our exhibit cases.  Often times these are items that are already on display in the Study so we just make sure to point them out on tours and relate them back to the exhibit. 

If something is in really poor condition, we try not to put it out on exhibit.  If we can, we make a replica to display instead.  This is often done with photographs or letters.  We also try to avoid putting the same things on exhibit year after year.  When we talk about the Civil War again next year we will try to have different items on display than we had out last year.

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Stay tuned for the next post in our series on exhibits, when we'll talk about some of the challenges we face when putting an exhibit together!

Winter Closing

December 15 will be the last tour date for the Lew Wallace Study & Museum in 2012. We will open again in February.

So what goes on during our closed period?

We take that time to focus specifically on changing the exhibits in the Carriage House Interpretive Center. During 2012 our exhibit has been centered on Lew Wallace's activities during 1862. In 2013 we will be presenting an exhibit surrounding Lew and Susan Wallace's descendants. A lot of work goes into setting up an exhibit. We have to research everything, decide which related artifacts will be on display, write interpretive text, and design the flow of the exhibit space.

Other things that will have our attention during our winter closing: a major fundraising effort to start in 2013--I'll be presenting a series of blog posts about that as we get closer to kickoff; finalizing our programming and event schedule for the coming year; selecting musical talent for the 7th Annual Taste of Montgomery County in August 2013.

So keep warm this winter, and we look forward to seeing you next year, when our new exhibit opens!

Agents of Deterioration

The 2011 exhibit, Agents of Deterioration, officially opened with a members' sneak preview Friday night.

Guests looked carefully to find one of the featured artifacts in an historic photograph of the Study building as Lew Wallace used it.

Members enjoyed a variety of sweet and savory treats, from sugar cookies to bacon-wrapped dates, as they took in the exhibit.

The wall clings detailing the different agents of deterioration were a focal point of the exhibit. Each graphic consists of a close-up of something on exhibit, making a scavenger hunt that intrigued guests...

...including our youngest visitor!

Come take a close look at the exhibit, open now through December 11.

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

Larry Paarlberg, Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, greets guests to the Member Sneak Preview party for the opening of the Museum's new exhibit, "Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace."

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10

Larry Paarlberg, Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, greets guests to the Member Sneak Preview Party for the opening of the Museum's new exhibit, "Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace."

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

All Local Crawfordsville Museums Debut New Exhibits

Crawfordsville’s local cultural attractions are gearing up for another exciting visitation season, preparing new exhibits, displays and presentations in anticipation of their public openings next week.

The Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County will kick off its 2010 season on Tuesday, March 2 with its Annual Meeting of the Membership of the Friends of the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County from 5:00-8:00 p.m., where members will get a first look at the Museum’s new exhibits and meet the 2010 Invention Convention contest winners. Beginning March 3, 2010, the Carnegie Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. The Carnegie’s upcoming exhibits include: The Story of Sugar Creek, in conjunction with the Friends of Sugar Creek; Democracy in Action, a collaborative project with the Montgomery County League of Women Voters; Invention Convention and High School Prom. In June and July the Carnegie will host Inside Peanuts: the Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz.

The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, which has been open to visitors since February 3, will debut their new exhibit, Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace during a members-only sneak preview party on March 3 and a public grand opening on Saturday, March 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Sanctuary exhibit features images and artifacts relating to the unique Study building, Wallace’s personal sanctuary, ideally suited to his interests in science, art, and reminiscing. The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum is open for regular tours on Wednesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00-5:00 p.m.

The Rotary Jail Museum will present its new exhibit featuring the artwork of the Sugar Creek Quilters Guild Study Groups, beginning with a reception on March 14 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The exhibit will be on display at the Jail through May 31. Visitors will be able to view beautiful finished quilts such as a Quilt of Hope, which will be given to a cancer patient after the exhibit, and a Quilt of Valor, which will be presented to a local soldier.

In addition to finished quilts, the exhibit will feature individual quilt blocks and some works in progress from quilters who are learning new techniques. Quilts in-the-making serve to illustrate another dimension of quilt creation, according to Montgomery County Cultural Foundation Executive Director Tamara Hemmerlein. “Our unfinished quilts show all that goes into the construction of a quilt, and the incredible amount of work and creativity that is invested into each piece.”

The solemn traditions in a Victorian-era house of mourning will be interpreted this year at Lane Place with their new exhibit, Coffins, Crape and Cakes: Nineteenth-Century Mourning at the Lane Place. The mirrors of the stately antebellum mansion will be draped in black, the doorbell will be muffled, and an elegant casket will stand in the formal parlor to illustrate the regular customs adopted by bereaved families in the Victorian period. The exhibit will run through November 2010; The Lane Place is open for tours on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00-5:00 p.m.

The Ropkey Armor Museum, located north of State Road 32 on CR 150 North in Crawfordsville, will feature it's newly restored Viet Nam era Tank, the M 41 Walker Bulldog, this spring. This summer the museum will offer its initial presentation of the "Faces of Freedom" exhibit, inspired by the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. They will also be introducing to their collection a reproduction of the mural by well-known artist Don Peters commemorating the Allied liberation of Rome during WWII. On September 17-19, the museum will be hosting the regional convention and open house of Military Vehicle Preservation Association, and on November 11, Veterans Day, the Ropkey Museum will hold its first-annual Veterans Bean Soup Supper in support of the local VFW and American Legion.

For more information on these museums and others in the area, contact the Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau at 765-362-5200 or visit them online at www.crawfordsville.org.

One Case Down!

The 2010 exhibit, Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace, is taking shape! Amanda McGuire and Deb are working diligently with white gloves and power tools to get everything in place. The first case done centers on Wallace's legacy through his best-selling novel Ben-Hur, including some rarely-seen ephemera, and the finished exhibit will open to the public Saturday, March 6.

Sneak Preview

The 2010 exhibit opens in just a few weeks and we are furiously working on displays, exhibits and interactive activities.

Lew Wallace's workbench, replicated by a local woodworker, will be the setting of the 'hands on' display. One of the activities planned is a block puzzle representing the Study. Handcrafted by volunteer Dave Alber, a magical woodworker himself, the puzzle consists of wood blocks in various shapes and sizes. Children and adults can 'build' the Study

Stained glass windows, porthole windows, faces from the Study's frieze are just some of the embellishments that can be added to the Study.

More 'hands on' activities are planned for the exhibit as well as programs throughout the year!

Study Snapshots: 2009 Exhibit Opening

After months of preparation, the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum debuted its 2009 exhibit, Embattled: General Wallace's Leadership in the Civil War to members of the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society on Friday, March 20.

Gail Stephens, author and Wallace historian, greeted the crowd and shared her experiences guest curating the new exhibit.

The following day, March 21, was the Public Opening of the Embattled exhibit, featuring two discussions on Wallace in the Civil War with Gail Stephens.
The Embattled exhibit was a rousing success, integrating the story of Wallace's battle experience with his original artifacts, as well as reproduction uniforms and Civil War sundries that children could handle and wear.

--Kara Edie, Visitor Services & Marketing Coordinator

New Civil War Exhibit Opening Soon at GLWSM

CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN, March 14, 2009— Lew Wallace found passion and inspiration in battle at a young age.

“When night came, and my mother tucked me in the little trundle-bed with my elder brother, I had gained such store of wisdom pertaining to war that it passed into my dreams, and from them into my life; so I promised myself, saying many times, ‘Wait until I am a man.’”

American history bears witness to Wallace’s glorious victories and shocking setbacks in battle once he did become a man. To honor his militant spirit, the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum will soon debut its new exhibit, Embattled: General Wallace’s Leadership in the Civil War.

The Lynne D. Hohlbein Education Room in the General’s former Carriage House is being prepared with personal artifacts from Wallace’s career in the Civil War. The exhibit will tell the story of Wallace’s lifelong fascination with military struggle, beginning in his youth watching his father elegantly uniformed as the colonel of a county militia.

Taking a cue from its name, the Embattled exhibit will illustrate not only Wallace’s wartime glories, but also the denigration and loss of reputation he suffered as a result of his missteps in crucial battles. Some reports state that Wallace’s actions—most notably during the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee—may have cost lives.

“Wallace’s Civil War career was fraught with low periods as well as great victories,” said Amanda Wesselmann, Associate Director of the Museum. “We wanted to show a balanced view—not only Wallace as hero, but also Wallace as fallible.”

The Embattled exhibit also marks the first themed exhibit at the Museum that is guest curated. Gail Stephens, historian, author and Wallace scholar from Maryland, has done extensive research on General Wallace’s military history, especially his actions during the conflicts in Shiloh and Monocacy, Maryland, and is currently writing a history of Wallace’s Civil War career for the Indiana Historical Society Press. Stephens has written most of the interpretive text for the Embattled exhibit and has designed the exhibit to tell the complete story of Wallace’s military history.

“It’s been a great joy to work on the Embattled exhibit,” said Stephens. “In the course of several years of work on my book about Wallace’s controversial Civil War career, I’ve found a lot of new material about the man and his participation in the country’s greatest and most tragic conflict. I believe this portrait of Major General Lew Wallace adds weight and sophistication to previous accounts – and I believe he would see himself in it.”

As in previous exhibits at the Museum, the Embattled exhibit will feature General Wallace’s personal artifacts on display, as well as replica versions of some common Civil War-era materials that can be worn, handled and examined to give children a greater understanding of that era.

“It’s one thing to read about the Civil War in history books and learn how oppressive and scary the conditions sometimes were,” said Wesselmann. “It’s quite another thing to put on several layers of wool uniform and imagine marching for miles in the summer heat. Our goal is to help our visitors put themselves in the shoes of the men and women of the Civil War era.”

Accompanying this year’s exhibit is a full slate of events and educational programming that revolves around the theme of leadership in the Civil War. The Brown Bag Book Club, returning in June and continuing throughout the summer, will feature selections that explore leadership and success in today’s society (Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers will be featured in July) as well as during the mid-1800s (June’s featured book will be Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz, and August’s selection will be Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin).

The Embattled: General Wallace’s Leadership in the Civil War exhibit will debut with an invitation-only Sneak Preview Party for donors and members of the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, held at the Carriage House Interpretive Center on Friday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. The opening reception will feature remarks by Suanne Milligan, President of the Society, Guest Curator Gail Stephens and Museum Director Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko.

The Public Opening of the Embattled exhibit will take place on Saturday, March 21. Museum admission will be free that day and refreshments will be served. Guest Curator Gail Stephens will discuss her role in the new exhibit in a special discussion at 11:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. The Study building will also be open to view the new permanent exhibit, The Ben-Hur Legacy, created by Guest Curator Amanda McGuire.

“We’re very enthusiastic about this new exhibit,” said Wesselmann. “Finally, instead of rumors and hearsay, General Wallace’s Civil War leadership will get the balanced examination it deserves.”

Building the Legacy

I started an internship here in November to research, write, and fabricate an exhibit about Lew Wallace’s legacy through the various productions of Ben-Hur for the Legacy Gallery in the mechanical room of the Study. While I have worked on small parts of exhibits before, this is the first exhibit I have researched, designed, fabricated and installed from start to finish. It was a learning process with plans that changed almost on a daily basis. I started by reading everything the museum had about Ben-Hur and turning that research into seven short labels about the evolution of the novel. I then chose artifacts and figured out how everything would fit together. It was like doing a puzzle without the picture to use as a guide. I purchased mounts for the smaller artifacts with grant funds. I also made a form that would support the Roman soldier’s costume from the 1959 Ben-Hur film. This exercised my carpentry and sewing skills as well as my experience handling artifacts.

During the week of exhibit installation, the design changed at least once a day in order to fit all of the pieces together, but I think the end result accomplishes what was planned. The legacy of Ben-Hur is told in one space instead of being spread throughout the Study. The artifacts – especially the costume and sandals – are properly supported so they can survive for many more generations of visitors to see. This project also allows the Study to return more to what it looked like when Lew was using it. This was a great experience for me and I loved every step of it. I realized that museum work changes regularly with unforeseen complications, and I worked by myself and with the staff to overcome any difficulties. I definitely learned that Ben-Hur was more than just a movie with a chariot race, and I am hoping visitors will learn about the many ways Ben-Hur impacted the world.

Amanda McGuire, Museum Intern

Open for the Season!

It's February 1st, and the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum is once again open for tours! Just a reminder about our hours:

Wednesday-Saturday: 10:00 a.m. -- 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. -- 5:00 p.m.

If you're interested in tours on Monday or Tuesday, be sure to call ahead (765-362-5769) for an appointment.

Our next exhibit, Embattled: General Wallace's Leadership in the Civil War, will debut to the public on Saturday, March 21. A special sneak preview of the blockbuster exhibit will take place on Friday, March 20 for members of the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society. Not a member? Sign up today to support this National Historic Landmark and receive some great member benefits.

We have a terrific, event-filled schedule in the works for 2009, including tried-and-true favorites like our annual Lew Wallace Youth Academy and Civil War Encampment, as well as new events like this fall's Leadership Symposium. And of course, our 3rd Annual Taste of Montgomery County will be bringing record crowds to our beautiful grounds on August 29! Our complete event calendar will be updated on our website very soon, so be sure to see all the fun we have to offer and make your plans to visit.

See you @ the Study!

--Kara Edie, Visitor Services & Marketing Coordinator

Gentleman Scientist exhibit opens to wide acclaim

After months of planning and weeks of careful installation, Lew Wallace—Gentleman Scientist, the new interactive exhibit at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, has finally opened to wide public acclaim.

The sneak preview party, open to members of the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, was held on Friday, March 28, at the Museum and at the former Wallace home in Crawfordsville. Members enjoyed a wine and cheese reception while learning about the new exhibit from Museum Director Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. “We are so grateful to our Science Advisory Committee for helping us conceptualize this exhibit,” said Catlin-Legutko in her remarks. “The staff and I have been engaged with this exhibit since last year, and it’s very gratifying to see it come to fruition.”

After the reception, members moved to the Carriage House Interpretive Center, which had been transformed into a creative workshop dedicated to Wallace’s achievements in the realms of invention, innovation and the natural world. Large-scale vinyl images of Wallace’s patent drawings have been reproduced and now hang on the walls, next to some of his inspiring quotations. Artifacts from Wallace’s avocation as an inventor sit side by side with his fishing equipment and original materials he used in the construction of his unique Study building. A special Creativity Station invites both children and their families to design and build their own structures out of Lego® blocks, or to draw their own inventions and have them specially “patented” by staff with a specialized Museum seal embosser.

Another exciting addition to the new exhibit is the collection of backpacks filled with binoculars, field guides and drawing supplies that visitors can check out and utilize on the Museum’s shady grounds to become a true nature observer. Instructions are included on methods of bird watching, identifying trees, and more.

The public opening of the “Gentleman Scientist” exhibit took place on Saturday, March 29, and a brisk day full of bright sunshine greeted visitors from throughout the region as they came to the Museum. “Visitation is up markedly since the beginning of March,” said Museum Associate Director Amanda Wesselmann. “We had quite a crowd today, coming to see both the new exhibit and the Study. We hope this momentum carries throughout the exhibit year.”
The upcoming year features events and educational programming that complement the “Gentleman Scientist” theme, including community favorites the Lew Wallace Youth Academy and the second-annual Taste of Montgomery County. The next events in the 2008 exhibit year are Park Day on April 5, an annual comprehensive cleanup of the Museum grounds in preparation for the coming year, and Lew Wallace’s Birthday Celebration on April 10, a party for children and their families celebrating Wallace’s 181st birthday with games, gifts, refreshments, and the planting of the new Lew Wallace Children’s Garden.

Lew Wallace--Gentleman Scientist exhibit opens 3/29

Lew Wallace's fascinating and little-known avocation as inventor, innovator and naturalist will be the focus of this year's exhibit theme, Lew Wallace-Gentleman Scientist, opening Saturday in the Carriage House Interpretive Center of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum.

The museum staff has been busy selecting related artifacts, composing the narrative that will serve as label copy, fabricating vinyl panel reproductions of some of Wallace's patent drawings, and constructing hands-on activities that will appeal to children and adults alike."Just like last year's Wallace Women exhibit, we are designing the Gentleman Scientist exhibit in a way that visitors will be able to relate to Lew Wallace's lessons of innovation and conservation and apply them to their own experiences," said Museum Director Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. "People will see Wallace's solutions to some of the problems of his day, and they'll be encouraged to test out their own."

Some of the interactive elements of this year's exhibit include a patent drawing station where children can design their own inventions and have them specially "patented" and displayed inside the Carriage House. "We have a special embosser that we'll use to certify visitors' drawings as 'official' Museum patents," said Catlin-Legutko.

For even younger visitors, the Gentleman Scientist exhibit will introduce a colorful component. Using Lego® blocks, children (and their parents) will be encouraged to copy Wallace's design of his unique Study building or to create a Study of their own. "Lew Wallace's Study reflects a design that is uniquely his, something that fulfilled all of his needs," Catlin-Legutko said. "We're excited to see what visitors can dream up for themselves."

Accompanying the Gentleman Scientist exhibit will be a full year of educational programming and community events that revolve around the theme. New this year are an architectural discovery walking tour and "Discovery Saturday," an assortment of hands-on education stations located throughout the Museum and grounds that illustrate lessons of innovation and the natural world.

In addition, the Museum's successful annual programs such as the Lew Wallace Youth Academy, the Artists in Residence Program and the Brown Bag Book Club will showcase themes that tie in to the exhibit.For members of the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, the Museum will host a special Sneak Preview Party on Friday at 5 p.m. Members will be able to take a first look at the Gentleman Scientist exhibit amid refreshments and camaraderie with the Staff and Trustees.Invitations to members were mailed last week. The public opening of the exhibit takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.