16 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2021 | LEOMINSTER CHAMPION
COVER STORY A lioness head in storage. VEER MUDAMBI
Straight out of
history
EcoTarium puts its past on display with 2nd Worcester Community Curation exhibit Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
Walking through the EcoTarium, with its modern design and shiny, interactive exhibits, it’s easy to forget it's actually one of Worcester’s oldest institutions. Founded by the Worcester Natural History Society in 1825, the EcoTarium is coming up on its second centennial. h If letting an accumulated treasure trove of two centuries languish in storage seems like a waste, that’s because it is. It was clear to the staff that new exhibits are called for to cycle through the valuable cache of items in the repository. But how does one begin to choose what gets showcased and when? h Museum staff found an elegant but simple solution — if the goal was to share the collection with the community, why not let the community decide? The result was the fi rst Worcester Community Curation exhibit in 2019. While it was meant to be an annual event, the museum’s “hibernation” during the 2020 pandemic means that the present one is the second rather than the third. The new exhibit opened on Oct. 20. See EXHIBIT, Page 17
