Past Exhibits
CHF has mounted numerous exhibits featuring objects from CHF collections as well as objects on loan. Many of these exhibits were created in cooperation with other institutions, including the Hagley Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Franklin Institute, and the American Philosophical Society. Past exhibits at CHF include:
sLowlife
A dynamic multimedia exhibition that presents plants as complex, living beings, this exhibit features time-lapse movies which showed plants as they sense and respond to their environment. The gallery-style presentation includes photographs of remarkable plants, original sound compositions based on plant movements, concise text, and live plant material. View Indiana University’s exhibit site >
Molecules That Matter
This exhibit showcases ten organic molecules that profoundly altered our world in the twentieth century: aspirin, isooctane, penicillin, polyethylene, nylon, DNA, progestin, DDT, Prozac, and buckminsterfullerene. By associating each molecule with a decade of the twentieth century, the show demonstrated the impact molecular science has on us as individuals and as a society. Purchase the exhibit book >
Joseph Priestley, Radical Thinker
A special exhibit on the life and times of Joseph Priestley—18th-century philosopher, radical thinker, and founding father of modern chemistry. Purchase the exhibit book >
Revolutionary Tools
An exhibit on 20th-century chemical instrumentation and the transformation of the chemical sciences, showcasing over 15 instruments, including Arnold Beckman’s groundbreaking pH meter.