Cabinet of Curiosities
You Now Have Permission to Snoop Through This Museum
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is bringing a whole new meaning to a treasure-hunting trip.
“Old things have a good smell,” says Havens, whose love of collecting came in handy while curating the newly unveiled Cabinet of Curiosities exhibition at the museum. “And I love making order out of chaos.”
The show is the museum’s spin on a phenomenon that has roots in the Renaissance but peaked in popularity during the Victorian era, where by middle-class Europeans would proudly display their own collections in a cabinet—or sometimes in an entire room—fresh off a treasure-hunting trip.
The HMNS interprets this 16th-to-19th century practice by showcasing thousands of pieces from the museum’s education collection. In one room, a giant crocodile hangs from the ceiling along with “bone clones,” or replicas of animal skulls, sprinkled about the area. In another, cabinet drawers filled with knickknacks sit open for visitors to explore. “I love the drawers because I’ll forget what’s in them,” says Havens.
One of Havens’s favorite aspects of the show is its broad appeal. “The kids have an abandoned wonder, while adults understand the attachment to certain items,” says Havens. But the most exhilarating part of the exhibit, anyone with a sibling or roommate will understand: “It’s like nosing through people’s stuff and having permission to do so,” says Havens, “which is always fun.”
