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Category: Videos
Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Videos
Dan DenDanto and the Maine State Museum’s Whale Exhibit
On October 24, 2024, the Friends of the Maine State Museum welcomed Dan DenDanto of Allied Whale as the featured speaker for their annual meeting. Dan walked the audience through the work he has been doing to prepare two whale skeletons, an adult female humpback (known as Vector to the scientists that tracked her) and […]
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Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Staff Happenings, Videos
Mystery Tusk: Searching for Elephants in the Maine Woods
Gary Hoyle, author and former Natural History Curator at the Maine State Museum, discussed his book, Mystery Tusk: Searching for Elephants in the Maine Woods, at the Friends of the Maine State Museum annual meeting on October 19, 2023. His illustrated talk described one of his great achievements for the museum: the 1993 excavation of […]
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Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Staff Happenings, Videos
Humpback Whale Skeleton-Maine State Museum Exhibit
These two humpback whale skeletons are currently being cleaned and prepared for exhibit by Whales and Nails, a company located in Seal Cove, Maine. The Skill and knowledge behind Whales and Nails is Dan DenDanto. A senior scientist with Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic, Dan has been cleaning, restoring, and articulating whale […]
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Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Videos
Behind the Scenes-Museum Storage
Do you ever wonder what happened to all those big objects that were on exhibit at the Maine State Museum? Before museum renovations could begin in 2022, staff had to dismantle exhibits and find space to safely store hundreds of objects. Many of these objects have been on exhibit for over 40 years. They had […]
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News, Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Staff Happenings, Videos
Mo Rocca, Samantha Smith, and the Maine State Museum
In December 2022, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Mo Rocca came to Maine to learn about Samantha Smith. Curator Laurie LaBar describes the behind-the-scenes work that goes into preparing for a research trip. Watch the video below to learn more!
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Around the Kennebec Valley: The Herman Bryant Collection Presentation by Author Gay Grant
On October 20, 2022, author Gay Grant presented a slideshow about her latest book Around the Kennebec Valley: The Herman Bryant Collection – featuring images from one of the Maine State Museum’s most significant photograph collections. Watch the video below to learn more!
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Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Videos
Exploring Exhibits & Objects up Close: Back to Nature Exhibit
Celebrate the museum’s Back to Nature exhibit which opened almost 50 years ago! Join us in saying goodbye to an old friend! The Maine State Museum’s beloved Back to Nature exhibit opened almost 50 years ago. The natural scenes were painstakingly created or collected one plant and creature at a time. In this behind-the-scenes video, […]
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Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Staff Happenings, Videos
Behind the Scenes-Education Center Bird Case
Planning work continues for the newly renovated museum space. In this video, exhibit designer Brewster Buttfield shares his vision for the display cases in the new education center. Brewster is working closely with education staff to capture the spirit and unique attributes of Maine’s bird population. They will choose highlights from the hundreds of bird […]
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Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Staff Happenings, Videos
MSM Freezer for Conservation
The Maine State Museum is up and running with an important, though at first glance surprising, new collections care tool – a walk-in freezer, with over 750 cubic feet of space and the ability to reach temperatures below -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The freezer has found its home in the museum’s natural science collection storage space. […]
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Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Videos
Museum Moments: The Ice Box
The rise in the use of ice by individuals was in part due to the improvements in ice boxes, specifically incorporating insulation and circulation for better food preservation. By the mid 1800’s the ice box was commonly found in middle class American homes. The Kennebec River dominated the ice harvesting industry in Maine, providing more […]
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