The Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Art

For me, the Natural History Museum and the Art Museum have always been known as the Dino Museum, but the large, stone building is filled with more than just fossils. Along with dinosaurs, the museum contains art, gems and minerals, cultural artifacts, and more.

This is a photograph of the Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil in the museum.

The History of the "Dino Museum"

The history museum was created by Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist who gained his wealth and fame by successfully expanding the steel industry in Pittsburgh and throughout the country. Carnegie's vision for the museum was to create a place where visitors from all aspects of society could experience the many wonders of nature. The museum doors were opened in 1895 allowing a flood of eager "Pittsburghers" to enter and see remnants from ancient Egypt, alluring minerals, and fascinating dinosaur fossils. The museum still has the same artifacts from when it first opened, and additions are always being made. There are approximately 20 different exhibits to visit and explore.

The History of the Carnegie Museum of Art

The art museum is housed in the same building as the history museum. The two museums make up half of the four Carnegie Museums. The gallery was originally named the Department of Fine Arts, but was changed to the Museum of Art. This change was in order to differentiate between the museum and the arts college at Carnegie Mellon. The final name change was in 1986 when the museum became the Carnegie Museum of Art. This change was a way to show the relationship between the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Science Center, and the Andy Warhol Museum. The art museum sees around 500,000 visitors annually. Guests wander through the many rooms holding priceless pieces of art.

Long Time, No See

It had been years since I'd last visited the museum. While pulling into the parking lot I wondered if the attractions inside would look the same as I had once remembered. Walking inside and looking to my right I saw the bright, color blocked wall leading upstairs to the art museum, and a smile spread across my face. The entrance with the dark stairs and floor and the vivid wall looked just the same as I had remembered. After snapping a quick picture of Jake in front of the wall, we decided to travel upstairs to the art museum.

This is my fabulous model, my brother Jake,

posing in front of the colorful wall in the museum

Wandering Through Wonders

This is a photograph of the painting "Water Lilies" by Claude Monet

The art museum was the first part of the museum we strolled through. Entering the quiet space, filled with priceless pieces of art, is always amazing to me. It is difficult to wrap my head around the idea that I'm so close to such expensive, aged pieces of art. One of my favorite parts about visiting art museums is reading the excerpts next to the art and imaging the artists creating the pieces. I always wonder if the artists dreamt of becoming famous or ending up in a museum when they started their work or if it was just a passion or hobby. My personal, favorite art pieces are more abstract and interpretive. I appreciate the amount of work and skill that is required for realism, but it is definitely not my favorite. The painting, "Water Lilies" by Claude Monet, displayed above and in the Art Museum, is a form of impressionism. Impressionism was developed in 1880s Europe, but it was originally an art form that was dismissed for looking "incomplete" compared to realism. The style of art is made up of small brush strokes that place emphasis on the portrayal of light and the changing of light in an environment. The Carnegie Art Museum houses many different art styles including all different types of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and more.

Gleaming Gems

After leaving the Art Museum section, we meandered over towards the dinosaurs, forgetting that there is a forest of gems separating us from the dinos. This "forest" is named the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems. There are around 1,300 minerals that make up the total supply presented in the exhibit. We entered the gallery of gems and were enclosed into a dark room with spotlights showcasing the innumerable crystals in the exhibit. The display room is lined with mirrors making the stones look as though they've been multiplied!

Darling Dinosaurs

Once we traveled through all of the gems, minerals, and art, we finally made it to our favorite section, the dinosaurs! We walked into the exhibit and it felt as though we were walking into the past. I sauntered through the doors of the display room and was met with a giant dinosaur fossil peering at me. One of my greatest, irrational fears is having the fossils and artifacts in the museum come to life! Could you imagine gazing at the fossil with its mouth agape, then all of a sudden, a roar emerges from the bones! I would be frozen from a mix of confusion, terror, and excitement. When I look at different dinosaur fossils I make my own inferences about what I believe their personalities would be like. My personal favorite dinosaur is the diplodocus, which I have always called "the long neck dinosaur." I've always had in inkling that the long necks would be the nicest of all of the dinos. I'm not sure what it is about them, I always imagine a tiny smile spreading across the diplodocus's little face!

The stegosaurus is the most unique looking dinosaur, with triangular plates trailing down the back of the dino from the head to the tail. In terms of personalities of the dinosaurs, the stegosaurus would land in some sort of middle ground. I would assume the stegosaurus has a more aggressive and wicked side compared to the diplodocus. When looking at the fossils, the stegosaurus always looks a little grumpy and annoyed, it seems as though the stegosaurus could snap at any second. The title for the scariest looking dinosaur would have to be a tie! Both the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Triceratops look terrifying! They are giant dinosaurs with a plethora of fork-like teeth defining the inside of their mouths. The only thing that could bump the triceratops into first place is the fact that the T. Rex has such disproportionate arms! The T. Rex has little "baby arms" connected to their large, intimidating bodies, making them a smidgen less scary.

After roaming through all of the exhibits, the Shoops' decided it was time to travel home. While leaving, we once again walked by that memorable, vibrant wall that creates a feeling of nostalgia and happiness. We looked through the windows and saw sprinkles of rain tapping on the glass. We ran to the car and before I knew it, we were reminiscing about our favorite parts of the wonderful day at the museum.