Members Nights 2019

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Upcoming at the Museum and in our community

17072017 Pamanang Pinoy: A Retrospective

Join us for an event

Asian Popular Culture Teacher Professional Development with exclusive access to the Pokemon exhibition. 

Join us for a professional development workshop on Thursday, July 23rd, from 8:00 AM &ndash;12:00 PM CDT!
Asian popular culture can help shape how many students understand identity, history, and global culture. In this interactive professional learning experience, educators will explore how popular media can serve as a powerful entry point into inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, and culturally responsive teaching.
Through hands-on item and image inquiry activities, participants will examine how popular culture reflects historical context, cultural values, migration, representation, and contemporary social issues across Asia and Asian diasporas. Educators will leave with adaptable strategies and classroom-ready activities that connect student interests to deeper learning across disciplines, from ancient history to current events.
Participants will:
<ul>
<li>Explore ways to leverage Asian popular culture to teach both historical and contemporary topics</li>
<li>Engage in inquiry-based learning using images, media, and cultural artifacts</li>
<li>Reflect on how popular media can communicate cultural identity and historical truths</li>
<li>Develop engaging, student-centered activities that center Asian stories and perspectives</li>
</ul>
Your registration includes:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Materials</li>
<li dir="ltr">Light breakfast</li>
<li dir="ltr">Private early-hour access at 8:00am (timed entry) to Pok&eacute;mon Fossil Museum! Please note, the Pok&eacute;mon Fossil Museum exhibition store will not be open, and access to the exhibit does not include the trading card.</li>
</ul>
Registration will remain open until Thursday, July 16, 2026, or until full.
All sales final.
Educators who complete the workshop will receive 4 hours of Illinois Professional Development Credit (CPDUs). Questions? Contact Ria Pretekin, rpretekin@fieldmuseum.org&nbsp;

Field Museum Connections: AANHPI Stories &amp; the TEAACH Act programming is made possible with the generous support of the Cyrus Tang Foundation.

Acknowledgments

Sponsor

Northern Trust (stack)

<h3 align="center">Official Partner</h3>

Accenture

<h3 align="center">Additional Support Provided By</h3>

enjoy illinois 

Engaging Students Through Asian Popular Culture and Inquiry

Field Museum Connections: AANHPI Stories & the TEAACH Act Workshops

Field Trip 577 (Johnston 2020)

In this two-day, interdisciplinary session, explore how fossils – and art! – hold clues for interpreting the past.

Join us at the Field Museum on Wednesday, July 8 from 9am-12pm and Thursday, July 9 from 8-10am for this year&rsquo;s exciting two-day Summer Institute &ndash; Interpreting Prehistoric Worlds: Fossils, Art, and Inquiry.
In this two-day, interdisciplinary session, educators will explore how fossils hold clues for interpreting the past.
We will engage in inquiry with fossils and reflect upon how art, including popular media, can be used to help us illuminate both what we know and what we do not.
Educators will . . .&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Understand: Fossils hold clues for interpreting the past.</li>
<li>Do: Engage in inquiry with fossils and reflect upon how art, including popular media, can be used to help us illuminate</li>
<li>both what we know and what we do not.</li>
<li>Feel: Prepared to engage students with interdisciplinary activities.</li>
</ul>
Science, social science, and fine arts-aligned. Registration is open to formal and informal educators of all levels, though activities for this session are most applicable for teachers of Grades 3-8.&nbsp;
Illinois Educators will earn 5 hours of Professional Development for attending this two-day training.
Your registration includes:
<ul>
<li>Materials</li>
<li>Light breakfast</li>
<li>Private early-hour access to Pok&eacute;mon Fossil Museum! Please note, the Pok&eacute;mon Fossil Museum exhibition store will not be open, and access to the exhibit does not include the trading card.</li>
</ul>
Registration will remain open until Wednesday, July 1, 2026, or until full.
Program questions? Contact Samantha Chapleau, schapleau@fieldmuseum.org.

Summer Institute 2026 – Interpreting Prehistoric Worlds: Fossils, Art, and Inquiry

Pinned, Preserved, and Powerful: How Collections Help Us Do Science

Join us in person at the Field Museum for a professional learning experience and workshop!

Professional Development for Educators

SUE Gallery 1327 (Hewett 2018)

Dinopalooza 2026

Join us for our fourth annual paleontology extravaganza!

Dinopalooza

Dinopalooza is back!

Families with children ages 2&ndash;6 are invited to a free, drop-in PlayDate packed with fossil fun in the Crown Family PlayLab! Celebrate the opening of the Pok&eacute;mon Fossil Museum exhibit with hands-on activities, crafts, and fossil-filled discoveries. Dig into the world of paleontology and discover how science inspires some of your favorite Pok&eacute;mon.
Please note: Our facilitated movement activity kicks off promptly at 10:30 a.m., followed by a craft you can enjoy anytime until 12:00 p.m.

PlayLab PlayDate: Fossil Fun Fest

PlayLab PlayDate: Pollinator Week Storytime with Chicago Public Library

PlayLab PlayDate: Pollinator Week Storytime with the Field Museum Science Action Center

PlayLab PlayDate: Mother's Day Storytime & Craft

PlayLab PlayDate: Father's Day Storytime & Craft

PlayLab PlayDate: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Storytime with Chicago Public Library

PlayLab PlayDate: James Hutton Turns 300! 

PlayLab PlayDate: Pride Month & Stonewall Day Storytime and Craft

PlayLab PlayDate: Juneteenth Celebration

PlayLab PlayDate: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Storytime 

PlayLab PlayDate: Cinco de Mayo Celebration

PlayLab PlayDate: Jewish American Heritage Month Storytime

PlayLab PlayDate: May the Fourth Space Rocks Celebration

Drop in to the Crown Family PlayLab for free weekly activities for 2-6 year olds!

PlayLab PlayDates

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Designed for children between two and six years old, this interactive, hands-on space makes learning an adventure.
</div>

Kids in the PlayLab make music (or joyful noise) with instruments from around the world.

Educators, join us for Pollinator Week and explore how scientific collections support conservation, biodiversity research, and the process of doing science. Designed for 6&ndash;8th grade educators, this hands-on workshop features pollinating insects, specimen mounting and preservation practices, and inquiry-driven strategies that highlight how collections preserve the evidence scientists use to study our changing world.
Participants will:
<ul>
<li>Explore how scientific collections preserve evidence used to study biodiversity, environmental change, and conservation over time.</li>
<li>Engage in authentic scientific practices through pollinator specimen observation, mounting, preservation, and inquiry-driven investigation.</li>
<li>Discover classroom-ready strategies that connect pollinators, community science, and NGSS-aligned &ldquo;doing science&rdquo; experiences for students.</li>
</ul>
Educators who complete the workshop will receive 4 hours of Illinois Professional Development Credit (CPDUs)

This hands-on workshop uses scientific collections to help educators explore conservation, biodiversity research, and the authentic process of doing science through observation, inquiry, and evidence-based learning. 

We had such a great time at the first Silent Listening Party that we had to bring it back! Grab another chance to see your favorite Chicago DJs, Ryan Moses, Bonita Appleblunt, and Mo Mami. Enjoy our specialty drinks and menu, plus the stunning work of our live visual artist Kudzai Mutasa.
This experience is included with general admission, but headphone reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis on-site. Arrive early to reserve your spot!
Guest DJs <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mixedbymoses_/reels/">Ryan Moses</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bonitaappleblunt_/">Bonita Appleblunt</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/momamimusic/">DJ Mo Mami</a> 
Host&nbsp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/binkey1/">BINKEY</a>
Visual Artist <a href="https://www.iamkudzai.com/about">Kudzai Blessing Mutasa</a>

Silent Listening Party-Volume No. 2

Living Cultures: Global Sounds, Shared Stories

DJ Ryan Moses

DJ Mo Mami

DJ Bonita Appleblunt

Featuring Chicago DJs and Visual Artists

Two people walk at the base of the north stairs outside the Field Museum.

Field Forward Symposium

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<div>Most moths live their lives after dark &mdash; and most of their stories go untold. Celebrate Moth Week with Field Museum scientists from the Negaunee Integrative Research and Keller Science Action Centers to explore the secret lives of moths, from their stunning diversity and surprising behaviors to their roles as pollinators and indicators of environmental change! See real specimens, ask questions, and discover why these nighttime insects matter. You&rsquo;ll be enchanted by spectacular specimens of the moths you know and love, and be astonished to meet some surprising native pollinators that call Chicago home, too. Learn about how you can take action to help native plants and pollinators, and take home a free Field Guide to help you identify the native plants and pollinators of Chicagoland.</div>
<div>Presenters for this session include Alissa Doucet, Field Museum Scientific Affiliate (Insects), and Nicole Machuca, Environmental Social Scientist, Chicago Region (Field Museum's Keller Science Action Center)</div>
<div></div>

Moth Week! The Secret Lives of Moths: Uncovering Hidden Nighttime Stories

¡Tocamos! Oaxacan Folk Art by Avelino Pérez

Meet a Scientist: Our Cosmic Origins

Meet a Scientist: Caribbean Fossils

Papua New Guinea Collections Celebration

Jewish Botany: Plant Medicine and Magic in the Jewish Diaspora

 Nectar Feeders vs. Insect Hunters: A Closer Look at Bats 

What Insects Call Our Garden Home (and Maybe Yours Too!)

James Hutton, the father of Modern Geology, turns 300 years old

See the latest science firsthand in the Grainger Science Hub.

Meet a Scientist

Everyone is invited to come observe and participate in Art in the Gardens! Field Museum staff and volunteers who dabble in the arts professionally or for fun will be scattered throughout Rice Native Gardens &ndash; the Museum&rsquo;s largest and free outdoor exhibit, creating art inspired by the gardens in a variety of mediums. Wander through to observe and chat with them.&nbsp;
Bring your own art supplies if you want to join in! Drop in and leave anytime.

Drawing Inspiration: Art in the Gardens 

Community Engagement Programming

Rice Native Gardens

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Image for Rice Native Gardens

Statues and the garden in the Rice Native Gardens

The Field Museum is proud to showcase new sculptures from the collection by&nbsp;Oaxacan artist Avelino P&eacute;rez. These beautifully carved and painted figures&nbsp;were created in collaboration with the bilingual children's book author,&nbsp;Cynthia Weill, for her latest publication &iexcl;Tocamos! View our newest&nbsp;acquisitions from Oaxaca and learn about the Field Museum&rsquo;s longstanding&nbsp;partnership with author Cynthia Weill.
Presented by Emma Turner-Trujillo, Assistant Registrar, Anthropology Collections.

Meet a Scientist in the Grainger Science Hub

Cover of ¡Tocamos! © 2025 Lee & Low Books.

Let your poems soar with our pterosaurs. Eric will be on the upper level near the perching quetzalcoatlus replica.

Imagine what it would feel like to stand next to a T. rex. Ponder what flowers smelled like 30 million years ago. See what inspiration you'll find and start turning your ideas into poetry with Eric Elshtain, the Field Museum's first poet in residence.&nbsp;
Join us for a series of weekly events that change how you see the museum—whether you’ve visited once or dozens of times. Encounter objects from our collection. Tour an exhibition. Find our poet in residence at a typewriter station to craft your own poem!
Eric hosts pop-ups most Thursdays from 10am–12pm, in locations across the museum. No prior knowledge of poetry needed. &nbsp;

Poetry Pop-up: On the Wings of Pterosaurs

Poetry Pop-up: Animal Theater

Poetry Pop-up: Poets in the Field

Discover the natural world through poetry at weekly pop-up events featuring the Field’s poet in residence.

Poetry Pop-up

A group gathers at the corner of a diorama case. One man sits a desk with a typerwriter. He looks up to a family of three standing over him. The man in the middle stands with arms around the other two individuals. Both are smiling down at the man seated at the desk. A black box with a glass front holds a rock specimen and is propped up against the leg of the desk.

Poetry Pop-Up

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Imagine what it would feel like to stand next to a T. rex. Ponder what flowers smelled like 30 million years ago. See what inspiration you'll find and start turning your ideas into poetry with Eric Elshtain, the Field Museum's first poet in residence.&nbsp;
Join us for a series of weekly events that change how you see the museum&mdash;whether you&rsquo;ve visited once or dozens of times. Encounter objects from our collection. Tour an exhibition. Find our poet in residence at a typewriter station to craft your own poem!
Eric hosts pop-ups most Thursdays from 10am&ndash;12pm, in locations across the museum. No prior knowledge of poetry needed. &nbsp;

Join Eric and Special Guest Poet Scott Sprunger in the Main Hall for Specialized Poems just for you! 

Join us in the Crown Family PlayLab for a free, drop-in PlayDate outside in the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibition/halls-and-galleries/rice-native-gardens">Rice Native Gardens</a>, celebrating Pollinator Week among the flowers and trees surrounding the Field Museum! &nbsp;Families with 2-6 year olds are invited to a free, drop-in, storytime and movement session hosted by the Chicago Public Library (CPL) and our PlayLab staff. Throughout this interactive read-aloud, CPL readers will feature stories about our favorite pollinators, followed by a movement session to move like a pollinator. Join us outside for a fun-filled PlayDate with stories, songs, and more! (An alternative weather location will be available.)

A monarch in the Field Museum's Rice Native Gardens.

PlayLab PlayDates are free, drop-in activities featuring storytime sessions, music and movement circles, science experiments, and more.

For more information, please see the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datocms-assets.com/44232/1771856923-general-playlab-programs-policies-faqs-updated.pdf">PlayLab&nbsp;Programs FAQs</a>. 

Still have questions? Contact the PlayLab&nbsp;team at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:playlabevents@fieldmuseum.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">playlabevents@fieldmuseum.org</a>.

Families with 2-6 year olds are invited to a free, drop-in storytime session with guests Librarian Megan and Scientist Nicole that will leave you buzzing with excitement. This event will take place in the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibition/halls-and-galleries/rice-native-gardens">Rice Native Gardens</a> (weather permitting) or in the Crown Family PlayLab in the case of inclement weather.

Adult monarch butterflies can be spotted around the garden in the summer. In addition to milkweed, they eat the nectar of flowers like coneflower, or Echinacea. 

PlayLab PlayDates are drop-in activities, free to museum guests with children ages 2-6, featuring storytime sessions, music, crafts, science experiments, and more.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pre-registration is not required! Sessions take place in the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibition/halls-and-galleries/crown-family-playlab">Crown Family PlayLab</a>.&nbsp;

Program length varies, usually from 20 minutes to 1 hour.

For more information, please see the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datocms-assets.com/44232/1771856923-general-playlab-programs-policies-faqs-updated.pdf">PlayLab Programs FAQs</a>. Still have questions? Contact the PlayLab team at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:playlabevents@fieldmuseum.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">playlabevents@fieldmuseum.org</a>.

Families with children ages 2&ndash;6 are invited to a free, drop-in PlayDate to celebrate fatherly figures in their lives on Father's Day. During this storytime and craft session, there will be stories about Dads and a coloring craft for children to share with their loved ones. Join us for a fun-filled PlayDate with stories, coloring, and more!

Media

Legendary Late Hours 

Legendary Late Hours: Open until 9pm on select dates

Celebration featuring the Field Museum Geology Collections Team

Join us in the Crown Family PlayLab for a free, drop-in PlayDate celebrating the 300th Birthday of James Hutton, the Father of Modern Geology! &nbsp;
Families with 2-6 year olds are invited to a free, drop-in, storytime session hosted by the Field Museum Geology Collections team to honor James Hutton, who established theories that impact our geology sciences today. After story time, check out some special geology specimens from a behind-the-scenes collection. Join us for a fun-filled PlayDate with stories, specimens, and more!

Join us in the Crown Family PlayLab for a free, drop-in PlayDate honoring Pride Month and Stonewall Day! &nbsp;Families with 2-6 year olds are invited to a free, drop-in, storytime session hosted by the PlayLab. After story time and throughout the day, families can contribute to our community craft. Join us for a fun-filled PlayDate with stories, crafts, and more!

PlayLab PlayDate: Pride Month

Families with children ages 2&ndash;6 are invited to a free, drop-in PlayDate to celebrate Juneteenth. This PlayDate will feature stories and a craft celebrating the liberation of enslaved Black Americans. Join us for a fun-filled PlayDate with stories and more!

The Juneteenth flag hanging from a balcony at the Field Museum of Natural History

Early Morning: The Pokémon Fossil Museum  

Early Mornings

Collection Quest

Collection Quest, June 4, 6-10pm, for ages 21+

Field Associates Brunch Cruise

Set sail for an unforgettable day on Lake Michigan at the Field Associates' Brunch Cruise fundraiser.

Illinois Free Wednesday  

Beat the mid-week blues and come visit SUE— the Field is free on Wednesdays for Illinois Residents! 

Illinois Free Wednesdays

See an Archaeopteryx come to life, then discover how its body became fossilized.

Celebrate Pollinator Week with scientists from the Gantz Family Collections Center!
Bats are often celebrated as important nighttime pollinators, but not all bats play that role. At this special session, you&rsquo;ll learn about the fascinating diversity of bat diets and adaptations around the globe. Even though Chicagoland&rsquo;s bats do not pollinate our local flowers, they do rely on insect pollinators as part of their diets. Stop by the Grainger Science Hub to learn more and to see a live dissection of our local bat species, and special specimens of pollinating bats from around the world, too. Guests will learn the diversity of bats and be able to recall how our local bats are not pollinators, but they are still an important part of our local ecosystem.
Presenters include Lauren Johnson, Assistant Collections Manager, Mammals. Please note: this session will feature a live dissection.&nbsp;

Feel empowered to be a scientist! Check out equipment scientists use in the field to observe and document insects and see photos and specimens from the insect collections. Discover how even the smaller things in nature are important to biodiversity and learn ways you can document your own observations of nature.
&nbsp;Aster Hasle, Lead Conservation Ecologist, and Karen Klinger, Lead GIS Analyst, Keller Science Action Center.

Learn about James Hutton and how angular unconformities teach us about deep time, and how modern processes going on now teach us about the rock cycle.
Presenters include Paul Mayer, Fossil Invertebrate Collections Manager, and James Holstein, Geology Collections Manager

An international symposium will recognize the legacy of curator of Asian Anthropology, Berthold Laufer (1874–1934), as well as his ongoing impact on current research.

The Academic Legacy of Berthold Laufer: A Commemorative Symposium

Field Favorites in ASL

See the best of what the Field Museum has to offer in this 45-minute guided tour presented in American Sign Language.

Titanosaur 3D: The Story of Máximo

Australia’s Great Wild North

After the Age of Dinosaurs

Pokémon Fossil Museum

VR Transporter at the Field Museum

Drop in the Ocean

Adult Rex Sunset Burst: UNLEASHING THE GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS: The GOAT roars to life again in the epic new documentary T. REX

T.REX: The Story of SUE 3D

June 10th marks the Field Museum’s Annual Giving Day!

Science

Cyrus Tang Hall of China 99 (Hewett 2018)

Culture

Native Seed Harvesting

Community

McDonald's Prep Lab staff at microscopes.

Discovery

Field Mueum North Entrance - Maximo banners

The new species of octopus, 5,800 feet deep in the ocean near Isla Darwin. Photo credit: Charles Darwin Foundation.

This newly-discovered blue octopus from the Galápagos Islands could curl up in the palm of your hand

Left: Crystals growing inside a bone found at the Lingjing archaeological site; these crystals were used to date the site, and the tools found there, to an ice age 146,000 years ago. Photo by Zhanyang Li. Right: One of the 146,000-year-old stone cores used to make butcher’s tools found in Lingjing, China. Photo by Yuchao Zhao.

Ice Age butcher’s tools are a sign of ancient humans’ creativity during hard times

Sabina Cveček documenting pottery assemblage from an ancient house from a 5,000-year old house at Çukuriçi Höyük in western Türkiye, offering insight into everyday life and kinship practices in Early Bronze Age households.

Ancient burial practices and DNA research reveal that family goes beyond genetic relatedness

(Left) Woolly Dogs is now open in Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories, 2025 (Right) Eliot White-Hill Kwulasultun, co-curator of Woolly Dogs.

Gone, but not forgotten: How an extinct dog breed still lives on through memory and tradition in Coast Salish communities

Press Room

Visit

Michael B.

Simply one of the best natural history museums anywhere.

View of Full Circle/Omani Wakan exhibition, showing multiple display cases, each housing intricately detailed figures.

Full Circle/Omani Wakan: Lakota Artist Rhonda Holy Bear

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Simply one of the best natural history museums anywhere.

Ram R.

The museum is full of amazing facts and provides a fantastic educational experience.

The museum is full of amazing facts and provides a fantastic educational experience.

Tanner C.

The upper level is great, and the dinosaur and China exhibits were particular standouts.

The upper level is great, and the dinosaur and China exhibits were particular standouts.

Danielle R.

You get to get up close to all of the exhibits, which is super cool for kids and adults.

You get to get up close to all of the exhibits, which is super cool for kids and adults.

The amount of beautiful taxidermy is insane and I had the time of my life.

The amount of beautiful taxidermy is insane and I had the time of my life.

David

Whether you&rsquo;re an expert or just a casual enthusiast, there&rsquo;s something for everyone here.

Whether you’re an expert or just a casual enthusiast, there’s something for everyone here.

Visitor services helping a guest in Stanley Field Hall

Tickets & Pricing

Entrance to Soldier Field parking garage with Field Museum visible in background

Directions & Parking

Native Truths Opening (Young 2022)

Accessibility

Excavator Pikachu

Pokémon Fossil Museum Programming