Museum Moment: Conservation Reveals Surprises on Historic Mural Maps

Catch a 20-minute "Museum Moment" with the Interior Museum's registrar Jason Jurgena during your lunch break! The Museum's original exhibits from the 1930s may no longer be on view, but that doesn’t mean they're gone. Many elements of them are now part of the Museum’s permanent collection, and their purpose has transformed from didactic to historic, and sometimes even to artistic! Some of our recent art conservation efforts on large 1930s and 1940s painted mural maps featuring National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation lands have unexpectedly yielded considerable insight into the Department of the Interior and its bureaus over time.  Jason will share some of those surprises uncovered among the paint layers and will also have on hand some smaller examples of didactic-turned-museum-object for you to see.

Museum Moments are a new series of brief, 20-minute informal presentations in which you can count on hearing, visiting, learning, or seeing something fascinating related to the Department of the Interior's history. It might be a special artifact, a tie-in with a historical event, a mini-tour, a new addition to the museum's collection, or even a behind-the-scenes peek at a current museum project. 

Special Assistance - For those in need of special assistance (such as an interpreter for the hearing impaired) or inquiries regarding the accessible entrance, please notify museum staff at (202) 208-4743 in advance of the program. Special needs will be accommodated whenever possible.

Building Access - All adults must present a valid, government-issued photo ID to enter the building. All visitors will be subject to security screenings, including bag and parcel checks.

Location - The Museum gallery is located on the first floor, just beyond the C Street Lobby visitor entrance to the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC, 20240.