Exhibition Development as Applied Anthropology: An Exhibit Review of Coast to Cactus in Southern California

Abstract

C to Cactus in Southern California is a new permanent exhibition that opened at the San Diego Natural History Museum in January 2015. With a focus on the unique habitats of Southern California, Coast to Cactus invites visitors to journey through coastal wetlands, urban canyons, high mountains, and desert regions of the area. It uses specimens from the Museum’s scientific collections along with immersive environments, hands-on interactives, and media. The overall goal of Coast to Cactus is to present the biodiverse and rare ecosystems that make up the Southern California landscape, along with strong conservation messaging about the region’s critically threatened species. All information is presented in English and Spanish. Coast to Cactus does not have a designated order in which visitors proceed from one topic to the next. The exhibit is organized by the different habitats. Sign posts affixed to the wall orient visitors to the coast, chaparral, desert, or mountains. As visitors move through the exhibit, each habitat comprises a separate area that looks and feels different from the others. For example, in the chaparral, the visitor stands in the middle of a hand painted “storybook” and reads the tale of how periodic wildfires are a natural part of this dynamic ecosystem. Another organizational overlay is that of the seasons: visitors experience fall in the chaparral, winter in the mountains, spring in the desert, and summer in urban San Diego. When conceiving of how “anthropology is used within museums,” the typical point of entry is how topics of anthropological interest are used and displayed within museum settings, and primarily museums as communicators of anthropological knowledge. This exhibit EXHIBITION DEVELOPMENT AS APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY: AN EXHIBIT REVIEW OF COAST TO CACTUS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA