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Museum of Tomorrow: a captivating invitation to imagine a sustainable world

Rio de Janeiro’s new museum, focusing on ideas rather than objects, ecology more than technology, is a little trippy, a little hippy, very worthy but rarely dull

Jutting diagonally into the sky from the old port of Rio de Janeiro is an other-worldly edifice that looks like a cross between a solar-powered dinosaur and a giant air conditioning unit.

The Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), which opens Thursday, must already rank as one of the world’s most extraordinary buildings. But once the public starts to visit this weekend, it may soon also become known for one of the planet’s most powerful arguments for sustainability.

Mixing science and art, the 230m reais (£40m/$59m) institution devotes itself to a topic that is divisive and often depressing: the need for change if mankind is to avoid climate disaster, environmental degradation and social collapse.

For Mayor Eduardo Paes – who will inaugurate the building at a ceremony with President Dilma Rousseff – the museum is the most striking example yet of the regeneration and gentrification of Rio’s port district.

Ten years ago this was one of the city’s poorest and most crime-ridden areas. Today it is in the midst of a vast redevelopment that should make it one of the most desirable areas in Rio. The overhead expressway – the Perimetral – has been demolished, new plazas have opened up, the poor have been driven out and the wealthy corporate residents, including Trump Tower developers, are being invited in.

To attract them, a new Museum of Art was completed here two years ago. It is impressive, but the Museum of Tomorrow is on another scale altogether.

The structure – which was supposed to have opened before last year’s World Cup – looks set to be one of Rio’s most famous tourist sights. With solar spines that bristle above and a fan-like skylight below, it is designed to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Catalan architect Santiago Calatrava says he was inspired by the bromeliads in Rio’s Botanical Gardens. Inside, however, the whitewashed curves are more reminiscent of the 1960s concrete modernism of Oscar Niemeyer.

Funded by the Rio city government with support from sponsors, the building attempts to set new standards of sustainability in the municipality. Compared with conventional buildings, designers say it uses 40% less energy (including the 9% of its power it derives from the sun), and the cooling system taps deep water from nearby Guanabara Bay.

Hugo Barreto, the head director of content, said the museum aimed to set itself apart from other science museums by editorialising about the near-term need for sustainability.

“When people think of the ‘Future’, it usually seems very far away. That’s why we called the museum ‘Tomorrow’. It’s closer. It depends on what we do today,” he said.

The main exhibition is almost entirely digital, focusing on ideas rather than objects. Asking questions about where we come from, where we are and where we are heading, it leads visitors along the 200-metre-long hall through displays ranging from the origins of the planet to our possible futures.

The journey is a little trippy, a little hippy, very worthy but almost never dull. The entrance is a “cosmic portal” containing a film co-directed by City of God director Fernando Meirelles that compresses 13.7bn years of geological change and natural evolution into eight minutes of sensory overload projected by nine projectors inside an egg-shaped cinema.

This contrasts with the next three displays, which are more elegant and thoughtful, each housed within a giant cube with commentary in three languages (Portuguese, Spanish and English). The first is an ethereal installation commissioned from US artist Daniel Wurzel that conveys the flux of matter. This is followed by an immersion into biology, DNA and the connectedness of life within and without our bodies. The final cube takes us into the nervous system, human relationships and culture with 1,200 images arranged as pillars of prayer, sensation, relationships, home life and other themes.

Next is the heart of the museum and its message – a Stonehenge-like cluster of 10-metre tall digital totems that literally overwhelm the visitor with data and images about where we are now: the Anthropocene, an era in which mankind has become a geological force. Standing in the centre of these huge screens and loudspeakers is an impressively discomfiting experience. Clips of burning forests, melting glaciers, dense traffic and Brazil’s recent toxic mudslide flash by, along with a real-time counter of global births and deaths, hockey stick graphs of ocean acidification, ozone depletion and greenhouse gas emissions, and the latest figures on consumption of energy, water and beef.

If that is not enough to convince the viewer, a dark and urgent soundtrack booms out as giant letters flash up in three languages: “We have lived on earth for 200,000 years … Since 1950 we have modified the planet more than in our whole existence … We are more … We consume more … More … More … More.”

“We hope people will come out feeling disturbed or inspired but not indifferent,” the curator Alberto Oliveira says. “If they feel pessimistic, it’s not because of us; it’s because of reality … This is all based on the best available science.”

The museum has partnerships with Brazil’s leading universities, global science institutions and collects real-time data on climate and population from space agencies and the United Nations. It has also hired consultants from a range of related fields, including astronauts, social scientists and climate experts.

Projecting current trends 50 years into the future, the next three exhibits in the Tomorrows area feature interactive games that allow visitors to shape different futures. One measures the visitor’s ecological footprint and then calculates how many planets would be needed to support mankind if everyone on Earth had the same standard of living. Another is a collective Sims-type exercise in which four visitors make decisions – on energy sources, finance, land usage – that can enhance or diminish the survival prospects of humanity.

Given its name, many will come to this museum expecting a sci-fi fantasy future of lasers, robots and space travel. They will be disappointed. There is no technology on display.

The lives of coming generations will undoubtedly be influenced by nanotechnology, robotics, droids, artificial intelligence, geoengineering, hive minds, nuclear fusion and other staples of the commercially imagined future. The absence of any substantive exhibitions on these innovations underplays the role that industry will surely continue to have on our society. Yet it also allows for a sharper focus on human behaviour and a vision of the future that is different from those usually presented by wealthy, industrialised countries.

The world already has plenty of gadget parks, science labs and electric dreamlands. Some are commercial showcases by corporations like Matsushita or Toyota. Others are state-funded patriotic reminders of the host nation’s history of innovation (London’s Science Museum or Paris’s City of Science and Industry and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry ) or commercial showcases of national corporations (Tokyo’s Miraikan )

So it is refreshing to find something different in Brazil, a country that is largely on the receiving end of innovation. Like other emerging economies with huge, fast-urbanising populations, the consequences are often environmental and social pain as much as economic gain. Fittingly, the displays concentrate on ecology more than technology, impact more than innovation.

Given this outlook, the final exhibit is unsurprisingly not about travel to a galaxy far, far away, but instead a back-to-the-pre-modern-basics appeal for sustainable values. It is a wooden structure based on an indigenous house of knowledge where communities share stories. In the centre is the only physical object in the main hall – an ancient Australian aboriginal tjurunga , which is a symbol of learning, fertility, ritual power and the ability to cope with change. Sensors embedded in the structure around it adjust the lights and sounds in the hall according to the movement of visitors – another reminder of how individuals affect the world around them.

From there, visitors exit via the rear of the building, where the glass walls look out over a “reflecting pool” on to one of the world’s most stunning and complex views – distant mountains, the polluted waters of Guanabara Bay, oil tankers, a warship, a plane flying into Santos Dumont airport, the vast span of Niterói bridge and the higgle-piggle of a city of 6 million people.

In this all-too-real today, the museum’s vision of a better tomorrow feels both anomalous and important.

As with the sustainability agenda as a whole, detractors will argue that the museum is filled with contradictions. It is reliant on sponsorship from conglomerates, such as British Gas, Santander Bank and the Roberto Marinho Foundation (which is part of the huge Globo media group) and it is at the forefront of a development that has forced many poor people from their homes.

But for anyone who believes the biggest challenges facing our species are environmental rather than economic and that the most likely solutions are behavioural rather than technological, Rio’s Museu do Amanhã may come to stand out as one of the most engaged museums in the world.

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Age of Humans

A Smithsonian magazine special report

Imagining an Alarming Future at Brazil’s Museum of Tomorrow

The ambitious museum looks at where humankind is headed—and asks how they’ll live in a post-climate-change world

Jennifer Billock

Travel Correspondent

A new sentry stands guard on Rio de Janeiro's harbor: a white, beamed canopy that rises from the ground and points toward the sky—and the future. The Museum of Tomorrow 's intricate architecture moves with the sun, morphing and changing all day long. And inside this innovative building lies something even more dynamic—a futuristic science museum that looks decades ahead and was specifically designed to elicit an emotional response.

This museum for a new generation doesn’t contain any historical artifacts or meditations on how people in the past lived and survived, aside from quick multimedia overviews of how humans came to exist on Earth. What it holds is far more important to the future world: exhibits showing the effects of humans on the planet and what Earth might look like 50 or more years down the road. Each installation incorporates scientist-outlined visions of where the planet is headed in regard to climate change, population size, lifespan, technology, biodiversity and cultural integration—and points to the possibility of a more sustainable future. The museum leads visitors on a journey through five distinct sections. Each attempts to answer a fundamental question : “Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we now? Where are we headed to? And how do we want to get there?”

It’s a complex—and interactive—journey. In Cosmos , visitors lay back to face a movie screen for a short video about Earth’s geology and evolution. In the Earth portion, they investigate three large cubes to learn about where human beings came from. The first contains an installation showing two tangled scarves dancing on wind, meant to represent matter in flux. The next cube revolves around DNA, and the last investigates culture and relationships through 1,200 images.

Then it's time to head into Anthropocene, the centerpiece of the museum. The section focuses on the new Age of Man , modern times in which humans have flourished on—and irreparably impacted—Earth. Visitors stand in the middle of a cluster of 32-foot-high video screens that assault them from every direction with images of destruction. Statistics on how humankind has modified (and often destroyed) Earth flash by along with everything from charts that show how much energy, water and meat are consumed by humans to growing population graphs to images of buildings that spew putrid black smoke into blue skies. From there, suitably horrified guests walk on to the Tomorrows exhibit, where they can play interactive games to learn about different possibilities for the future and how their life choices could affect humanity’s survival.

The development project is not without controversy: It sparked the ire of some Rio residents,  who claim  that the building has pushed out poor citizens and was an unnecessary expenditure ahead of the 2016 Olympics. However, the museum's architecture has drawn applause for its green design. The cutting-edge structure, which was designed by famed Spanish artist Santiago Calatrava, is reminiscent of whalebones or the shell of a ship on the waterside. Fin-like panels along the building's top move in concert with the sun—an innovation used by Calatrava in one of his earlier creations, the Milwaukee Art Museum . The museum's inner workings are as resource-conscious as its exterior is memorable, paying homage to the materials inside. Its fins are actually solar panels, water is drawn from deep in the bay to use in the air-conditioning system, open air pathways keep fresh air circulating and natural light shines down on the exhibition spaces. The result is a museum that uses 40 percent less energy than traditional structures.

Though the building itself is an optimistic example of how mankind can take advantage of renewable resources, the exhibits within were designed to elicit an emotional, and often troubled, response from visitors.

“We hope people will come out feeling disturbed or inspired but not indifferent,” curator Alberto Oliveira  told  The Guardian ’s Jonathan Watts . “If they feel pessimistic, it’s not because of us; it’s because of reality…This is all based on the best available science.” But the main takeaway lies in the last room, Us . Here, visitors walk through a structure full of lights and sounds that interact with their movements, showing that with every action, the world around them is affected.

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Jennifer Billock is an award-winning writer, bestselling author, and editor. She is currently dreaming of an around-the-world trip with her Boston terrier. Check out her website at jenniferbillock.com .

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Museum of Tomorrow / Santiago Calatrava

• Curated by ArchDaily
• Architects: Santiago Calatrava
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  15000 m²
• Photographs Photographs: Gustavo Xavier  , Amanda Marton Ramaciotti
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Corian

Text description provided by the architects. The design of the Museum is inspired by the Carioca culture and through its architecture, explores the relationship between the city and the natural environment. The Museum includes 5,000 square meters of temporary and permanent exhibition space, as well as a 7,600 square meter plaza that wraps around the structure and extends along the dock. The building features large overhangs 75 meters in length on the side facing the square and 45 meters in length on the side facing the sea. These features highlight the extension of the Museum from the dock into the bay. The permanent exhibition is housed upstairs, and features a roof 10 meters high with panoramic views of Guanabara Bay. The total height of the building is limited to 18 meters, which protects the view from the bay of Sao Bento Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The cantilevering roof with its large mobile wings and the facade structure expand almost the full length of the pier emphasizing the extension into the Guanabara Bay, while minimizing the building's width. A reflection pool surrounding the building on the outside—used to filter water that is being pumped from the bay and released back in from the end of the pier— gives visitors the impression that the Museum is floating. 

"The idea is that the building feels ethereal, almost floating on the sea, like a ship, a bird or a plant. Because of the changing nature of the exhibits, we have introduced an archetypal structure inside the building. This simplicity allows for the functional versatility of the Museum, able to accommodate conferences or act as a research space," said Mr. Calatrava. 

The building is orientated in the north-south direction, off-center from the pier's longitudinal east- west axis, maximizing a continuous landscaping feature containing beautiful gardens, paths and leisure areas along the southern length of the pier. A park walkway around the perimeter of the pier will allow visitors to circumnavigate the Museum, while enjoying panoramic views of the Sao Bento Monastery and the Guanabara Bay. The lower level contains functional and technical rooms, such as the Museum's administrative offices, educational facilities, research space, an auditorium, a museum store, a restaurant, lobby, archives, storage and a delivery area. 

Located on the Maua Pier, the Museum of Tomorrow is part of a larger revitalization of Porto Maravilha, the port neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro . The project allows for better integration between the Port District and the city center and is helping to make this area one of the most attractive neighborhoods in the city. The building "is the result of a consistent dialogue. The building was built to be a museum for the future, and an educational unit," said Mr. Calatrava.

The building features sustainable design, incorporating natural energy and light sources. Water from the bay is used to regulate the temperature inside the building; this source also supplies water for the Museum’s surrounding reflecting pools. The Museum also uses photovoltaic solar panels, which can be adjusted to optimize the angle of the sun's rays throughout the day and generate solar energy to supply the building. 

The visionary museum is focused on answering five key questions: Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we? Where are we going? And how do we want to live together over the next fifty years? 

The Museum’s exhibits will address issues including population growth and increased life expectancy, consumption patterns, climate change, genetic engineering and bioethics, the distribution of wealth, technological advances and changes in biodiversity. The permanent exhibition is curated by physicist and cosmologist Luiz Alberto Oliveira and designed by Ralph Appelbaum, with the artistic direction of Andres Clerici. 

In addition to the main exhibition area, the Museum has space for temporary exhibitions, a 400-seat auditorium, a cafe, a restaurant and a gift shop. The Museum will also host the Exploration Lab of Tomorrow, a space for educational activities and sample projects and prototypes. The Observatory of Tomorrow will provide a space for technological and scientific research, which may be integrated into the Museum exhibitions. 

The Museum of Tomorrow is made possible by the City of Rio de Janeiro and the Roberto Marinho Foundation, with the sponsorship of Banco Santander Brasil and the BG project. The project is supported by the Government of Brazil, through the Ministry of Environment and the Financier of Studies and Projects (FINEP).

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Address: praça mauá, 1 - centro, rio de janeiro - rj, 20081-240, brazil.

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What Brazil's Museum Of Tomorrow Means To Locals Today

Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The museum was inaugurated by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff this month as part of a revitalization program for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Vanderlei Almeida/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

The museum was inaugurated by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff this month as part of a revitalization program for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Its design is bold — it looks like the exoskeleton of a pre-historic fish. Its aim is ambitious: to raise consciousness on the future of our planet.

The Museum of Tomorrow, inaugurated last week in Rio de Janeiro, is the centerpiece of what the government's $2 billion revitalization of the historic port district ahead of the Summer Olympics, which Brazil is hosting.

This cultural institution has drawn both high praise and controversy. See, the museum raises an intriguing question: What sort of tomorrow do we humans actually want? It explores "how our choices are building different tomorrows," says Leonardo Menezes, the museum's content manager. "Are they going to be sustainable or not?"

Visitors are taken on a journey that explores human history and our impact on the earth; how we are transforming our environment in indelible ways both beautiful and destructive. It begins with a "Cosmic Portal" which acts as a "time machine" — you sit down on the floor of an egg-shaped theater to watch a film that takes you through space and time to the beginning of the universe.

The 8-minute-long film, directed by renowned Brazilian director Fernando Meirelle, zooms with explosive imagery. You'll feel cocooned within the center of stars being born. You'll zip through evolution and stare into the blazing yellow eyes of wolves in the prehistoric night.

Some viewers come away from the experience teary-eyed — exactly the sort of response the museum curators want to elicit. The idea is to show that "we are connected to all other beings, plants and animals that are living here with us," Menezes says.

After the movie, you'll walk through a mirrored hall filled with what the curators call "Totems" – Stonehenge-inspired floor-to-ceiling pillars covered with photographs grouped into sections inspired by Stonehenge.

Designed by famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the museum embodies its message of environmental responsibility. It uses 40 percent less energy than conventional buildings. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

A totem called Excess, covered with pictures of garbage mounds and massive shopping malls, sits next to one called Belief, which shows images of global worship and prayer. The juxtaposition is deliberately jarring and disorienting, says Menezes. It all leads up to the finale of large screens flashing a message: "We cultivate, we explore, we transform. Today we are a planetary force."

Those words are paired with startling statistics and images of forest fires and suffocating traffic to illustrate all the damage we've done to our planet. The underlying message here is that the Age of Humans could very well be called the Age of Consumption. And our desire for more is killing us. To drive that message home, dotted around the museum are interactive screens with quizzes to help you calculate your carbon footprint.

This strong stand against excessive consumption is revolutionary in a developing nation like Brazil, where consumerism signals wealth and success.

The museum features "totems" that represent the various ways in which humans have shaped their environment. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

"It's incredible," says Leandro Mello, a mechanical engineer who was visiting the museum. "It makes me think we need to do a little better, take more care of our planet."

The Rain Forest Was Here

Look at this: rain forest was here, deep in the amazon, an unseen battle over the most valuable trees.

But critics have charged that the museum does little to address any of the specific environmental issues Brazil faces, like deforestation in the Amazon or pollution in the bay on which the Museum sits. And they say that a project like the Museum of Tomorrow is the latest chapter in a saga of inequality.

Rio was an important city in the history of slavery. Brazil brought in more enslaved people than any other country in the Americas and Rio's port was where most of them came to shore. In modern times, the area fell to disrepair.

Now community activists allege that the new museum, and other revitalization projects in Rio, are pushing out poorer residents and gentrifying the area. They point to the museum's $55 million price tag — a big splurge for a country suffering a recession. And they say it's a bit ironic to build a museum looking at the future when Rio doesn't even have one to acknowledge its terrible history of slavery.

The museum emphasizes the importance of environmental stewardship. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

The building has also come under fire for what some say is its grandiose design. Famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava said he was inspired by a visit to Rio's botanical gardens when he came up with the concept. The building has solar panels that move with the angle of the sun and is surrounded by wide esplanades that are open to the public.

Museums often embody the grand aspirations of a city — or at least those of its planners, says American architect Michael Lipkin, who visited the museum with me. But more often it's the community that surrounds a landmark that defines its fate. "It's important to remember that the Sydney opera house, which has become so iconic of what Sydney is, was not well-received," he notes. "The Guggenheim museum in New York, perhaps [the city's] most iconic mid-century building was rejected by most of the press and the neighbors."

Rio's new attraction may be called the Museum of Tomorrow, he says, but "we are going to have to wait until the day after tomorrow to understand what it really means."

And there are early indications that Rio's new attraction could win the community over. Thousands have been flocking to the area around the museum during the holiday season, and the local paper hailed it as "the new beach of Rio" — which is a very high accolade in Brazil.

• Museum of Tomorrow

The Museum of Tomorrow

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Built along the waterfront at the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, the Museum of Tomorrow explores the scientific progress that will shape the future. One of the primary subjects covered by the museum is that of sustainability. For example, the Museum of Tomorrow incorporates solar panels into its neo-futurist architecture to help supply its power. Inside, rather than a permanent collection, the museum uses digital exhibitions to educate visitors about the importance of the natural world around them.

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262gih, Praça Mauá 1 - Centro, Rio de Janeiro RJ, 20081-240 Brazil

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Museum of tomorrow.

The surprising and futuristic Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, inaugurated on the fortnight of December 2015 in the remodeled Plaza de Mauá, aims to be one of the bases of the recovery of the Historic Center of Rio, within the ambitious project called Porto Maravilha, the great Re-qualification project of the old port area promoted by the City Prefecture.

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With this museum, Rio is positioned as the city with one of the greatest landmarks in cutting-edge architecture worldwide and at the same time updates its museum panorama.

With the Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã) a new generation of science museums in the world is inaugurated.

Through audiovisuals, interactive installations and games, it is possible to take a trip back in time, until the moment of the Big Bang, to from that point try to understand the processes of evolution of the earth and of man.

The Museum analyzes current trends in technology advances, world population growth and climate change and allows us to imagine what would be possible futures for humanity in the next 50 years, depending on the decisions we make today.

The proposal of the new Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro starts from the idea that in the next five decades there will be more changes in the land than in the last ten thousand years.

The future will be built on the basis of six major trends of tomorrow: climate change; population growth and longevity; greater integration and diversification; technological advances, alteration of biodiversity and expansion of knowledge.

A unique space for the acceleration of ideas, which invites you to immerse yourself in experiences in which science and art, reason and emotion, language and technology, culture and society intersect.

The amazing design of the Museum of Tomorrow is the first great work in Latin America by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who says he was inspired for its creation in the bromeliads of the Botanical Garden.

The 15,000 square meter building, which seems to float delicately over Guanabara Bay, has been built following strict sustainability standards, which has earned it the Leed Certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Project), granted by the international organization Green Building Council

Among the architectural peculiarities of this museum, there are the curved and white shapes that characterize Calatrava’s designs. But this time the Spanish goes one step further and has installed a mobile cover designed to take full advantage of natural light, which in turn houses an impressive steel structure that forms a row of “wings” covered by more than 5,400 small plates solar that during the day seems to beat in search of the sun to generate the clean energy that supplies the building.

In addition, the 9,200 square meters of water mirrors that form the basis of the museum, are fed with the waters of Guanabara Bay, as well as the entire cooling system of the building.

The system creates a pleasant temperature inside but also filters and processes the water that it then returns clean to the sea, thus sending the message that it is possible to clean the water of Guanabara Bay.

For its part, the 6,000 square meters of gardens surrounding the museum, designed by the landscape study Burle Marx, will also be irrigated ecologically, through a system that takes advantage of rainwater.

Inside, the exhibition area of ​​the Museum of Tomorrow of Santiago Calatrava is divided into 5 sections: Cosmos, Earth, Anthropocene, Tomorrows and Now. The idea is that visitors can take a temporary tour of the history of the universe and especially of our land since its formation, then going through the appearance of man and his impact on it.

One of the main objectives of the museum is that its visitors understand the three dimensions of existence: matter, life and thought and that they are aware of the mark that the passage of man through the earth leaves not only in its geographical composition, but also the climate, in the atmosphere and in the biodiversity that inhabits it.

In the section called Tomorrows, the Museum becomes a kind of Museum of the Future, addressing the different possible paths towards which we are heading. Inviting us to reflect on our world, a world that is increasingly overcrowded, more interconnected and in need of resources.

Finally, through entertaining quizzes, we can measure the footprint that each of us leaves on the planet and the impact that our small daily actions have on it.

The ultimate goal is for each of us to become aware that Tomorrow begins Now and that what we decide to do today will create the world we will have in a few years.

It also includes an Observatory of Tomorrow, a kind of radar designed to closely monitor the advances of science, culture and technology in the world, trying to identify the opportunities, threats and challenges that our society has for the next 50 years.

The Museum of Tomorrow thus becomes not only an important research and dissemination institution for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil as a whole, but also for the whole world. A place to become aware of the future that awaits us as we behave today.

Of course, in addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum hosts a variety of temporary exhibitions, workshops, presentations and a Tomorrow’s Activities Laboratory, designed as a meeting and discussion point about the challenges that the future presents.

All this without forgetting that the incredible image of the Museum of Tomorrow of Santiago Calatrava has become from the first day the modern hallmark of Guanabara Bay. The cruise ships that dock in the Wonderful City or the boats that sail through the bay, are surprised by this kind of futuristic flower that welcomes the port. An image worth seeing from the sea, for sure.

Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (last entry at 5:00 p.m.)

General public: R $ 20 Students and children under 21: R $ 10 Tuesday: Free Entry

Uruguaiana Metro – Lines 1 and 2 Address: Praça Mauá, s / n – Center – Rio de Janeiro Website: museudoamanha.org.br

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Know Before You Go: Visiting during COVID

We can’t wait to see you at the museum! Use these tips to plan a safe, fun visit.

Is the Field Museum open?

The Field is open from 9am to 5pm, with last admission at 4pm. We’re closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas (December 25). The Museum is in the heart of Chicago’s Museum Campus, at 1400 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Our priority is to maintain a safe environment for all of our visitors and staff while letting you connect with the exhibits you know and love. Read on for details about health and safety at the Field, ticket purchases, and what to know before you go.

Health and safety

We’re thrilled to welcome you to the Field Museum. Please note there are guidelines you’ll need to follow when you visit.

Do I have to be vaccinated to come to the Field?

In accordance with the City of Chicago’s updated guidelines, the Field Museum no longer requires proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or masks for museum visitors. However, we strongly encourage all of our guests to wear masks while in the building.

Some exceptions may apply for museum events. If you have registered for an event, your event organizer will communicate any specific requirements.

Do I have to wear a mask?

While we are no longer requiring masks for the public, we are strongly encouraging all of our guests to wear masks while in the building. Currently, our staff and volunteers are not required to wear masks.

Additional safety practices

• Hand sanitizer stations are installed throughout the building.
• High-traffic areas are cleaned regularly.
• Exhibitions that have small spaces may be temporarily closed.  Browse all open exhibitions .
• A digital map helps you navigate the museum using your device.

Getting tickets

We recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance to secure your preferred date. You can also buy tickets in person at the museum.

Arriving at the museum

When you arrive at the Field, you can enter through our main South entrance on McFetridge Drive. The East entrance is also open and accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.

If you’ve already purchased a ticket, be prepared to show your printed ticket or your mobile device with the ticket.

When you’re ready to leave, you can use the East, South, or North exit.

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Please review all updates to our services as you plan for your visit.

The Field Bistro on the main level is open 9am–4:30pm and offers a menu of locally sourced food with quick grab-and-go service.

The Explorer Cafe, located on the ground level, is open 10:00am–4pm and has family-friendly offerings.

You can also bring a lunch or snack in a closed container. Please enjoy it in the designated picnic areas on the ground level: in the Siragusa Center and at the tables near the Sea Mammal dioramas. Bottled water is available for purchase, or you can bring your closed water bottle and refill it at one of the contactless filling stations.

The museum store is open 10am–5pm for all your natural history-themed gifts and souvenirs, or you can shop online anytime. All store purchases directly support our staff and collections.

There are accessible restrooms on every level, including three family-friendly restrooms on the ground level.

An all-gender, single-stall restroom is available on the ground level near the James Simpson Theatre, and the restroom at the East entrance has a family restroom with an adult changing table. Our restrooms feature reminders asking you to maintain a six-foot distance from others and thoroughly wash your hands.

Wheelchair and stroller rentals

Wheelchairs are available for visitors to borrow at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis.

Strollers are available to rent for $3 (or $5 for double strollers) on a first-come, first-served basis.

Both wheelchairs and strollers are available at the East and South entrances and are fully sanitized between uses.

Still have questions?

We felt so safe on our first return visit. The Field is really doing great taking necessary steps to keep everyone healthy. As members, we look forward to visiting often.   KELSEY M., FACEBOOK

Everyone was safe, masked up, and socially distant. My babies were so happy to be able to get out of the house and do something. SANTANAS_XO, INSTAGRAM

Legal disclaimer

COVID-19 warning: We have taken enhanced health and safety measures—for you, our other guests, and our staff. You must follow all posted instructions while visiting the museum. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By visiting the Field Museum, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. Please help keep each other healthy.

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• English Only

I suggest ______ to the history museum.

• Thread starter Peter Tran
• Start date May 20, 2012

Senior Member

• May 20, 2012

We'll be free tomorrow，so I suggest ______ to the history museum. A. to visit B. visiting C. we should visit D. a visit Which is correct? I think C,D would be ok for this case. How do you think?  

'D' is the correct answer.  

ZWizaed said: 'D' is the correct answer. Click to expand...

C is incorrect because [ to the history museum ] technically kills the possibility of using 'visit' as a verb before the phrase.  

Peter Tran said: Why don't you choose C , Mr ZWizaed? That's because the verb visit doesn't need to follow, right? Click to expand...

• May 23, 2012

Thank you.  

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Plan your visit

Roof and centre of the Great Court

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Opening times

Daily: 10.00–17.00 ( Fridays: 20.30 )  See full  opening hours  

Advance booking recommended

See ticket information

The British Museum

Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG See getting here

Immerse yourself in two million years of human history, art and culture.

Book your free ticket  for Museum entry in advance to receive key information and updates before your visit and priority entry during busy periods. In our galleries come face-to-face with objects from the  Sutton Hoo  ship burial, explore the wonderful collection of the  Islamic world  and learn more about  Egyptian mummies . Please see the  list of available galleries  to visit.

Exhibition tickets are available to book for  Legion: life in the Roman army (1 February – 23 June 2024) and Michelangelo: the last decades (2 May 2024 – 28 July 2024).

In line with current government and NHS guidance, face masks are not mandatory but visitors are welcome to wear them if they wish. The Museum maintains a robust cleaning schedule and hand sanitiser stations are available across the site. 

Occasionally we may need to close galleries at short notice. We regret that we are not always able to alert visitors in advance of their visit.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Ways to explore

Family visits

Exhibitions and events

Sign up to our newsletters.

Stay connected to the British Museum for the latest news, stories, exhibitions, events and visitor information.

Ticket information

How to book.

• We're limiting numbers of people in the Museum to ensure there's room for you to safely enjoy your visit. You're advised to book a free ticket in advance to receive key information and updates before your visit and priority entry during busy periods.
• To book simply pick the date and time you'd like to visit.
• If the date or time you wish to visit has no availability, please note that walk-up visits are available each day for those who arrive at the Montague Place entrance of the Museum, without advance bookings. But this does depend on capacity, as walk-up entry cannot be guaranteed. If visitor numbers are very high, for safety reasons we may need to limit entry and in those circumstances only ticket holders will be admitted. 
• To book tickets for exhibitions, visit our exhibition pages . Your exhibition ticket also gives you access to the permanent collection.
• If you need any access assistance, please see our Accessibility page .

Important information about your ticket booking

• Tickets to the permanent collection are free.
• You can book tickets up to a maximum of nine people in your group.
• Your ticket(s) will be emailed to you.
• Tickets will be released on a regular basis, so if there's no availability showing then please check again soon.
• You'll be able to enter the Museum any time after your selected timeslot.
• Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest updates.
• Legion: life in the Roman army (1 February – 23 June 2024)
• Michelangelo: the last decades (2 May 2024 – 28 July 2024)
• You'll need to show your Membership card to gain entry.
• If you can't find your card, please contact  [email protected]  or visit the Membership Desk in the Great Court. 
• Visit our Membership page for enquiries or to find out about becoming a Member.

Groups of 10 or more people

Self-led groups of 10 or more people will need to book a group ticket . Please see the Group visits page for more details. 

School groups

School groups should contact the Box Office on +44 (0)20 7323 8181 to book their visit to the Museum. More information can be found on our School visits page. 

10% off for Members

Become a Member and enjoy a 10% discount at all of the Museum's cafés, restaurants and shops. 

Gallery information

Make the most of your visit.

Explore world cultures from the Mediterranean to the Middle East and from the Americas to Africa.

• View a map of the Museum .
• Explore more of the Museum with our object trails  or try a selection of our Museum Missions . 
• Take a self-guided tour of the Museum using our Audio app (available in six languages including British Sign Language). Download via the  App Store  or  Google Play Store . Please bring your headphones with you or purchase earbuds from the Guide Desk or British Museum Shop.

List of available galleries

See the list of available galleries for you to enjoy (please note this list is subject to change):

Lower floor

• Room 25: Africa ( The Sainsbury Galleries )  

Ground floor

• Great Court
• Room 1: Enlightenment Room 2: Collecting the world
• Room 2a: The Waddesdon Bequest (funded by  The Rothschild Foundation )
• Room 4: Egyptian sculpture
• Room 6: Assyrian sculpture and Balawat Gates
• Room 12: Greece: Minoans and Mycenaeans ( The Arthur I Fleischman Gallery )
• Room 13: Greece 1050–520 BC
• Room 14: Greek vases
• Room 15: Athens and Lycia
• Room 16: Bassai sculptures
• Room 17: Nereid Monument
• Room 18: Greece: Parthenon
• Room 19: Greece: Athens
• Room 20: Greeks and Lycians 400–325 BC
• Room 21: Mausoleum of Halikarnassos
• Room 22: The world of Alexander
• Room 24: Living and Dying ( The Wellcome Trust Gallery )
• Room 26: North America
• Room 27: Mexico

Upper floors

• Room 33: China and South Asia ( Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery )
• Room 33a: India: Amaravati ( The Asahi Shimbun Gallery )
• Room 33b: Chinese jade ( The Selwyn and Ellie Alleyne Gallery )
• Room 40: Medieval Europe, 1050–1500 ( The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery )
• Room 41: Sutton Hoo and Europe, AD 300–1100 ( The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery)
• Rooms 42–43: The Islamic world ( The Albukhary Foundation Gallery )
• Room 46: Europe 1400–1800
• Room 47: Europe 1800–1900
• Room 48: Europe 1900 to the present
• Room 49: Roman Britain ( The Weston Gallery )
• Room 50: Britain and Europe 800 BC–AD43
• Room 51: Europe and Middle East, 10,000–800 BC ( The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Gallery )
• Room 52: Ancient Iran ( The Rahim Irvani Gallery )
• Room 53: Ancient South Arabia
• Room 54: Anatolia and Urartu, 7000–300 BC
• Room 55: Mesopotamia, 1500–539 BC
• Room 56: Mesopotamia, 6000–1500 BC
• Rooms 57–59: Ancient Levant*
• Room 61: Egyptian life and death: the tomb-chapel of Nebamun ( The Michael Cohen Gallery )
• Rooms 62–63: Egyptian death and afterlife: mummies ( The Roxie Walker Galleries )
• Room 64: Early Egypt
• Room 65: Sudan, Egypt and Nubia
• Room 66: Ethopia and Coptic Egypt
• Room 67: Korea (The Korea Foundation Gallery)
• Room 68: Money
• Room 69: Greek and Roman life
• Room 70: Roman Empire ( The Wolfson Gallery )
• Room 71: Etruscan world
• Room 72: Ancient Cyprus ( The A.G. Leventis Gallery )
• Room 73: Greeks in Italy
• Rooms 90–90a: Prints and drawings displays
• Rooms 92–94: Japan ( The Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries )
• Room 95: Chinese Ceramics – Sir Percival David Collection ( The Sir Joseph Hotung Centre for Ceramic Studies )

*Limited opening: Rooms 7, 9, 10, 19, 20, 57 and 58 are open 11:00–15:00 daily.

For more information on access to the galleries visit our  Accessibility at the Museum  page. 

Planned gallery closures

Galleries in the Museum may be closed for maintenance, refurbishment or private events. Where possible, we'll list the time and date of the closures below. All planned closures will also be detailed on the affected gallery pages . Occasionally we may need to close galleries at short notice for safety reasons. We regret that in these cases we're not always able to alert the public in advance.

Due to regular maintenance, the following galleries will be temporarily closed: 

• Room 25: Africa ( The Sainsbury Galleries ) from 10–21 March 2025
• Rooms 7–8: Assyria: Nimrud * from 18 April – 10 May 2024
• Room 9: Assyria: Nineveh * from 18 April – 10 May 2024
• Room 10: Assyria: Lion hunts, Siege of Lachish and Khorsabad * from 18 April – 10 May 2024
• Room 19: Greece: Athens from 19–30 August 2024
• Room 20: Greeks and Lycians, 400–325 BC from 19–30 August 2024
• Room 21: Mausoleum of Halikarnassos from 19–30 August 2024
• Room 22: The world of Alexander from 19–30 August 2024
• Room 23: Greek and Roman sculpture from 19–30 August 2024
• Room 10: Assyria: Lion hunts, Siege of Lachish and Khorsabad from 2–13 September 2024
• Room 13: Greece 1050–520 BC from 2–13 September 2024
• Room 14: Greek vases from 2–13 September 2024
• Room 15: Greece: Athens and Lycia from 2–13 September 2024
• Room 16: Greece: Bassai sculptures from 2–13 September 2024
• Room 18: Greece: Parthenon from 16–27 September 2024
• Room 4: Egyptian sculpture from 13–24 January 2025
• Room 6a: Assyrian sculpture and Balawat Gates from 13–24 January 2025
• Room 9: Assyria: Nineveh * from 13–24 January 2025
• Room 2: Collecting the world from from 27 January – 7 February 2025
• Room 2a: The Waddesdon Bequest ( funded by The Rothschild Foundation ) from 27 January – 7 February 2025
• Room 1: Enlightenment from 27 January – 14 February 2025
• Room 6b: Assyrian sculpture and Balawat Gate s from 10–21 February 2025
• Rooms 7–8: Assyria: Nimrud * from 10–21 February 2025
• Room 24: Living and Dying ( The Wellcome Trust Gallery ) partially closed from 27 February – 7 March 2025
• Room 26: North America from 27 February – 7 March 2025
• Room 27: Mexico from 27 February – 7 March 2025
• Room 24: Living and Dying ( The Wellcome Trust Gallery ) partially closed from 10–21 March 2025
• Room 40: Medieval Europe, 1050–1500 ( The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery ) from 6–17 May 2024
• Room 41: Sutton Hoo and Europe, AD 300–1100 ( The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery ) partially closed from 6–17 May 2024
• Room 61: Egyptian life and death: the tomb-chapel of Nebamun ( The Michael Cohen Gallery ) from 3–14 June 2024
• Rooms 62–63: Egyptian death and afterlife: mummies ( The Roxie Walker Galleries ) partially closed from 3–14 June 2024
• Room 66: Ethopia and Coptic Egypt partially closed from 3–14 June 2024
• Room 56: Mesopotamia, 6000–1500 BC partially closed from 17–28 June 2024
• Rooms 57–59: Ancient Levant * from 17–28 June 2024
• Room 63: Egyptian death and afterlife: mummies ( The Roxie Walker Galleries ) partially closed from 1–12 July 2024 
• Room 64: Early Egypt from 1–12 July 2024 
• Room 65: Sudan, Egypt and Nubia from 1–12 July 2024 
• Room 66: Ethopia and Coptic Egypt partially closed from 1–12 July 2024 
• Room 67: Korea ( The Korea Foundation Gallery ) from 15–26 July 2024
• Room 95: Chinese Ceramics – Sir Percival David Collection ( The Sir Joseph Hotung Centre for Ceramic Studies ) from 15–26 July 2024
• Room 53: Ancient South Arabia from 30 September – 11 October 2024
• Room 54: Anatolia and Urartu, 7000–300 BC from 30 September – 11 October 2024
• Room 55: Mesopotamia, 1500–539 BC from 30 September – 11 October 2024
• Room 56: Mesopotamia, 6000–1500 BC partially closed from 30 September – 11 October 2024
• Room 41: Sutton Hoo and Europe, AD 300–1100 ( The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery ) partially closed from 14–25 October 2024
• Rooms 42–43: The Islamic world ( The Albukhary Foundation Gallery ) from 14–25 October 2024
• Room 46: Europe 1400–1800 from 14–25 October 2024
• Room 47: Europe 1800–1900 from 14–25 October 2024
• Room 48: Europe 1900 to the present from 14–25 October 2024
• Room 68: Money from 4–15 November 2024
• Room 69: Greek and Roman life from 4–15 November 2024
• Room 70: Roman Empire ( The Wolfson Gallery ) from 4–15 November 2024
• Room 71: Etruscan world from 4–15 November 2024
• Room 72: Ancient Cyprus ( The A.G. Leventis Gallery ) from 4–15 November 2024
• Room 73: Greeks in Italy from 4–15 November 2024
• Room 33: China and South Asia ( Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery ) from 2–13 December 2024
• Room 33a: India: Amaravati ( The Asahi Shimbun Gallery ) from 2–13 December 2024
• Room 33b: Chinese jade ( The Selwyn and Ellie Alleyne Gallery ) from 2–13 December 2024
• Rooms 38–39: Clocks and watches ( The Sir Harry and Lady Djanogly Gallery ) from 24–28 March 2025
• Rooms 92–94: Japan ( The Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries ) from 31 March – 11 April 2025

Support the Museum

Your support is vital, now more than ever, and helps the Museum to share the collection with the world.

Exhibitions

Tickets are available to book for Legion: life in the Roman army (1 February – 23 June 2024) and Michelangelo: the last decades (2 May 2024 – 28 July 2024).

Legion: life in the Roman army . Book now .

Michelangelo: the last decades . Book now .

Full opening hours, national rail industrial action from 6–11 may.

Following the announcement of industrial action on National Rail from 6–11 May, the Museum will be working hard to maintain a normal service for our visitors. Please be aware that it may become necessary to close galleries early or at short notice. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. 

Find out how the industrial action will affect National Rail .

Our opening hours are daily, 10.00–17.00 ( Fridays: 20.30 ) Last entry: 16.45 (Fridays: 20.15)

• Box Office: 10.00–16.50, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)
• Cloakroom: 10.00–17.00 (20.30 on Fridays). Last deposit is one hour before closing.
• Families Desk: 10.00–12.30 and 13.15–16.30, weekends and London Borough of Camden  school holidays  only.
• Ford Centre for Young Visitors: 10.00–16.30, weekends and London Borough of Camden  school holidays  only
• Galleries: 10.00–17.00 (20.30 on Fridays). Please note: we begin clearing galleries 10 minutes before they close.
• Great Court: 10.00–17.30 (Fridays 20.30)
• Guide Desk: 10.00–16.30
• Information Desk: 10.00–17.00
• Ticket Desk: 10.00–16.30

Find out about upcoming  late opening on Fridays . There will be no late night opening on Good Friday (18 April 2025).

The Museum is closed 24–26 December. 

Special exhibitions  are open daily 10.00–17.00 (last entry at 16.45) and on Fridays until 20.30 (last entry at 20.15). Please arrive at the time stated on your ticket – we cannot guarantee admission before or after your allotted time slot.

We begin clearing galleries 10 minutes before they close.

• Bookshop: daily, 10.00–17.00
• Family shop: daily, 10.00–17.00 
• Collections shop and Grenville Room: daily, 10.00–17.00
• Online shop : open 24 hours a day

Cafés and restaurants

• Court Cafés: daily, 10.00–17.00
• Great Court Restaurant : daily, 11.30–17.00 (last sitting 16.00).
• Pizzeria: daily, 12.00–15.00
• Coffee Lounge: 10.30–16.30
• Outside dining: 10.00–17.00

Find out more about the Museum's cafés and restaurants . 

Library, archive and study rooms

Booking requests for the department study rooms at the British Museum main site can now be accepted. Opening hours vary. Our library  and  archive  are open by appointment: Tuesday – Thursday, 10.00–13.00 and 14.00–16.00.

Getting here

51.519413319978, -0.12695659999997.

Main entrance:  The British Museum Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG (what3words: ///young.verge.moves )

Second entrance: Montague Place London WC1E 7JW (what3words: ///cooks.waddled.cook )

We recommend using the Transport For London (TFL) Journey Planner to plan your trip to the Museum.

• Bicycle racks are available inside the gates of the Main Entrance on Great Russell Street (please note that folding bikes are not allowed inside the premises). 
• The Museum can't assume responsibility for damage or theft of bicycles left on-site.
• You may wish to use the  Santander Cycle Hire scheme  on your journey. If so, a docking station can be found on the corner of Great Russell Street and Montague Street, a two-minute walk from the Main Entrance.

If you're planning to visit by car, please be aware that the Museum doesn't offer parking facilities, except for visitors with access requirements (visit the Accessibility at the Museum page  for details).

By taxi or minicab

• Black cabs can be pre-booked, hailed on the street or found at designated taxi ranks around Central London.
• There is a taxi rank on Great Russell Street at the Museum's main gates.
• Minicabs must be booked in advance through a licensed private hire operator.
• More information can be found on TFL's  London taxis and minicabs  page.

The following bus routes pass within walking distance of the Museum.

• New Oxford Street: 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, 242
• Tottenham Court Road (northbound) / Gower Street (southbound): 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, 390
• Southampton Row: 59, 68, X68, 91, 168, 188

Please refer to individual routes on the  TFL Bus Routes page  to find the best stop and to check for diversions.

The four tube stations closest to the Museum are:

• Tottenham Court Road: 5-minute walk
• Holborn: 7-minute walk
• Russell Square: 7-minute walk
• Goodge Street: 8-minute walk

Entering the Museum

• Entry to the Museum is via the Main entrance on Great Russell Street or the Montague Place entrance. Please note at busy periods walk-up entry will only be possible at the Montague Place entrance, and entry is dependent on capacity.
• On arrival please join the back of the queue, where you may be required to wait, as longer queues can form at busy periods. 
• General admission ticket holders may enter the Museum anytime after their selected timeslot. 
• Once you've gone through the Main entrance an easy access queuing route is available for disabled visitors, visitors with pushchairs and/or children under five, Members, exhibition and general admission ticket-holders.
• All visitors must pass through a security check which involves a bag search.
• If you require more information on accessibility for disabled visitors, please see our  Accessibility at the Museum page  for details.

Security and bag searches

Security, bag searches and large luggage.

• For everyone's safety, all bags, rucksacks, packages and personal items may be searched before entry.
• Wheeled cases, sports equipment and large items of luggage are not allowed on British Museum premises.
• Storage for luggage is available at major rail stations, including Euston, King's Cross and Charing Cross.
• An easy access route is available for disabled visitors, Members and visitors with buggies and/or children under five.
• If you require assistance or the entrance into the Museum poses an accessibility barrier, please let our uniformed staff know and they'll be happy to assist you.
• Please don't leave your bags unattended at any point during your visit.

Restricted items

• For security reasons, no large items of luggage can be brought into the Museum (bigger than 40cm x 40cm x 50cm and heavier than 8kg) or onto the premises.
• Wheeled cases are not permitted regardless of their size and weight.
• Folding bicycles are not permitted inside the Museum. 
• Adult scooters, skateboards and musical instruments are not allowed onto the premises.
• Pushchairs are permitted on-site. Fold-up prams and buggies can be left free of charge in the cloakroom, which is found by turning left immediately after passing through the Main entrance of the Museum.
• Offensive weapons, dangerous chemicals, and other suspicious items will be confiscated before entry is granted.
• You'll be able to retrieve any confiscated items when you leave, provided there are no legal barriers. 

Visitor regulations

• All visitors entering the Museum agree to abide by the visitor regulations: 
• The Museum reserves the right to vary or alter these regulations without prior notice.
• Special exhibitions may have additional regulations.

Accessibility

We have a wide range of services for disabled visitors. 

Find out how to make the most of your visit and plan your trip in advance on our  Accessibility at the Museum  page. 

Visitor and Member cloakroom

• Last deposits are one hour before closing time.
• Please collect items 30 minutes before closing time.
• The cloakroom can be found by turning left immediately after passing through the Main entrance to the Museum. 
• Please see the restricted items section for full details.
• Bags up to 4kg – £2.50
• Bags 4–8kg – £5
• Umbrellas – £1
• Fold-up pushchairs – free
• Members can use the cloakroom free of charge. The same restrictions apply.
• You must retrieve items from the cloakroom before you leave the Museum site.
• In the event of a fire evacuation, the cloakroom will be closed immediately and you must follow our fire evacuation instructions. Our staff will help to retrieve your items from the cloakroom as soon as possible after the Museum reopens.
• Please note that the cloakroom has limited capacity, and when this capacity is reached, it cannot accept items until space becomes available again.
• The Museum reserves the right to vary or alter these conditions without prior notice.

Lost property

If you've lost an item while visiting the Museum, please email [email protected]

• Free wifi is available for all visitors to the Museum.
• Please connect to 'British Museum WiFi' only.
• You'll be required to supply your full name and email address before using the service.
• Free wifi is funded by the Mayor of London and Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. Connectivity is supported by the Daisy Group.
• Charging phones and plugging in any other electronics is not allowed.

Facilities for babies and children

For information about facilities for parents, babies and young children, please see the Family visits page .

If you need help during your visit, please speak to a uniformed member of staff.

Accessible facilities

For information about facilities and resources for disabled visitors please see the Accessibility at the Museum page .

If you need assistance during your visit, please speak to a uniformed member of staff.

Photography and filming

• Hand-held flash photography and video recording is allowed in most galleries for private purposes only.
• Signs will indicate where photography is restricted.
• Tripods, monopods and selfie sticks may not be used inside the Museum building.
• In special circumstances, a permit to use these items can be issued – if you have any queries, contact the Museum at  [email protected] or on 020 7323 8380
• For questions regarding commercial photography or filming, please see our Commercial page .

Eat, drink, shop and enjoy

Food and drink

The British Museum Shop

About Time: Fashion and Duration

Exhibition Timed Tickets FAQ

How can I see About Time ?

Timed-entry exhibition tickets are required for About Time . 

If you are purchasing a General Admission ticket online , beginning Thursday, October 15, you can reserve an exhibition ticket. New tickets will be released every two weeks.  If you are a Member or eligible for pay-as-you-wish admission, beginning Thursday, October 29, you can reserve exhibition tickets on-site.  Beginning November 2, every Monday, About Time will be open to Members only for Member Mondays . 

Is there an extra charge for the show?  No, there is no additional charge for exhibitions.  Why do I need to reserve an exhibition ticket?  Due to health and safety guidelines, we need to maintain no more than 25% capacity in the exhibition (and Museum) at all times. Requiring exhibition tickets allows us to control capacity. 

Where can I reserve an exhibition ticket online?  Beginning Thursday, October 15, you can reserve an exhibition ticket if you are purchasing a General Admission Ticket . You will be prompted to add exhibition tickets for  About Time to your cart once you select the date of your visit.  Where can I reserve an exhibition ticket on-site?  If you are a Member or eligible for pay-as-you-wish admission, beginning Thursday, October 29, you can reserve exhibition tickets on-site. Members can reserve timed exhibition tickets at the Member desk in Burke Hall on the ground floor or in the Great Hall.  I usually get free admission to the Museum — do I still need an exhibition ticket?   Yes. If you are a Member, corporate sponsor, or otherwise have a pass for free admission, you must still reserve a timed exhibition ticket to see About Time.   Are there special days for Members? Yes. Beginning November 2, every Monday About Time will be open to Members only. Members will be required to make timed same-day reservations in-person at any Member desk. How many tickets do I need to get into The Met?  One ticket per person is needed for admission to the Museum. You can either buy a General Admission ticket or make a reservation for entry prior to your visit.  If you are interested in seeing either About Time or Making The Met, 1870-2020, you would need an additional ticket for each show . Depending on what you want to do and see in the Museum, you could have up to three tickets per person (one for entry to the Museum, one for About Time , and one for Making The Met ).  When does the exhibition open? When does it close?  About Time opens on Monday, October 26, to Members for a Preview Day. The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday, October 29 at 12 pm. The exhibition will close on Sunday, February 7, 2021.  If exhibition tickets are sold out online, what should I do?  If all available days and times are sold out, please check back at a later time. We will release tickets approximately two weeks in advance. Exhibition tickets may sell out quickly due to popularity and capacity limit of 25% due to health and safety guidelines.  If exhibition tickets are sold out on-site, what should I do? If you are a Member, we encourage you to visit on Mondays, which are reserved for Members only. Same-day timed exhibition tickets can be reserved in person.   If you are not a Member, we encourage you to arrive as early as possible on the day of your visit as exhibition tickets may sell out quickly due to popularity and capacity limit of 25%, due to health and safety guidelines. Why can't I select an exhibition ticket for Tuesdays or Wednesdays? The Museum is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday.  Why can't I select an exhibition ticket past a certain date? We release the tickets two weeks in advance so if you don't see a particular date available it means that we have not yet released those tickets.  How frequently do you release the online tickets?  On Thursday, October 15 the first block of available tickets will be released for the following dates: October 29 – November 8. We plan to release additional tickets on Tuesday, November 3 and Tuesday, November 17. Where should I go to redeem my ticket for About Tim e?  Exhibition tickets should be presented in Gallery 800 on Floor 2, just outside of Gallery 999, where the exhibition is on view. Please arrive on time for your allotted time slot.  Can I still get into the show if I'm running late?  Due to 25% capacity limitations, it is very difficult to accommodate late-comers. We recommend being on time as we cannot guarantee entry outside of allotted times.  Is there a time limit to view the show? There is no set time limit for viewing the show. Since children under 12 have free admission to the Museum, do they need a separate exhibition ticket too?  Yes. We need to account for every person entering the show to maintain 25% capacity, so children need a separate ticket.  How many people are you letting into the show?  50 people can be inside the exhibition at any given time, which allows each visitor to have a minimum of six feet of physical distancing around them at all times.  Are there any other exhibitions that require a separate timed ticket?  Yes. Exhibition tickets are also required for Making The Met.   If I reserved exhibition tickets online but my plans changed, is there a way to return them?  Please contact [email protected] with your return tickets request.  We cannot guarantee  a new date and time for you, but will do our best.  Is there anything else I should know? We recommend planning ahead. Please read our Visitor Guidelines for health and safety information. 

Iris van Herpen (Dutch, born 1984). Dress, fall/winter 2012–13 haute couture . The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Iris van Herpen, in honor of Harold Koda, 2016 (2016.185). Photo © Nicholas Alan Cope Charles James (American, born Great Britain, 1906–1978). Ball Gown, 1951 . Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coulson, 1964 (2009.300.1311). Photo © Nicholas Alan Cope

2022 Spring: MoT POPUP Exhibit

At MoT, we are dedicated to inspiring individuals to take action against climate change through our fun and interactive exhibits. While climate change seems overwhelming to handle, even the smallest changes in our daily lifestyle and gaining more awareness can make a big difference. Come join us this year at our four different popups around the Bay!

During our first POPUP exhibit this year, we will cover various topics and activities including, Igloo, Swimming Pool, Food Tornado, Fuelish Idling/Be Idle Free, Wish Tree Challenge, Fast Fashion, and the Sea Rise Level VR activity. 

MOT X Spare the Air RPG Game is Released!

Check out our fun-inspired newsletter, from our last pop-up @berkeley:​.

RECOGNIZED BY

Museum of Tomorrow is a sponsored student group of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), a non-profit unincorporated association. Visit the official ASUC website here: www.asuc.org .

Museum of Tomorrow worked closely with Pacific Glassblowing Co. to develop this durable glass straw that comes with a tippy tip to poke through your boba drinks! Donate to receive your very own!

The best part: see-through to ensure cleanliness and health for you! Get a straw of your choice when you donate to the Museum of Tomorrow!

2. Bumbler: The boba tea tumbler

Receive up to 25 cents off your boba drink at your local boba shop when you bring your own cup! Dual layers to ensure the coolness  of your drink.

1. Alter Eco Chocolates : Sustainably grown and equitably traded

Just like its name, Alter Eco not only replant and conserve a portion of the Peruvian Amazon, but also adopts regenerative agricultural practices on cacao farming which ensures biodiversity and carbon sequestration (actively sucks up carbon)!

Receive up to three flavors of chocolate bars when you donate to the Museum of Tomorrow! Just tell us your preferred flavors!

2. Acari Fish Jerky : Wild-caught invasive species fish jerky that tastes like beef

As an invasive fish, every delicious bite of El Diablito helps to restore the natural ecosystem. No concerns of overfishing or fish farming here! El Diablito is the jerky you crave, without the guilt of traditional meat jerky.

Message and place your order on their Instagram @acarifish to receive 10% off with MOT if you live in the US. Use code “MOT” if you are based in Canada!

1.   CouralCare : Ocean Friendly Skincare

Protect your skin, protect the ocean with these 100% plant based and vegan ingredients that do not harm coral reefs when you go scub a diving! 

Use cod e “ MOTPOP ” to receive 10% off your orde r!

At LL Supply, we believe lifestyle over luxury. These clothing are made better for the people, planet and the community. Check out their fashionable beanie made of 100% recycled plastic bottles in which we already lost 2 on our first day of opening!

Code “ NEWBLACK ” with 10% off

3. Mable : Biodegradable Toothbrush Made of Bamboo

In the U.S. alone, one billion of those make it into the earth’s landfills and oceans. Now think about this: because of the painfully slow rate that plastic decomposes, every plastic toothbrush that’s ever been made…still exists.

How to watch the 2024 Met Gala and everything else you need to know

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The first Monday in May, fashion’s biggest night of the year, is almost here.

The Met Gala is the rare occasion that brings together the biggest names in film, television, music, fashion, sports, technology and business to rub elbows on the red carpet and at the ultra-exclusive party. Few other events can boast A-list guests as disparate as Jeff Bezos and Serena Williams or Pete Davidson and Glenn Close.

From the start time, to the theme, to the guest list, here is everything you need to know ahead of the annual fundraiser.

When is the Met Gala?

The 2024 Met Gala is on May 6 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The event famously takes place on the first Monday in May. The official start time is 3 p.m. PDT/6 p.m. EDT, but guests are expected to arrive as early as 2 p.m. PDT.

How can I watch?

Vogue will be livestreaming the Met Gala red carpet on Monday on its digital platforms, its YouTube channel and its TikTok account. The stream will be hosted by Gwendoline Christie, La La Anthony and Ashley Graham. YouTuber Emma Chamberlain will return as Vogue’s special correspondent on the red carpet, interviewing the celebrities in attendance.

For those who prefer to watch on television, E! will be hosting a live show from the red carpet starting at 3 p.m. PDT.

Entertainment & Arts

Backless Bad Bunny, bedazzled Lil Nas X and more: The best fashion of Met Gala 2023

The fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is a showcase for celebrity couture. Here are the best looks from the 2023 edition.

May 1, 2023

What is the theme?

The Met Gala supports and celebrates the opening of the museum’s spring show at the Costume Institute. The new exhibition , which will officially launch the Friday after the gala, is titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The theme for the evening is always linked to the exhibition. This year’s theme is “The Garden of Time,” which will borrow from the show’s emphasis on nature and “cyclical themes of rebirth and renewal.”

The dress code is inspired by J.G. Ballard‘s 1962 short story “The Garden of Time,” about a man who turns back time by plucking each flower in his garden until he leaves it barren. Fashion enthusiasts can expect to see plenty of botanical prints and archival pieces on the red carpet. Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking. There’s bound to be a lot of looks inspired by Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” as well.

At the Met Gala, Lady Gaga again gives a master class in how to rule the red carpet

When the theme of the 2019 Met Gala — “Camp: Notes on Fashion” — was announced in the fall, there was much speculation about how exactly the celebrities who attended the event in May would embrace and interpret the idea of camp.

May 6, 2019

Who will be there?

The guest list for the Met Gala is always kept under wraps, but rumors spread about attendees and celebrities themselves confirm their attendance in the days leading up to the event. Met Gala frequenters Rihanna, Blake Lively, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga are expected to hit the red carpet.

Who’s expected to wear the best looks?

Some Met Gala regulars are known for pulling out all the stops for the red carpet. In addition to the celebrities above, look for daring ensembles from Cardi B, Janelle Monáe, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X.

Dua Lipa, Emma Stone, Margot Robbie, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Pugh and Anne Hathaway also are consistent standouts on the red carpet.

Law Roach breaks down Zendaya’s tennis-inspired ‘Challengers’ looks and ‘method dressing’

Zendaya and her longtime stylist Law Roach have leaned into ‘method dressing’ with chic tennis-inspired looks for the actor’s new film, ‘Challengers.’

April 25, 2024

Who are the co-chairs?

Luckily for fashion enthusiasts everywhere, Zendaya is confirmed to attend because she is one of the evening’s five co-chairs. The group, which also includes Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth, helps Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour to craft the evening. Wintour has been integral to the event since 1995 and she alone is in charge of the guest list.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew and Jonathan Anderson, the creative director of Loewe, will serve as honorary chairs, as both TikTok and Loewe are sponsors of the exhibition.

More to Read

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April 14, 2024

All the looks from the 2024 Oscars red carpet

March 10, 2024

How to watch the 2024 Oscars ceremony and red carpet

March 7, 2024

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Kaitlyn Huamani is a 2024 intern for the Entertainment and Arts section at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she interned at People Magazine, covering celebrity and pop culture news, as a part of the American Society of Magazine Editors’ internship program. A New Jersey native, she studied journalism at the University of Southern California.

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Federal Reserve keeps interest rates at current levels as inflation holds its grip

The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged at between 5.25% and 5.5% — the highest level in more than a decade — as annual inflation rates continued to stall.

In its statement announcing the hold, the central bank said that in recent months, there had been "a lack of further progress" toward its 2% percent inflation goal.

"Economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace," it said. "Job gains have remained strong, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Inflation has eased over the past year but remains elevated."

Last month, the consumer price index came in at 3.5% on an annual basis, driven by rising housing costs and insurance rates, especially auto insurance.

"We're just a mile a way from the finish line," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's, referring to the economy reaching 2% inflation. "We're very close, but still not there. I do think that inflation will continue to moderate."

The Fed has sought to slow inflation by keeping interest rates elevated. By making it more expensive for businesses and consumers to borrow money, including through credit cards, the Fed hopes to reduce demand for goods and services, thereby reducing price growth.

So far, the results of doing this have been mixed. After a period of rapid interest rate hikes, the pace of inflation fell from more than 9% in the summer of 2022 to its current levels of between 3% and 4%.

But the decline has since stalled.

There are complex reasons for the lack of progress and many elements may actually be out of the Federal Reserve's control. Home and auto insurance companies continue to pass on higher costs to consumers . Meanwhile, even as many consumers struggle, post-pandemic wealth gains have left others — especially older consumers — with plenty of money to spend, despite higher prices.

Whatever the case, the wait for slower inflation has left the average consumer in an increasingly dour mood. On Tuesday, the Conference Board’s monthly Consumer Confidence Index came in at its lowest level since July 2022. Consumers expressed more concern about the current labor market situation, future business conditions, job availability and income, the group said.

Still, most analysts say the odds of a recession are remote. In the most recent GDP report, spending on services, which includes everything from restaurants to airfare to professional services, came in at 4% year-on-year, the fastest rate since 2021.

“Don’t underestimate this economy,” economists with Wells Fargo said in a report following the release.

Consumers thus appear to be sensing that the most crucial part of the economy — the jobs market — is slowing, even while prices remain elevated.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged this complex economic environment in remarks in early March.

"The outlook is still quite uncertain," Powell said. The central bank must balance its campaign against elevated inflation with ensuring the economy does not slip into a recession.

Economists like Zandi aren't expecting the Fed to raise interest rates, either.

Instead, the Fed will likely continue to keep rates elevated — perhaps even until after the November general election so that it does not appear to favor one candidate or another.

"[Powell's] message is clear: We can’t cut rates and we’re not there yet," Zandi said. "We've still got a ways to go."

Rob Wile is a breaking business news reporter for NBC News Digital.