Note: this interview is posted 7 days after it took place, and some of the facts may have changed in that time. Please notify me of any corrections, and updates will be run on this story.
According to Susan Weller, executive director of the Bell Museum of Natural History, there are far more reasons for a new museum than just a chance to upgrade the dioramas. The Bell building on the Minneapolis campus has asbestos, needs profound renovations that cost as much or more than a new building especially after a flooding incident last winter, and on top of all of that, the students and programs that use the Bell as part of their curriculum are located on the Saint Paul Campus. "Our carbon footprint looks like Bozo the clown's shoe," says Weller. Students must shuttle back and forth constantly between campuses because the Bell museum is a key tool in natural science curriculums. The Goldstein Gallery, a design museum located on the Saint Paul campus, would then take over the Bell building, also reducing transit since the art and design programs are located on the Minneapolis campus.
The Minnesota Senate and Governor Pawlenty do not seem to be understanding that, as evidenced by funding for the new Bell museum again being cut out of the state budget when a recent bonding bill passed through senate. But Weller and advocates for the Bell press on: as of the time of the interview, Weller along with some Bell supporters were going to the Capitol in Saint Paul to demonstrate the importance of the natural history museum both for education at the University of Minnesota and to the greater community. The bonding bill has yet to pass through the Minnesota House legislature, and Weller says she is hopeful based on support from attendees of the conference committee that oversees the bill.
Weller indicates that the greatest challenge to building the new Bell lies with Governor Pawlenty, who she believes needs a better understanding of why the Bell is important. "I think cultural institutions are especially important during a time of crisis," says Weller. "It's a way to access information when you've lost access to it through private means. Public access to information and education are power in society. Education is how you raise yourself out of poverty. If we are really serious about increasing living standards then access is key."
A new Bell museum would include classrooms, an auditorium, experimental gardens and would allow for hands-on application of concepts described in lecture.
Weller encourages those who support the raising of a new Bell Museum to write Governor Pawlenty detailing why a new museum is important both to the University of Minnesota and to the greater community.
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