Science History Institute Celebrates ‘Earthly Matters’ Exhibition Opening and Lobby Renovation with Ribbon Cutting on October 8
Visitors are invited to Old City for an up-close look at our new collection of minerals, a curator’s talk, light refreshments, and more.
Join the Science History Institute as we celebrate the completion of a multilevel renovation project that includes a full lobby redesign, a brand-new exhibition featuring a “hall of minerals,” and a new gift shop. The public is invited to A Marvelous Night of Minerals: An Earthly Matters Opening Celebration taking place on October 8, 2025, from 5pm to 8pm at 315 Chestnut Street in Old City Philadelphia. Highlights of this multifaceted celebration include a ribbon cutting, curator’s talk, mineral specimens you can touch, rare books from our library collection, alchemical recipe recreations with our fellows, and a signature rock candy cocktail. This event is free, but registration is required.
The centerpiece of our extensive lobby renovation is the installation of Earthly Matters, a new permanent exhibition that explores the history and science behind a collection of more than 20 minerals donated to the Institute. Elements, crystals, gemstones, and even a meteorite will be on display in seven state-of-the-art cases. The new “hall of minerals” has been carefully curated and arranged to tell the story of human curiosity about the natural world around us.
“We look forward to surprising our visitors with a mineral display that is intentionally unlike what one might expect to see at a natural history museum,” said exhibition curator Michelle DiMeo, the Institute’s vice president of collections and programs and the Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library. “We are telling the story of these minerals through a series of questions that invites the viewer to see them in a new light.”
And we quite literally mean a new light. The answer to “Does it glow?” is found in one of the custom display cases that features ultraviolet lighting, where specimens of fluorite, ruby, kunzite, powellite, and others are indeed glowing. The reason? Fluorescence, a process that causes some minerals to absorb and emit light.
“What color is it?” has many answers, since minerals like cinnabar (red) and azurite (blue) have long been used in fine arts and craft making due to their beautiful hues. One case that asks “How hard is it?” has minerals arranged according to a 19th-century scale that is still taught today. Earthly Matters also features historical tales about gemstones such as aquamarine and tourmaline, and precious metals such as silver and gold, which reveal how these minerals were valued for far more than just their beauty.
“From using them as currency to trade, to harnessing their ability to conduct and store electricity to power our cell phones, minerals have provided humans with essential raw materials across centuries and cultures,” added exhibition developer Jesse Smith, the Institute’s director of curatorial affairs and digital content. “We hope visitors will leave with a sense of curiosity for the material world around them.”
Agenda
A Marvelous Night of Minerals: An Earthly Matters Opening Celebration
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | 5pm–8pm
5pm: Doors open
6:15pm: Curator’s talk
6:45pm: Ribbon cutting
7pm–8pm: Additional programming
A Marvelous Night of Minerals: An Earthly Matters Opening Celebration is part of our Rohm and Haas Fellow in Focus lecture series, which gives the Institute’s scholars an opportunity to present their work to a broad audience interested in history, science, and culture.
Renovation Project
The $3.3 million renovation project is the first major redesign of the Institute’s main building since opening our museum and conference center in 2008. Designed by Atkin Olshin Shade Architects, this project is part of a plan to expand access to the Institute and increase offerings.
In addition to updating the lobby to be more welcoming and engaging for visitors, the renovation also included the opening of a new gift shop. Guests can now take a piece of science history home with them, including Institute-branded merchandise and such items as postcards, notecards, and magnets that feature compelling imagery from our vast digital collections. Our gift shop also features products like science-themed jewelry and custom tea towels created by Pennsylvania-based artists.
Project Team and Partners
Thank you to all of our collaborators for their continued work on this project, including Science History Institute staff, AOS Architects, Dan Bosin Associates, INTECH Construction, Case[werks], Flux Art Conservation, Gander & White, Keith Ragone Studios, Ben Neiditz, Will Bucher, Gustave Lester, Berry & Homer, Vinylbomb, and Workspace LLC.
Support
Earthly Matters is presented in loving memory of Margaret & Moshe Alafi through the generosity of Alafi Capital and Bering Capital.
Featured image: Tourmaline specimen featured in Earthly Matters.
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