September 20, 2008 - January 4, 2009

Explore some of the Buffalo Museum of Science's
greatest treasures gathered over time and
experience the passion of collectors before us.

 

When the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences was formed in 1861, its members and friends donated interesting items collected over time and travel such as sea shells, interesting rocks and other natural specimens, and stored them in what is referred to as “Cabinets of Curiosities”. Since then, the contents of those cabinets have grown exponentially into the collection of over 600,000 specimens and artifacts on display at the Buffalo Museum of Science and shared with other museums around the world.

 
Chauncey Hamlin

 
Charles Rand Penney

The Buffalo Museum of Science has benefited from the generosity of many individuals who spent their lives collecting. The desire to share their collections with a broader audience resulted in the decision to donate their beloved collections to the care of the Buffalo Museum of Science. Culture Quest explains how BMS acquired its extensive collection and tells stories of notable collectors who have made interesting and unique contributions to the collection, including Sarita Hopkins Weeks, Lewis Jackson Bennett, and the Museum’s first president, Chauncey Hamlin.

Select items from these collections will be on display along with personal collections on loan from famous Buffalonians, such as Charles Rand Penney and Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls. Culture Quest also examines the psychology of collecting and the driving force behind why people collect, as well as how collecting preserves traditions and cultures for future generations.

Culture Quest examines the following questions:

• Why do museums collect?
• How do museums collect?
• Who were main contributors to the Buffalo Museum of Science's collection and why did they collect?
• Why do you collect?