Tag Archives: museum

Blog 7- Lisa Ratliff-National Museum for African American History and Culture (Washington D.C.)

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I was lucky enough to see this building in person last year when I went to visit Washington D.C. It is very unique and the outdoor metal work is intricate with such a rich history. It was created by lead designer David Adjaye and lead architect Philip Freelon, with their architectural team Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup.

The  form of the museum is inspired by the three-tiered crowns used in Yoruban art from West Africa. The wrapping of the entire building in an ornamental bronze-colored metal lattice, the architect pays homage to the intricate ironwork crafted by enslaved African Americans in Louisiana, South Carolina, and elsewhere. As seen in the above picture, the inside is beautiful too, with natural light penetrating the inside of the building, peeking though the ornamental lattice. 

At night, the building glows with an iridescence that is mystifying. Right next to the Washington monument it does not overshadow but beams with light just as the bright monument. Although the building is seemingly opaque during the day, the designers and architects did an incredible job letting the ornamental lattice shine day and night on the building.

Blog 5- Lisa Ratliff-Perot Museum of Nature and Science (Dallas, TX)

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This museum is one of the first ones I went to when I first became interested in working with museums. I think it is a beautiful building. But its also incredibly sustainable. Designed by architect and  Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Thom Mayne, the museum is truly an icon of Dallas, TX. The building’s irrigation and plumbing demands are all met by recapturing air conditioning condensation, it’s building materials include recycled and locally sourced materials, all the furniture is made from sustainable forests, and much much more!


It is very obvious that the architects wanted something that looked playful yet still blended in with the city’s surroundings. The glass box is so cool because it looks as if it is suspended in the air next to the building. The material is also very cool because it is a rocky cement that is toned in color but still stands out against other buildings. Although they are temporarily closed due to COVID-19, locals can still pass by to view the unique and intelligent architecture that makes us feel sciency and cool. As seen in the picture above, the glass block lets in a bunch of natural light that otherwise would not have been there. I think this is especially important because the natural elements of the building require natural light. Without it, the building would feel sterile and disconnected from the outside world. With all these reasons, this is definitely one of the cooler science museums to go to.

Blog 1-Lisa Ratliff-Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AR)

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Last year I went to visit the famous Walmart city Bentonville which is the home of Crystal Bridges, the Museum of American Art. Mostly paid for by the Walmart Foundation, this 200 million dollar museum is beautifully crafted by an architect who wanted the museum to match the Ozark forest. This was incredibly apparent when I arrived there because the museum almost looks hidden away in the expansive forest. But once you get closer you begin to notice the white and glass curves of the museum.

To further complement the forest, the museum is not made any taller than the trees surrounding it and it also has a pond in the middle of it to reflect the surrounding sky and trees. These characteristics gave me a feeling of peace and calmness. I loved the bulges of wood and glass that can be found as pod looking elements across the water. Specifically, these bulges will light up at night and create beautiful organic stripes towards the sky. This is all a spectacle throughout the museum due to the great use of glass throughout the halls of the museum.

My favorite part about my visit here was the outdoor spaces that connected to the interior of the museum. These spaces included trails for bikes and places to connect with nature. The areas outside were also viewable through the glass halls which housed not only the galleries but also a restaurant and cafe.

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas

Blog 3-Lisa Ratliff-Sam Noble Museum of Natural History (Norman, OK)

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The Sam Noble Museum of Natural History or SNOMH is home to thousands of artifacts, educational resources, and academic research. I have been conducting undergraduate research for the past two years at this site and have always loved coming into work here! I work upstairs in the black “treasure chest” part of the museum and this is where all the research takes place. This goes from skinning small/large animals to DNA extractions for creating phylogenetic trees. My favorite part about this building are the large concrete blocks around the big windows. This makes me feel at ease with the work I am doing for the University. This could be a stressful environment due to the work but I actually feel relieved every time I step into the museum.

The main entrance to the museum for the guest is incredibly inviting with a dome-like surrounding. This has tables and chairs set around for schools to have lunch and guests to sit and enjoy a book outside. Once inside the lobby it is obvious how much the architects relied on the open plains in front of the museum to use natural light. The entire central lobby is an enormous multipanelled window. To create more effect, in front of the window is a massive sculpture of a pre-historic elephant.

One of the last things that stand out to me about the way the research chest was built are the labs. It is incredibly common for labs to be dark and windowless but SNOMH makes it a point for all fo the labs to have huge windows for scientists to actually have access to natural sunlight instead of just the fluorescent light of the ceilings.