Ray guns, robots and plans for a nuclear-powered car are all part of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future,” a new Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition opening at the Shoreline Historical Museum at 7:30 p.m. Saturday June 26. The exhibit will run for six weeks through Saturday, Aug. 7.
“Yesterday’s Tomorrows” is part of the Museum on Main Street program, a partnership of the Smithsonian Institution, State Humanities Councils and American towns and small cities. The program was established in 1991 in response to the challenge facing small museums to enhance their cultural legacies. The exhibit will tour Washington State through 2005. “This is the first time our community has been the recipient of a Smithsonian exhibition,” said Vicki Stiles, Shoreline Historical Museum director. “It’s a real honor for us to be able to welcome an exhibit from our Nation’s museum here.” The exhibit was developed by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services and the National Museum of American History. Supporters include Humanities Washington, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, the City of Shoreline, Heritage 4Culture, and numerous local businesses and Museum members.
“Yesterday’s Tomorrows” uses popular culture objects such as toys, books, movie stills, World’s Fair memorabilia, car designs, advertisements and architectural designs to examine the ways in which Americans of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries have envisioned the future. From the optimistic tomorrows of General Motors’ “Futurama” at the 1939 World’s Fair to the bleak future presented in the films “Planet of the Apes” (1968) and War of the Worlds (1953), this exhibit explores a range of visions.
As part of the show, the Shoreline Historical Museum will also exhibit visions from the local and regional past. The influence of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair on the area will be examined, along with local inventions and futuristic visions of historical community leaders. “Water skis were invented in the 1930’s by Don Ibsen, a young resident of Lake Forest Park. A unique monorail system was also patented by a resident of Lake Forest Park, Alfred Moeller. Lake Forest Park itself was the first planned community in the northwest King County, a vision of Ole Hanson,” said Stiles. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to study how our todays have been shaped by those who have gone before us, and how we will, in turn, influence the future.”
During the six-week exhibit, the Museum will have a special program every Saturday, along with docent tours every day. The Museum’s regular open hours of Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. have also been expanded to include Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Call 206-542-7111 for more information.
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