Changing Landscapes: Inside Venice, Mesa Verde, and Rapa Nui
Opens to Members: June 11
Opens to Public: June 12
Free with Museum Admission
Changing Landscapes: Inside Venice, Mesa Verde, and Rapa Nui invites visitors to explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites facing challenges in a changing climate.
Through large-scale projections and interactive experiences, guests will be transported to the city of Venice in Italy, the island of Rapa Nui off the coast of Chile and the cliff dwellings of Colorado’s very own Mesa Verde in the United States.
Researchers used revolutionary photogrammetry technology to create highly accurate three-dimensional models of these culturally significant sites. Guests feel immersed in each location as they learn how climate hazards like flooding, drought, wildfires, erosion and rising sea levels are impacting natural and cultural heritage.
Hands-on activities like digital rock art tracing and a game to prevent storefronts from flooding, invite visitors to learn how scientists, local leaders and communities are documenting and addressing climate threats. Interactive multimedia stations allow guests to reflect on places they value, consider how climate change is affecting heritage sites around the world and hear stories about how communities are responding to specific climate issues.
Changing Landscapes highlights both the urgency of the climate crisis and the innovative strategies being implemented to help preserve our shared human history for generations to come.
The exhibition is presented in English and Spanish. Included with Museum admission.
Changing Landscapes: Inside Venice, Mesa Verde, and Rapa Nui is created by the Museum of Science, Boston and made possible by the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, with additional support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In partnership with UNESCO.
Exhibition Walkthrough
Arrival: Setting the Stage
Guests begin in a transitional space featuring bold, graphic “travel posters” introducing the exhibition’s featured locations and the climate issues affecting each.
Introduction Theater: Giza and the Big Picture
A short introductory film uses the pyramids of Giza as an entry point into the exhibition’s central ideas: cultural heritage, climate impacts and the role of technology in preservation.
Venice: Living With Water
Explore how Venice has been shaped by water and how rising sea levels threaten its future. Guests discover the city's unique geography, experience the impacts of flooding on historic landmarks and make decisions about the flood-control systems designed to protect Venice.
Transition: Personal Connection
Before moving on, guests are invited to reflect on places that matter to them by selecting digital “location cards.” Their choices appear on a shared screen, creating a collective snapshot of what people value and what may be at risk.
Mesa Verde: Living With Fire and Drought
This section explores Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and the deep cultural connections between landscape, climate and the Ancestral Pueblo peoples.
Transition: A Global Perspective
At an interactive world map, guests explore how different regions are experiencing climate impacts, from increased heat to rising seas, by selecting locations and hearing stories from those locations.
Reflection and Action: What Comes Next
In the final section, guests shift from observation and learning to reflection and action. Interactive experiences encourage guests to consider how climate change affects the places they value, and how those climate changes compare to climate changes in other places around the globe.
Upcoming Events
Member Preview Day
Thursday, June 11
9 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Members experience it first: Member Preview Day is your chance to explore Changing Landscapes: Inside Venice, Mesa Verde, and Rapa Nui before it opens to the general public!
18+ Members-Only Evening Hours
Wednesday, June 17
6-9 p.m.
Looking to experience Changing Landscapes: Inside Venice, Mesa Verde, and Rapa Nui in a quieter setting? Explore the Museum’s newest temporary exhibition during our 18+ members-only evening hours.