Free admission offered Sunday at Museum of Science and Industry to celebrate upcoming name change – NBC Chicago

As the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry officially announces its name change next week, the museum is celebrating the occasion by offering free admission to all guests for one day.

The name change officially begins next week, renaming the institution the “Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.”

The name change was first announced in 2019 after a record $125 million donation from Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin.

The museum announced Tuesday that free entry to all guests will be offered next Sunday.

The museum, famously located in the former Palace of Fine Arts building from the 1893 World’s Fair, said the move was to recognize “the largest single gift in the museum’s history.”

But they were “moving toward a time when the exterior of our museum would reflect the progress we have made on the inside” before officially changing its name.

“Today, we are excited to reveal the next step in our evolution as the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry,” reads the museum’s website.

Griffin, founder and chief executive of Citadel, described the museum as “one of the most important scientific institutions in the world.”

“I am honored to support MSI’s mission to inspire the next generation of scientific exploration and innovation,” Griffin said in a statement.

Officials said a majority of the money would be used to “secure the long-term future of the museum” and support plans “to create the Pixel Studio, a cutting-edge digital gallery and performance space that will be the only experience of the museum”. this is the case in North America.

As part of its new identity, the museum also unveiled a new logo and new experiences. Among them is a new Griffin Studio, “a one-of-a-kind immersive digital gallery” with a debut exhibition titled Notes to Neurons, “an exploration of the connection between music and emotion.”

The new logo “presents a modern twist on the iconic cube, now with softer edges, symbolizing our commitment to inclusiveness and accessibility for all.”

“As we re-emerge as the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, we move forward with great determination and respect for our history, challenging ourselves to advance, modernize, innovate and place our visitors and our community at the center of everything we do,” the museum wrote on its website.