Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology was an exhibition that ran from April 28, 2011, until September 18, 2011, in Montreal, Canada, before touring cities worldwide. (Valencia, Spain/Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, CA., USA/Fort Worth Museum, Fort Worth, TX., USA/TELUS World of Science, Edmonton, Canada/National Geographic Museum, Washington DC, USA). The exhibition featured real fascinating archaeological artifacts, along with an extensive collection of original Indiana Jones film materials.
It showcased props and behind-the-scenes information from the four Indiana Jones films as well as delving into the real-world background that forms the movies’ stories and emphasizing the hard science and archaeology behind it all.
Presented by the National Geographic Society, made possible by Lucasfilm Ltd. and produced by Montreal’s X3 Productions, Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology takes you on a journey into the fascinating science and history of field archaeology. This is a rare opportunity to see ancient artefacts from the National Geographic Society and the Penn Museum, along with an extensive collection of Indiana Jones film props from Lucasfilm Archives.
Lucasfilm’s exhibitions manager, Kyra Bowling, spoke at Skywalker Ranch in Northern California in early September 2012 to prepare the U.S. for the Indiana Jones exhibit’s first American stop, at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, California. She explained that the event was inspired by the year 2011 being the 30th Anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark. As the character of Indiana Jones is so beloved and multi-generational, they thought that using him would be a great way to educate people of all ages about science and archaeology.
Kyra Bowling said, “besides all the wonderful things from the films, which includes over 100 objects and props, we also wanted the exhibit to be about hard science and archaeology.” The exhibit highlights thirteen different adventures that Indy went on and compares the factual and fictitious surrounding those adventures and the history of the objects. Bowling also mentioned that although the interactive treasure hunt quest is geared towards kids, adults in Montreal and Valencia had been thoroughly enjoying it. She also said about the tour, “as you wind your way through the archaeology zones, there is a video companion for every visitor, so each person can customize their visit with over 2 hours of content. So you really get to pick and choose what might excite you in the exhibit.”
Photos: Mary Harrsch/Flickr