Washington State History Museum Showcases Brand-New Exhibits

Just in time for the kickoff to Autumn quarter, the Washington State History Museum in downtown Tacoma has opened up two brand new exhibitions — “Little Black Dress: A Fashion Evolution” and “A New Moon Rises.”

As a perk of attending UWT, students are offered completely free admission to the museum, with presentation of their husky student ID. Being right across the street from campus, this is a convenient way to access culture and history for students in a fun way.

Marketing and communications director of the Washington State Historical Society, Julianna Verboort, shared details about these exhibitions that have opened recently at the history museum.

“’Little Black Dress: A Fashion Evolution’ tells the story of evolving women’s roles and changing social norms, and how those impacted fashion design,” Verboort said.

This exhibition will display dresses from the Washington State Historical Society’s 1860’s through 2010’s collections. In addition, the museum is hosting a fashion show with food and entertainment on October 18 from 5:30–9 p.m. Dresses featured during the event will be donated by consignment shops. The ticketed event will feature female models that have contributed to Washington State in a significant way, including Secretary of State Kim Wyman.

“Little Black Dress” runs through December 5, 2019.

The next exhibition focuses on the final frontier of exploration — space. “A New Moon Rises” is a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution that features images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) in a high-resolution format. Other artifacts, such as moon rocks, will also be on display.

“Visitors can also see videos of near-real-time transmissions from the LROC… and photos of Apollo 11 astronauts training in Washington. Don’t miss the display of retro-futuristic items that illustrate what people thought life could be like once space travel was possible. If you’ve ever wanted to go into outer space this is an exhibit for you!” Verboort said.

This exhibit will be available until December 1, 2019.

In addition to these exciting new exhibitions, there are several others at the museum that are worth exploring. An exhibit available right now called “Horizon,” features a series of landscape paintings with a single horizon line. “They are hung together in a way that aligns their dominant horizon lines,” the information page on the website for the exhibit explains. 

“Horizon” runs through January 13, 2020. 

The museum is also home to a few interesting permanent exhibits. One that seems to be a key player in showcasing the rich history of Washington State is “The Great Hall.”“Our largest exhibit at the Washington State History Museum is a walk through time,” the website’s information page explains. 

This exhibit explores the progression through time in Washington state, from the lives of Native Americans, through industrialization, and onward. Several artifacts are on display that highlight moments of Washington’s history. The museum recommends reserving two hours to be able to fully explore and absorb all that this exhibit has to offer. 

Having a chance to see all of these valuable and educational displays at the museum for free is a great perk of being a student of UWT — and you should definitely get in and check out the exhibits while you have a chance to!