The Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry has displays with clothes, rooms and even
creatures from the movies. Courtesy of The Museum of Science and Industry
Guests enter the Gryffindor common room at “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” through an enchanted portrait hole. Though the magically depicted fat lady is singing, the experience is far from over.
In the absence of broomsticks, Floo powder and portkeys, visitors from as far as British Columbia and Maryland have driven to Chicago, making a pilgrimage to the exhibit’s world premiere at the Museum of Science and Industry, 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, said Jeff Buonomo, the museum’s coordinator of special exhibits and events.
The exhibit, which opened Thursday, was designed and created as a collaboration between Warner Bros. and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur. It features more than 200 costumes and props from the “Harry Potter” films, arranged in settings designed to immerse visitors in the world of Hogwarts. Guests can also partake in several hands-on activities, such as throwing a quaffle or pulling a mandrake in the herbology greenhouse.
“We’ve toned them down, so you don’t need earmuffs,” Buonomo said.
Guests discover the wizarding world the way characters do. First, they settle into Hogwarts and attend classes, then they play quidditch and visit Hagrid’s hut – where they can take a seat in his enormous leather chair and monitor a dragon egg on the table – then venture into the Forbidden Forest.
The exhibit slows down the experience of watching a “Harry Potter” film, so viewers can catch and appreciate all of the minute components they would ordinarily miss. An audio tour provides commentary from costumers and designers, explaining the lengthy thought process behind the shades of pink in Prof. Umbridge’s wardrobe, which darken as the character’s dictatorship strengthens, and each character’s wand, the handles of which are meant to reflect their owners’ personalities.
“Those things flash by you on-screen and you don’t really see it,” said Brian Packer, a spokesman for the museum. “Here you see all of the detail in the imagery.”
Guests can take their time reading the Latin inscriptions on the Marauder’s Map. They can contrast the opulent classroom of Gilderoy Lockhart, which contains a study model of a Cornish pixie, to the pragmatic setup of Remus Lupin. In his “Defense Against the Dark Arts” class, a boggart thrashes about within an art nouveau-style wardrobe covered in tarnished mirrors. Visitors can see the announcements on the bulletin board in the Gryffindor common room and peruse the selection of sweets that Honeydukes has to offer.
Potter devotees have been flocking to the exhibit, some in costumes ranging from Gryffindor scarves to full sets of robes, Buonomo said.
“We knew it was a hit when the fan (Web) sites came through and gave it their seal of approval,” he said.
Both fans and non-fans alike said they enjoyed the exhibit. Marcia and Adam Maslow, Texas residents who were in Chicago for a birthday, said they each found items of interest, though only one of them is truly committed to the series.
“I read all the books and before each movie I reread them,” Marcia Maslow said. “It was totally worth coming.”
Her husband, who has not read any of the books, said he thought the exhibit did a good job catering to visitors with any level of Harry Potter knowledge.
The exhibit, like any year at Hogwarts, culminates in the Great Hall, where costumes from the Yule Ball, the Triwizard Cup and a mouth-watering spread of fake food are arranged beneath hovering candles.
“Your year at Hogwarts always ends in the Great Hall,” Packer said. “You come in and see all of the moments that have happened in here.”
The exhibit will be at the museum until mid-September before traveling to other cities in the United States and abroad. Entry costs $26 and requires a special ticket in addition to museum admittance. The museum is also offering extended hours, during which patrons can buy tickets exclusively for the exhibit.
