Unseen Oceans exhibit to make a splash in Grand Rapids

EducationArt

May 28

Written By Staff

Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum will open Unseen Oceans, an exhibition produced by the American Museum of Natural History, on June 20. The exhibition, which will be on display through Jan. 2, 2027, takes visitors on a journey from the oceans’ sunlit surfaces to their inky depths, exploring how 21st-century technologies like robotics, ROVs and AUVs, satellite monitoring, miniaturization, and high-definition imaging are transforming scientists’ understanding of the more than 70 percent of Earth covered by oceans.

“The Earth’s oceans have profound impacts on all of us, even here in Grand Rapids, where the nearest ocean is hundreds of miles away,” said Kellie Rosekrans, Director of Marketing, Grand Rapids Public Museum . “This immersive exhibit allows you to feel the scale of its inhabitants, put yourself in the position of a researcher, and follow your curiosity. We can all learn something new from the mysteries and discoveries revealed in Unseen Oceans.”

In Unseen Oceans, visitors will explore a series of media-rich galleries showcasing marine environments and introducing the scientists who are using cutting-edge research tools and developing new methods to explore the oceans.

“Throughout the nearly three decades that I’ve spent studying the world’s oceans, I’ve been continually astonished at the ingenuity of my fellow marine scientists as they’ve utilized and adapted the latest technologies to make discoveries that we could previously only dream of,” said John Sparks, Curator in the Department of Ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History and curator of Unseen Oceans. “For example, it was only in the last 15 years that my colleagues and I revealed the widespread incidence of biofluorescence—the phenomenon by which organisms absorb light, transform it, and emit it as a different color—among marine fishes. Visitors to this exhibition will learn about that research and more as they meet the scientists who are quite literally illuminating the unseen frontiers of our ocean world.”

In the exhibit, visitors will encounter larger-than-life models of unusual and beautiful planktonic species, fascinating fossils from Earth’s past—from ammonites to megalodon teeth, and a 180-degree, high-resolution screen where animations of blue whales, giant squid, and manta rays swim by visitors at true-to-life scales. They will learn about underwater cameras, enjoy a virtual ride in an immersive submersible theatre, and engage with interactive stations that allow them to lead exploration in a virtual submersible.

Unseen Oceans is included with general admission to the Museum. The GRPM offers discounts for Kent County Residents, and Kent County children ages 17 and under can visit for FREE every day.

Unseen Oceans is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York. Unseen Oceans is curated by John Sparks, curator in the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Ichthyology in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology.

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