2,000-Year-Old Mummy is One of Five Transformative Objects

(Columbus, OH)—The new exhibit at the Ohio History Center, Transformation, opens September 11, 2013 and explores the stories of five objects – a mummy, a Miss America dress, a vaudeville makeup kit, a segment of hanging rope, and a preserved passenger pigeon – that document the transformative process.

Transformation is defined as “the act, process, or instance of changing in character or condition.” Ohio History Center visitors have the opportunity to explore how objects have defined individual lives, entire cultures, and even the world.

As visitors explore the display, they will be prompted to consider how objects –mere “things” – can bring about transformation from life to death, from unknown to famous, from existing to extinct.

The exhibit showcases objects that represent different types of transformation:

• Amunet, the 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy given to the Ohio History Connection in the 1920s, undergoes a transformation from object to person.
• A Max Factor vaudeville make-up kit from the 1920s showcases the ease and power of personal and physical transformations.
• Segments of the hanging rope used to execute the Lincoln assassination conspirators explore the national transformation the conspirators initiated and the transformation of an ordinary object into a historic relic.
• The dress worn by Miss America from 1963, Jackie Mayer, highlights the private transformation that occurs when one accepts a public role.
• Buttons, one of the last wild passenger pigeon that was shot in 1900, prompts questions of how humans transform the natural world through seemingly insignificant acts.

“In addition to viewing these historical artifacts, the exhibit is a great opportunity to think about and discuss transformation and change in an interpersonal way,” said Sharon Dean, director of museum and library services for OHS. “From the technological evolution of the 2,000-year-old mummy rendering it a modern human being, to the rash decision to shoot the last wild passenger pigeon, to the mere act of putting on a specific dress – all of these objects prompt reflection about the nature of transformation, and how lives can be impacted in a major way through quick decisions as well as through thoroughly planned-out and well-executed ideas.”

The Mummy through the Lens of 21st-Century Technology

The star of the exhibit is Amunet, OHS’s 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, who has undergone a remarkable transformation thanks to the 21st-century 3Dimaging technology of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.  This presentation of Amunet’s story allows visitors to see the mummy in a completely unique way by viewing digital images from the CT scan, a 3D printing of Amunet’s skull, and a never-before-seen 3D reconstruction of Amunet’s face and head.

The exhibit will be on display until March 30, 2014.The Ohio History Center is located at 800 E. 17th Ave, Columbus, OH43211. Admission to Transformation is free with admission to the Ohio History Center: $10/Adults,$9/Seniors, $5/Children 6-12, Free/Children 5 and under, Free/OHS Members. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For more information, visit www.ohiohistory.org or call 614.297.2300/800.686.6124.

About the Ohio History Connection

Founded in 1885, the non-profit Ohio History Connection (https://www.ohiohistory.org) provides a wide array of statewide services and programs related to collecting,preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archaeology, and natural history through its 50+ sites and museums across Ohio, including its flagship museum,the Ohio History Center in Columbus. For information regarding the OHS, contact Shannon Thomas, Communications Specialist, Ohio History Connection: 614.297.2317, [email protected].