First Look At The Future Milwaukee Public Museum's Butterfly Vivarium

MILWAUKEE, WI — As the Milwaukee Public Museum gears up to relocate to a newly constructed building by 2026, design officials on Tuesday gave a first look at plans for a new butterfly vivarium, rooftop terrace and rainforest gallery.

The sneak peeks given on Tuesday by the museum and design team, Thinc Design, are among five permanent galleries planned for the new location. Other galleries will look at the ice age, the old days of Milwaukee, and more, while a sixth gallery space will be for traveling exhibits.

For many, the new butterfly vivarium may be reminiscent of the current one and quite similar, but some key differences will set it apart. The new space will be at the top of the future museum, allowing for abundant natural lighting that helps plants flourish. The space will also show visitors the context of the city landscape around the vivarium, Orande Wright from Thinc Design told reporters at a virtual conference Tuesday.

Alongside the vivarium, future museum visitors can also expect to see inside an insect lab and a pupae room to get a closer look at the life cycles of the creatures fluttering around.

The vivarium will be adjacent to a rainforest space, where visitors can connect with nature in a unique way.

"In Rainforest, visitors will be transported to one of the most biodiverse places on the planet: the
tropics," a news release from the museum said. "Tropical rainforests along the equator are defined by their mazes of massive trees and vines, elements the gallery will leverage to conceal and reveal exhibits featuring a wealth of natural and cultural collections items."

The dimly lit space will immerse people into a vibrant "audioscape" of rainfall with the buzz of insects and other rainforest residents, the museum news release said. Displays will include specimens like beetles, birds of paradise and beadwork. Some exhibits may feature living animals like tarantulas and frogs.

On top of everything will be the gardens of the Bucyrus Rooftop Terrace, the museum said, for visitors to reconnect with the city around them after a trip through the museum. The space is also set to hold special events and function as an outdoor classroom.

The future location of the Milwaukee Public Museum, at the corner of 6th and McKinley Streets, will feature around 200,000 square feet of space on five stories. The building, touted by the museum as "the largest cultural project in Wisconsin history," takes its design influence from geological formations in the state.