Why do 20 tractor trailers worth of Harry Potter™ movie props currently reside at the Museum of Science?

Poster art provided by www.harrypotterexhibition.com

An exhibit full of Harry Potter™ movie props does not belong at Boston’s Museum of Science. Don’t get me wrong; I love Harry Potter™. I began reading the books before they were popular, long before the screaming legions of tween fans lined up at midnight, in costume, for the later books in the series and then the movies. I even partook of some of the midnight movie and book premieres myself (although not in costume.) But the Museum of Science has welcomed Harry Potter™: The Exhibition for the next four months, and it’s an exhibit completely devoid of science. The museum is missing a wonderful opportunity to educate the squealing fans that will flock to the exhibit.

Despite the inappropriate location, the exhibit is worth seeing if you’re a fan of the movies. It features a multitude of recognizable props and costumes – everything from Buckbeak, a horse-sized replica of Hagrid’s Hippogriff, to Oliver Wood’s Quidditch robes, to Snape’s wand. The props are all carefully arranged in rooms that were painstakingly designed to look just like the movie sets. (Haven’t you always wanted to visit Hogwarts?)

The frustrating thing is that it would be so easy for the Museum of Science to add science to the Harry Potter™ exhibit. Near the Quidditch broomsticks and costumes, a placard could briefly describe the aerodynamics of flight. Near the shrieking mandrakes – plants that look like horrifying babies and emit a high-pitched squeal when you uproot them from their flowerpots – a sign about botany could fit right in. But there is none of this.

Even if it would be a tight squeeze to fit additional signage within the meticulously designed exhibit, there is plenty of space throughout the rest of the museum to add a temporary “Science of Harry Potter™” mini-exhibit to supplement the hall of props. In fact, on a recent preview night (for “Very Important Muggles”), there were “Science Entertainment Stations” set up elsewhere in the museum. One explored basic chemistry in the form of a “potions” lesson. Another explored flight, allowing museum visitors to design a hovercraft broom from recycled materials and test its aerodynamic properties. I asked one of the “potions masters” if these tables would be set up for the duration of the Harry Potter™ exhibit. No, she told me. Just for that one night. What a wasted opportunity.

Neville Longbottom (played by actor Matthew Lewis) adds his wand to the exhibit at the Museum of Science. Photo provided by http://www.harrypotterexhibition.com.

On the plus side, perhaps it will draw children to the museum who otherwise might have whined about museums being boring. Perhaps it will breathe new life into a museum that hasn’t changed very much over the last few years. But it cheapens the museum’s stated mission, “to play a leading role in transforming the nation’s relationship with science and technology.” The Museum of Science is devoting four months to the display and upkeep of a major collection of movie props in an apparent attempt to attract younger visitors, but the mission is being ignored. Yet hopefully, after experiencing the magic of the exhibit, many children will want to run around the rest of the museum to see “real” magic – science. If even just a few do, then I suppose the exhibit isn’t a waste of space after all. But wouldn’t it be more appropriate at the Children’s Museum?

So go see the exhibit – bring your imagination, your children, your friends – but make the trip worthwhile and wander around the rest of the museum as well. Science is the closest thing to magic that we can experience.

Harry Potter™: The Exhibition shows at the Museum of Science (1 Science Park, Boston) until February 21. For more information about the exhibit, go here: http://www.harrypotterexhibition.com/.