Museum of Illusions brings edutainment to Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 North Shore
Submitted
One doesn’t have to suspend reality to recognize that Pittsburgh’s new Museum of Illusions at 267 North Shore Drive is off to a great start.
The attraction, which opened late last year, welcomed 2,000 visitors the first day.
“We expected about half that, so we were excited at how enthusiastically the community responded,” said Sales and Marketing Coordinator Kenny McKernan.
The horseshoe-shaped space is home to about 80 illusions with accompanying explanations as to why people’s minds seem to be playing tricks on them. Museum Manager Johnny Klein said that students from elementary to high-school-age can benefit from visiting the exhibit, adding that curriculum is also available for teachers to assist them in understanding how their eyes and brains react to certain exhibits.
“STEM (science, engineering, technology and mathematics) and psychology are part of the experience,” Klein said
The Museum of Illusions began in Croatia in 2015 with a mission to offer both educational and entertaining experiences while blending art, science and psychology. The concept was so popular that it gained interest globally.
“With 8,000 square-feet, we’re the second largest Museum of Illusions behind Las Vegas, which is double that,” said McKernan.
Students aren’t the only ones who have been enjoying the museum. McKernan said one of his favorite exhibits is one where visitors can lie down and appear as if they’re hanging out of a window.
“We saw an older couple doing that recently,” he said, adding that it’s nice to see both young and old enjoy the space.
McKernan also cites a mural that was designed by artists at the nearby Warhol Museum.
“It looks like her eyes are following you from right to left,” he said.
Klein lists a few of his favorites like the Vortex Tunnel, which appears to be spinning, but is an optical illusion created by lights and mirrors
“It makes you feel like you’re falling upside down while walking straight,” he said.
Klein also likes the Ames room.
“Named after the individual who invented the effect, it makes people look drastically bigger, or smaller,” he said.
Finally, there’s the kaleidoscope room, which Klein said gives visitors the feeling of walking into the toy that so many played with when they were children.
To give people an idea as to how much time to allot for the visit, Klein said that the suggested amount is an hour and 40 minutes.
“Although there was this one family that spent four hours working on brain teasers, dilemma games and 3D and string puzzles at our puzzle bar,” Klein said, with a chuckle.
Community Impact
Klein said that the support of nearby businesses has been tremendous.
“Tom’s Watch Bar is so happy for the foot traffic that they offer our staff free meals throughout the week and our staff also patronizes Convive Coffee, which is nearby,” said Klein.
The museum, in addition to being an edutainment space for students, also supports education by offering free admission on ‘Teacher Tuesday.’
“All they have to do is show their ID,” Klein said.
The Museum is also making it a point to support area artists by rounding up receipts for items purchased at the Museum’s gift shop.
“This benefits the Warhol Museum and we sell all the puzzles that are in the museum there,” said Klein.
The Museum also hosts events.
“We work with restaurants to cater and serve alcohol with their liquor licenses,” said Klein, adding that the North Shore is home to many top-notch eateries. “All they have to do is wheel a cart down the street.”
Those who are interested in visiting are encouraged to visit the museum’s website at moipittsburgh.com to schedule a time.
“We do this to keep occupancy to 200,” said Klein, adding that the first month alone attracted 20,000 guests and that walk-ins may be accommodated during the week, depending on how busy the museum is at the time.
Klein said that the goal of the museum is to create a feeling of joy and fun — a memory to last long after one visits the destination.
“Our staff is well trained in interacting with the public and helping them in a way that is conducive to fun, while changing their perception of how we see things,” he said