Ancient Americas Now Open at Field Museum
Chicago’s Field Museum’s newest permanent exhibit The Ancient Americas, takes visitors on a trip through time to learn about the hundreds of societies that populated North, Central, and South America long before the Europeans arrived on the scene.

Chicago Scenic spent more than six months working on this project, ultimately building about half of the 19,000-square-foot exhibit, including many highly specialized cases that can be easily customized depending on what is displayed inside. CSSI welded the frames of the large glass cases in our shop and built them with access panels that facilitate the display of many different types of artifacts, risers, and graphics. The top of the cases hold the lighting attic so the lighting is safely separated from the artifacts they illuminate, and the bottom of the cases house a hidden chamber that contains a desiccant to control the exhibit’s moisture levels. All cases were built with security fasteners.

Other unique areas CSSI built include a series of circular cases that are reminiscent of Indian kivas, round ceremonial rooms used by ancient peoples of the Americas. CSSI also built the interactive computer kiosks at the exhibit’s conclusion, but those who prefer to sit and reflect on the exhibit for a moment can do so on the CSSI-built benches in the same space.

Chicago Board of Trade Visitor Center Now Open to the Public
Chicago Scenic worked with the Chicago Board of Trade to develop its new Visitor Center. Project Manager Ross Hamilton and Design Manager Tom Ryan started by helping to develop the center’s mission statement and then designed and built the center that welcomes the public and gives an introduction to the inner workings and history of this seemingly mysterious organization.

The 158-year-old CBOT’s rich history is told graphically through a timeline which uses text and historical photos posted along the top of the Center’s walls. We also created areas that explain the CBOT’s trading methods and its use of technology from the original telegraph to today’s electronic communication tools, along with the practical ways that the CBOT affects real people’s lives. A particularly unique element uses a series of computer-controlled LED lamps to light up a map to show how, almost instantaneously, its information is communicated worldwide. A small retail space is also included in the center.

Fountain Is Worth Its Salt
Chicago Scenic recently engineered and constructed a gigantic salt shaker fountain for a pharmaceutical company’s trade show exhibit to illustrate the benefits of one of its medications.

CSSI engineered and built the fountain that continuously pumped “salt” (which was actually water) up through the 16-foot base, out the shaker and then down into a large catch basin.

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