大草原之火博物馆, 陆上公园, 堪萨斯州 Museum at Prairiefire, Overland Park, Kansas (© Bernard P. Friel/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

大草原之火博物馆, 陆上公园, 堪萨斯州 Museum at Prairiefire, Overland Park, Kansas (© Bernard P. Friel/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

这座博物馆使大草原着火 This museum sets the prairie on fire

International Museum Day

To mark International Museum Day, we're featuring a destination that hasn't (yet!) achieved the fame of the Louvre or the Getty or the Met, although it's as unmistakable in appearance as any of them. This relatively small wonder proves that inspiration can be found in many places, including this suburb of Kansas City. At 42,000 square feet, the Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park, Kansas, is about 1/50th the size of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, with which it has a partnership. But to those who find beauty and truth behind its walls, Prairiefire is no less enriching.

International Museum Day was created by the International Council of Museums in 1977 to create awareness that 'museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.' It's observed annually on or around May 18 by more than 37,000 museums in 158 countries and territories. Each year is assigned a different theme. This year's theme is 'The Power of Museums,' to innovate and build community.

The Museum at Prairiefire, which opened in May 2014, is devoted primarily to natural history. It borrows displays from larger museums and hosts at least two major traveling exhibits per year. Its striking glass exterior, featured here, was designed to reference the intentional prairie fires that were an integral part of farming life in Kansas. The glass is dichroic, which means that its color changes with the light of the day. The museum is itself a work of art.

国际博物馆日

为了纪念国际博物馆日，我们推出了一个尚未（目前！）获得了卢浮宫、盖蒂宫或大都会博物馆的美誉，尽管它在外观上和它们中的任何一个一样无误。这一相对较小的奇迹证明，灵感可以在许多地方找到，包括堪萨斯城的这个郊区。位于堪萨斯州Overland Park的Prairiefire博物馆占地42000平方英尺，大约是与之合作的纽约美国自然历史博物馆的一半大小。但对于那些在墙后发现美丽和真理的人来说，草原之火同样丰富多彩。

国际博物馆日是由国际博物馆理事会于1977年创建的，目的是让人们认识到“博物馆是文化交流、丰富文化、促进各国人民相互理解、合作与和平的重要手段”每年5月18日左右，158个国家和地区的37000多家博物馆都会举办这一活动。每年都有不同的主题。今年的主题是“博物馆的力量”，创新和建设社区。

草原之火博物馆于2014年5月开放，主要致力于自然历史。它借用大型博物馆的展品，每年至少举办两次大型巡回展览。其引人注目的玻璃外观，这里的特色，旨在参考故意草原火灾，这是堪萨斯州农业生活的组成部分。这种玻璃是二向色的，这意味着它的颜色会随着白天的光线而变化。博物馆本身就是一件艺术品。