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Museum of Science to host Harry Potter exhibit

E-mail|Link|Comments () July 22, 2009 11:02 AM

(Warner Bros.)

The brown robe worn by the actor Jim Broadbent (left) when he played Professor Horace Slughorn will be one of the items on display this fall when the museum hosts "Harry Potter: The Exhibition."

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent

With a dramatic and perhaps magical flourish, the Museum of Science today lowered a massive red velvet curtain today to reveal two artifacts from its next exhibit: A flowing brown robe worn by a character named Professor Slughorn and a 500-pound, 10-foot tall chess piece.

The museum will host "Harry Potter: The Exhibition" this fall, displaying 200 costumes and props from the films based on the wizard fantasy series written by J.K. Rowling. After making its debut at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, the 10,000-square-foot display will open in Boston on Oct. 25.

"The exhibit will give our visitors -- wizards and Muggles alike -- the opportunity to step into the world of Harry Potter," Ioannis Miaoulis, president and director of the Museum of Science said this morning at the announcement.

In a statement issued by the museum, Miaoulis added," We're confident that this exhibition will attract visitors of all ages -- some of whom may never have visited a science center. This exhibit will spark their curiosity and imagination, leading them to experience the excitement of discovery that's also at the heart of the museum's science and technology exhibits and programs."

The exhibit will display Harry Potter artifacts in settings inspired by film sets, including the Great Hall, Hagrid's hut, and the Gryffindor common room.

Exhibitgroup/Giltspur worked with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to create the exhibit, which will be updated to include items from the final installments of the Harry Potter series when the films have been completed. The sixth film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," opened in theaters July 15, 2009.

The Museum of Science will be the only New England venue to host the exhibition. Tickets are now available online at mos.org or by calling 617-723-2500, 617-589-0417 (TTY).