Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Public Museum is a collections-based educational organization that explores and celebrates the world and our place in it. The Museum does this by collecting, preserving, interpreting, exhibiting and providing access to authentic objects of significance to the community. These “real things” bring history and science alive in ways that would be impossible with printed pages or electronic screens alone. The Museum’s collections are interdisciplinary, encompassing specimens, artifacts and preserved historic structures and sites. They include, but are not limited to Anthropology, Decorative and Fine Arts, History, Material Culture, Natural and Physical Science.

Collection Questions

The Museum staff may not be able to answer all of your general reference and research questions, but if you have questions that relate to specific artifacts, specimens or topics that are covered in our collections or exhibitions – we’ll be happy to share what we know. If we can’t provide answers, we’ll try our best to give you some idea of what resources may be able to help you.