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Wizard world

Harry Potter exhibit coming to Museum of Science and Industry

William Mullen | Tribune reporter

December 12, 2008

Harry Potter fans will roam the Great Hall of The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry next spring and summer as scenes from that magical world come to life at the Museum of Science and Industry.

"Harry Potter: The Exhibition" is the first major museum display about the English schoolboy from author J.K. Rowling's best-selling series of seven novels and films. Its world premiere will be at the museum on April 30, running through Sept. 7.

"We beat out 30 other institutions around the world wanting to book the exhibit," David Mosena, president of the museum, said Thursday. "It will appear in only four cities in the United States, and then travel to six venues in Asia and Europe.

"The exhibit is an immersion experience, like living in the books and films," Mosena said. "It lets people walk through some of the most familiar places in the films, examining the costumes and many of the most memorable artifacts and props featured in the stories."

Mosena indicated he was more confident about the exhibit's impact on visitors' minds than he was about how much it would enrich the museum's coffers.

The Harry Potter books and films inspire creativity and imagination, the very things the museum seeks to inspire in children as part of its mission, so that was "the reason we went after" the exhibit, Mosena said.

But it also has the earmarks of being a blockbuster exhibit, which would mean a boost in revenues. He said, however, that the museum could not make reliable predictions about admissions in today's economy.

"Our audience is the parents and kids; that is identical to those who buy the Harry Potter books and pay to see the movies," Mosena said. "Harry Potter is the strongest brand in the world in books and films, and we hope it will be a strong museum draw. But in this economy, next year is a difficult year to predict."

Rowling's fantasy novels—in which Harry Potter becomes an apprentice wizard at the Hogwarts School—made publishing history, with more than 400 million sold worldwide in 67 languages, the fastest-selling books ever published.

So far, five of the books have been made by Warner Brothers into Harry Potter movies that already have outdrawn all of the James Bond and "Star Wars" films, Mosena said. Harry Potter books, movies and tie-in merchandising products to date have accounted for an estimated $15 billion in worldwide sales.

Warner Brothers set designers and artists worked closely for two years with the company that has been designing and executing the 10,000-square-foot exhibit, Creative Studio of Exhibitgroup/Giltspur. Based in Chicago and Dallas, the firm is best known for designing trade show exhibits and marketing displays but also does museum exhibit design work.

"J.K. Rowling crafted this world of Harry Potter's in her imagination," said Eddie Newquist, president of Creative Studio. "The exhibit shows how the filmmakers brought it to life, how they created Harry Potter's world from Rowling's words.

"We aren't willing yet to give away all the particulars that will be on display, but I can say that all the favorite costumes worn by all the favorite characters in the films will be on display. Visitors will also see the incredible craftsmanship that went into making many of the props that are used in the films."

For the announcement of the new exhibit Thursday, the museum brought in James and Oliver Phelps, 23-year-old twin brothers who played the Fred and George Weasley characters in the Potter films.

The Phelpses were 14-year-olds living in Birmingham, England, with no inkling of becoming actors when their mother heard about auditions for children's roles in the first Potter film. She urged them to audition for the roles of the Weasley twins, the mischievous older brothers of Harry Potter's best friend, Ron Weasley.

"We showed up at the audition with all these other twins who were carrying thick portfolios of their previous work in acting," said James Phelps, "and all we had was a Polaroid picture of ourselves."

Even with no experience, they won the roles.

"We were big fans of the novels already" before the auditions, he said. "And we had spent a lot of time talking about what the places in the books would have looked like, so it was fascinating to see how artists created the sets."

The announcement Thursday was the official kickoff to advance sales of special tickets needed to see the exhibit and available only online at www.msichicago.org. To see it during the day will cost $26 for adults, $25 for seniors and $19 for children, ages 3 to 11. Fees include general admission to the museum. At night, tickets are $18 for adults and seniors, $15 for children.

wmullen@tribune.com