NHM Commons: A New Wing Welcoming Visitors Soon

We welcome you to NHM Commons, the Museum’s new wing and community hub in Exposition Park. Celebrating the intersection of science, nature, and culture, this unique outside-inside experience features 75,000-square feet of new and refreshed spaces, including many free experiences. See Gnatalie, a more than 75-foot-long green-boned sauropod. Get up close to L.A. artist Barbara Carrasco’s landmark mural, L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective, and see an exhibition of notable specimens found by local community scientists and collected and researched by our own scientists. In addition, NHM Commons includes: 

• The new, beautifully landscaped plaza, garden, and entrance
• A multi-purpose theater with mission-aligned programs, films, and performances
• The expansive Judith Perlstein Welcome Center with new exhibits, displays and ticketing desks for visitors and Members
• A new grab n’ go cafe on the plaza run by South LA Cafe and a local-inspired museum shop.

The Story of NHM Commons

Watch this video and experience how the Museum’s new wing and community hub came to be.

Thrilling New Exhibits

The Judith Perlstein Welcome Center, the Museum’s portal to never-ending exploration and discovery, features brand-new exhibits that are free and open to the public.

Meet Our Green Giant 

Led by NHM's Dinosaur Institute, a team of paleontologists and excavators unearthed and assembled Gnatalie, a new long-necked dinosaur measuring more than 75 feet long. Not only is Gnatalie awesome in size, but the sauropod is unique in color due to the mineral deposits in the quarry where it was found, which turned the bones green.

Learn more about Gnatalie.

A New Home for L.A. History

Barbara Carrasco’s landmark and once-controversial 80-foot mural, L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective, portrays the city’s history through a series of vignettes woven into the flowing hair of la Reina de Los Ángeles (the Queen of Los Angeles). 

Learn more about Artist Barbara Carrasco’s mural.

Commons Theater

T. Rex 3D Film

In the Commons Theater, see T. REX 3D which animates the life of T. rex, including NHM’s own Thomas the T. rex, in this all-new family-friendly film. Narrated by Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame, T. REX 3D offers a thrilling, immersive experience that brings you face-to-face with the iconic predator and his fierce Cretaceous counterparts.

Learn more about the T. REX 3D Film.

Ocean Encounters

Dive into a prehistoric undersea adventure with our brand-new, live performance starring life-size sea creature puppets. Join us as our amazing puppeteers and paleontologists bring these extinct animals to life.

Learn more about Ocean Encounters.

Begins November 23 
Friday through Sunday
10:30 am and 11:30 am
Tickets $10/Free for Members

Of, For, and With Los Angeles

NHM Commons taps into the spirit and influence of Los Angeles through community-co-created experiences that serve South L.A. audiences, new visitors to Exposition Park, and NHM’s ever-growing family of members and guests. The new spaces in NHM Commons will enable the Museum to expand the offerings of our signature Being Los Angeles festivals, existing programs such as Dino Fest, Earth Day, Bug Fair, First Fridays, a new 3D film featuring Thomas the T. rex, all-new Ocean Encounters performance, new after-school programs for elementary-to-teen learners, live science demonstrations, guest speaker series, and so much more. NHM Commons will also host events co-created by our many community partners.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

NHM Commons is supported by NHMLAC’s Opening New Doors Campaign, which has exceeded $106 million and includes funding for NHM Commons construction as well as endowment and programmatic fundraising efforts.

The NHM Commons project is supported by leadership gifts and grants from the following public and private contributors:

County of Los Angeles - $30 million
State of California - $9 million
Annenberg Foundation - $5 million
Ron Perlstein, in memory of Judith Perlstein - $5 million
Joan Payden - $2.4 million
Ahmanson Foundation - $2 million
The Rose Hills Foundation - $2 million
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation - $1 million.

Discover the Buzz around NHM Commons and Be a Buzzworthy Benefactor! 

We are thrilled to offer our community the opportunity to be a part of natural history in the making and support our continuing efforts to open new doors for our visitors and local communities.

Advisory Groups

NHMLAC has convened two advisory groups for the development of the new wing—the NHM Commons Native American Advisory Council and the NHM Commons Advisory Coalition—whose members collaborate with our community engagement, education, public programs, and exhibitions staff on all aspects of the new wing to ensure we are engaging with our local communities in an authentic and intentional way. 

Learn more about our NHM Commons advisors! 

Be among the first to visit NHM Commons!