I read with interest “Tut glut not quite what it was last time around” (Metro, July 17), the article by Chicago Tribune staff reporter William Mullen.
Eight family members and I (ages mid-70s to 10 years old) had just visited the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit at the Field Museum the Saturday before.
It was amazing to be in the presence of such beautiful ancient artifacts.
We all agreed that our experience of the exhibit was negatively impacted by one factor: the crowds.
It seemed we were viewing the exhibit with more than the 350 per hour that fire codes allow.
Constantly maneuvering around bodies and heads in order to read the descriptions distracted from our experience.
At each display we were hassled by waiting in line in order to view the contents of the case.
Luckily we had bought our tickets in advance and were able to bypass the huge lines of same-day ticket-holders waiting outside the exhibit.
Instead of bringing the gift of knowledge and history to the people, it seems that museums are allowing marketing, numbers, memberships and, of course, money to run the show.
I guess capitalism is alive and well and coming to the non-profit museum nearest you.
What a shame, what a shame.
