Archaeopteryx was a highlight of 2024. The Field unveiled a permanent exhibition around the Chicago Archaeopteryx, one of only 14 specimens found in the world. “The most important fossil ever discovered” bridges the evolutionary gap between dinosaurs and modern birds.

2023 marked the 130th anniversary of the Field Museum. Beyond its iconic visitor experience, the Field is also a global research center with 99% of its collection not on public display. While preparing for First Kings of Europe, Field scientists, working alongside Hungarian archaeologists, realized a bronze sword in the Field’s collection labeled as a replica was, in fact, authentic (featured on the cover).

Four years in the making, the Field opened its permanent exhibition, Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories in 2022. With the guidance of Native American scholars and museum professionals, and in partnership with 130 collaborators representing more than 100 tribes, the exhibit connects visitors with diverse Native stories through art and historic collections. Meaningful design details, such as copper and birch bark (pictured on the cover), are featured throughout the exhibit and highlighted in the report.

In 2021, the Field celebrated the centennial anniversary of its iconic lakefront home. Over the last 100 years, the Museum has welcomed over 137 million visitors to engage with history through its collections, ranging from fossilized tail feathers, to the Wild Color exhibit where visitors learned about the true origins of color in nature.

Resilience defined 2020. The Museum was closed to visitors due to COVID-19 from March through September, pivoting to virtual programming to keep visitors engaged and discovering. Despite these challenges, new exhibits opened including Apsáalooke: Women and Warriors, Home Is Where the Jaki Is, and A Natural Talent: The Taxidermy of Carl Cotton. Additionally, the Field’s collections allowed scientists to study and better understand viruses, including zoonotic, to help prevent the next pandemic.

A new mural of SUE the T. rex was the inspiration behind the redesign of this year’s Annual in a new horizontal format. The image wraps around the book and continues into the opening spread, bringing readers into the Annual alongside the artwork. From the discovery of a new prehistoric shark species (found in SUE’s leftovers!), to a 40+ year study showing that migratory bird populations are shrinking, to celebrating a quarter century of the Keller Science Action Center, 2019 was a year full of memorable accomplishments.