The Henry Ford to Pull Back Curtain on Museum Collections

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn today announced a new exhibit, entitled “Collecting Mobility: New Objects, New Stories,” will open on Oct. 23 and take guests behind the scenes of how the museum continues to grow its collection of more than 26 million artifacts.

The exhibit will showcase more than 30 rarely seen artifacts, telling their stories from the institution’s mobility collection, ranging from the late 1800s to the 2010s. Through the lens of recent acquisitions, “Collecting Mobility” will give an inside look at how items are numbered, cataloged, and collected for programs, exhibits, and more.

“Collecting Mobility provides a true insider’s look at the work our team does to grow our collections for both the guests of today and those in the future,” says Patricia Mooradian, president & CEO, The Henry Ford. “Our ongoing work reflects our longstanding philosophy of collecting the stories of innovation that have changed our world.”

Some features of the exhibit include the 2017 Autonom driverless shuttle bus used at the Mcity test facility at the University of Michigan, a 2020 Ford Transit van modified for use as a mobile COVID-19 testing facility, and a Lincoln Continental stretch limousine used by Pope Paul VI for a visit to New York City in 1965, and by the Apollo 13 astronauts for a 1970 parade in Chicago.

It will also showcase how the institution collected artifacts for its newest permanent exhibit, “Driven to Win: Racing in America,” presented by General Motors Co. A 1989 NHRA Top Fuel Dragster driven by Gary Ormsby to a win at the NHRA Top Fuel Championship that year will join the permanent exhibit when “Collecting Mobility” closes on Jan. 2, 2022.

“Collecting Mobility: New Objects, New Stories” is free with a membership or admission to The Henry Ford. For more information, click here.