About
The Media Production Center is Columbia College Chicago’s first new-construction building, which makes its opening a significant milestone in the college’s history. We are marking that milestone with the creation of a time capsule to be opened in 2040—30 years after the opening of the MPC, and the 150-year anniversary of the college.
This time capsule is a chance for us to have fun. The time capsule will house a collection of objects, images, media, and narratives—contributed by our students, alumni, faculty, and staff—that we believe will communicate what life at Columbia College Chicago is like today. We’ll seal these items in the capsule, leaving an alluring little mystery for the Columbia community of 2040 to discover.
Our time capsule measures about 30” x 25” x 14”, and is designed to withstand waiting patiently for 30 years to reveal its secrets. It will be sealed inside an interior wall of the Media Production Center during a ceremony in early 2010. It will be registered with the International Time Capsule Society and included in their database of all known time capsules.
So, what should we put inside? You tell us! Submissions and suggestions will be accepted from students, alumni, faculty, and staff through November 20, 2009. Then we’ll ask you to vote for your favorites.
History
Although ancient chambers such as the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs and Chinese emperors have functioned as time capsules, allowing us a unique glimpse into past cultures through the objects they contain, they were never intended as such. Building cornerstones containing collections of objects that might be discovered when the buildings are torn down also lack the intention of time capsules, which are created specifically to be opened on a predetermined date.
Perhaps the first true time capsule, complete with a plan for scheduled retrieval, was the Century Safe, buried under the steps of the Capitol during the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. It was opened on schedule in 1976. Here in Chicago, retired Civil War general John J. McNulta created an impromptu time capsule by filling a wine bottle with objects donated by the assembled veterans at an 1896 reunion, including a cigar donated by Ulysses S. Grant. The bottle was opened per McNulta’s instructions in 1979, when his three great-grandsons had the pleasure of smoking the cigar.
The term time capsule came into being with a project commissioned by Westinghouse for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It was first dubbed a “time bomb” until folks thought better of that, and is slated to be opened in 6939.
Time capsules are common today—Columbia was able to purchase an official time capsule online, rather than make do with a safe or a wine bottle. Time capsules may be registered with the International Time Capsule Society, housed at Oglethorpe University, to lessen the chance of their being forgotten. Of course, we plan to make ours unforgettable.
The Media Production Center time capsule project wouldn't exist without the hard work of Heidi Marshall, Mark Kelly, Mary Forde, Louise Love, Alicia Berg, Kim Clement, Diane Doyne, Alton Miller and Doreen Bartoni