Sharks: From ‘Duunn‑dun’ to deep breaths

When Jaws hit movie screens 50 years ago, director Steven Spielberg only needed a spooky two-note theme to make millions of swimmers forever scan the water's horizon looking for dorsal fins that weren’t there.
Fountain Hill Center's Randy Flood creates a guide for overcoming fears
“I was maybe 12 when I saw Jaws in the theatre,” recalls Randy Flood, psychotherapist for Heritage Hill-based Fountain Hill Center, “and my heart pounded every time that music swelled … even when no shark appeared.”

The cinematic legacy has a significant influence years later, as the Grand Rapids Public Museum hosts the traveling exhibition “Sharks” (open until Aug. 31). 

Created by the Australian Museum, the exhibit occupies the third-floor gallery with nine life-sized, scientifically accurate models, interactive screens, and tactile casts, featuring creatures from a great white shark to a 270-million-year-old (now extinct) “buzzsaw” shark. 

First Nations stories, conservation science, and Michigan-made programming weave these elements together, inviting visitors to explore this captivating exhibition and, in the process, transform horror-movie tropes into awe and understanding for these extraordinary animals.

Fear vs. phobia: a brain built for survival

After 33 years of practice, Flood understands that sharks trigger an intense neurological reaction in many people.

"The ocean remains an untamed, mysterious place,” he says, "so the brain’s survival circuitry files shark imagery under 'unknown' and keeps it on high alert as a result."

Entry to the Sharks exhibition at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

However, protective reflexes can misfire even away from salt water, developing into what clinicians call specific phobia–animal type, a term for an intense, unreasonable fear of a specific creature.

"You can watch Jaws or hear about a shark bite on the news, and your brain yells, ‘Not me.’ Its quickest safety plan is built on the simple idea to avoid anything that even hints at sharks,” Flood says, explaining how unfounded fear takes hold of our minds..

Fellow Fountain Hill Center counselor Blake Kooi notes that open water increases feelings of dread, which many people can experience even in Lake Michigan, despite it being fresh water, which is uninhabitable for sharks. 

Helicoprion, now extinct, could grow almost 25 feet long.

“Not knowing where the shark is in a vast body of water can spike anxiety at a neurochemical level,” Kooi says. "The collective unconscious imagery that a shark in an ocean evokes would be the monster in the abyss as described by authors Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell."

In short, the shark looms large in both film and humanity's folklore, a theme the museum explores in an exhibition rich with mind-shifting information.

Turning the gallery into a therapy sandbox

Flood explains that classic exposure therapy advises clients to face a fear gradually, controlling the intensity at each step. (See Flood's guide to "Sharks" below.)
Fountain Hill Center's Blake Kooi
"Merely talking about entering an exhibition can start the process," Flood says.  
Walking into 'Sharks' provides the next step on the ladder, as the exhibit’s design – with life-sized models you can explore freely, a wrap-around theater, and clearly marked exit points – serves as an excellent environment for gradual exposure.

Flood even compares the show’s high-definition shark projections to the newer virtual reality tools used in clinics, just without the headset. 

According to Flood, the educational benefits go beyond shark fears, as practicing calming techniques in front of a fiberglass shark can help set up individuals to manage other common fears, such as flying or public speaking.

Rewiring the story—inside and outside the museum

The exhibit provides visitors with facts that challenge Hollywood stories. Flood advises clients to remember one key fact: the chances of a shark attack are far lower than being struck by lightning. 

Kooi also suggests exploring the work of Campbell, the mythologist who inspired George Lucas’s Star Wars. Campbell’s “hero’s journey” narrative features the hero confronting a feared beast and learning that true victory involves understanding its nature, not just slaying it. Through this perspective, the viewer replaces their picture of a dark, mysterious monster with scientific evidence, revealing a complex and ecologically important creature. In short, knowledge reduces myth and lessens fear – something that society could consider now in a post-truth era.

Nine life-sized, scientifically accurate sharks are on display at the GRPM.

This science-driven perspective is reflected in the exhibition, where Peter Benchley, author of the book that inspired the movie Jaws, expressed his horror at how the popular film fueled fear and created a hatred of sharks. 

In a Nov. 9, 2000, interview in The Guardian, Benchley said any Jaws sequel would have to cast the shark as the victim, because humans – driven by ignorance and greed – had become the real aggressors. He also criticized the media for fueling fears of sharks. 

The “Sharks” exhibition demonstrates that a modern museum is more than just a display of artifacts. Instead, a museum fosters curiosity, in this case debunking myths and helping the public to see sharks and their environment from a new perspective, offering hope for change in attitude about these creatures in the future.

A view of the Sharks exhibition at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

That change is significant because a quarter of the world’s shark species are at risk of extinction, mainly because humans often misunderstand or villainize them. 
By emphasizing Indigenous stories told over centuries, we begin to grasp narratives grounded in respect and explore modern conservation technology. "Sharks" reimagines these animals not as villains but as vital keystone species under threat.

Interestingly, curiosity not only helps maintain the viewer’s mental health but also supports marine ecosystems.

Detail from the Jaws poster that stoked unwarranted shark fears.

In this case, GRPM can create educational experiences designed to replace fear with fascination, and the therapist can offer a set of clinically backed tools that visitors can carry with them into beach season – or any anxiety-inducing situation.

“Our fears shrink when our curiosity grows,” Flood says. 

West Michiganders have until Aug. 31 to decide: stay on shore, or dive into knowledge and come up breathing easier.

Just behind the giant video screen is a great white shark waiting to welcome you.

Exposure game plan for visitors (therapist approved)

Flood recommends four straightforward steps for anyone eager to confront their fear of sharks, even if they feel a wave of shark dread inside the exhibition:

• Preview and plan – Start by examining the floor map and sharing one's concerns. The museum has many docents available to answer questions before entering the exhibit. 
• Pause and ground – When anxiety starts to rise, sit on a bench, notice your feet on the floor, and take slow, deep breaths. 
• Return and repeat – Each return visit demonstrates that the threat is controllable. Remember, avoiding the threat sustains fear, whereas facing it repeatedly reduces it.
• Debrief outside – Take five minutes at the Museum Cafe to reflect on your experience and solidify the “I did it” moment. Perhaps, treat yourself to a Sharks-inspired drink, available for a limited time.  

This story is part of the Bridge to Community Curiosity, underwritten by the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Through this partnership, we highlight GRPM’s mission to inspire curiosity, deepen understanding, and foster belonging by showcasing the transformative power of arts and education in West Michigan.

Photos provided by Tommy Allen and Fountain Hill Center