Tag Archive for: fernbank museum

THE NATURE OF COLOR AT FERNBANK STARTING FEBRUARY 11

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 2/18/23

A Rainbow of Exploration into the Power Color Has in Our Lives

Fernbank Museum offers a vivid immersion into the science of color in the new special exhibit “The Nature of Color,” on view from Feb. 11 – May 7, 2023.

Our world is covered in color — it’s woven so tightly into our lives that we rarely stop to question what it is and how it works. Where do colors come from? How have some animals evolved to stand out while others blend in? How did pink come to be associated with femininity in Western culture? Why do some colors make us feel different emotions?

“The Nature of Color” offers an in-depth exploration of the way color carries information in nature, including how organisms use it to find food, warn off predators and reproduce. The exhibit also delves into the use of color across cultures, where different colors can signal a wide range of meanings, impact emotions and ultimately influence the society around us.

“The Nature of Color exhibit is a unique blending of science and culture, providing many opportunities for guests to learn not only about the science of color and light, but also about the significance and symbolism attributed to color by people around the globe,” says Bobbi Hohmann, VP of Programming & Collections. “The Nature of Color really captures the essence of natural history explorations and we’re excited to bring this engaging new exhibit to Atlanta.” 

This fun and family friendly exhibit features models, cultural objects, media and interactive components that will invite visitors to play and experiment. Guests will be immersed in a kaleidoscope of imagery, interactivity and exploration and can interact with activities such as a “painting” on a floor-to-ceiling canvas using just their hands. They also can experience a color-changing room, featuring a light lab experiment that provides the opportunity to combine colors to make white light.

“The Nature of Color” also brings with it three displays that delve more into the specificities of color. “Feeling Color” allows guests to create different pigmented combinations to see how their creation affects their emotions. “Making Color” demonstrates the process of dyeing fabric and the history behind this process. Lastly, “Meaning of Color” teaches guests how colors can create a shared identity and shows this through the color red and its use from cave art all the way to college sports.

For those who have ever pondered the influence of hue on society — from guiding emotions and the way animals interact in nature to the history of color production — “The Nature of Color” aims to answer these explorative questions and showcase the ways that color ultimately influences every aspect of our lives.

“We wouldn’t have colors if it weren’t for physics. We wouldn’t have colors if it weren’t for the evolutionary process. We wouldn’t have colors if it weren’t for the cultural attitudes of people,” said Rob DeSalle, curator of “The Nature of Color” at the American Museum of Natural History, which organized the exhibit. “We’re all seeing a different world of color, and that’s what’s really spectacular.”

Another highlight of “The Nature of Color” is an installation of portraits by Brazilian photographer Angélica Dass, whose work showcases the diversity of human skin tones to challenge socially constructed racial categories and celebrate the beauty and diversity of humans around the world. Also featured is a red chiffon and organza gown by American designer Brandon Maxwell that was created specifically for the exhibit.

Fernbank will celebrate the opening of The Nature of Color with a special family-friendly Discovery Day on February 11, featuring a range of activities that explore color, including a special demonstration with Fernbank’s youth volunteers to creatively paint a life-sized bear model provided by Behr Paint.

The Nature of Color is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).

Local presentation made possible by Behr Paint Company, one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains and surface preparation products.

RELATED PROGRAMMING

Fernbank is creating a colorful day of family fun with a special Discovery Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 11, commemorating the debut of “The Nature of Color.” This event will have fun activities for all ages and is included with general admission.

TICKETS

“The Nature of Color” is included with general admission at Fernbank and with CityPASS. General admission tickets include three floors of exhibits in the natural history museum, choice of one giant screen film, and 75 acres of nature explorations in Fernbank Forest and WildWoods. Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road NE in Atlanta, minutes from midtown Atlanta and downtown Decatur.

For more information, visit FernbankMuseum.org. General admission tickets are $24.95 for adults, $23.95 for seniors, $22.95 for children ages 3-12, free for children ages 2 and younger, and free for Fernbank Members. These prices are for tickets purchased online at FernbankMuseum.org. Tickets not purchased in advance are offered, if available, at a higher price.

More information is available at FernbankMuseum.org.

WILDWOODS: AGLOW AT FERNBANK

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 11/8/22

Fernbank Announces Grand Opening Date and Opens Ticket Sales for “WildWoods: AGLOW”

Open Select Evenings from Nov. 17, 2022-March 5, 2023, the All-Ages Experience Artfully Combines Projection, Illumination and Sound to Reveal Nature’s Magical Stories.


As announced in conjunction with Fernbank Museum’s 30th anniversary last month, “WildWoods: AGLOW” will officially open on Nov. 17, 2022, continuing on select evenings through March 5, 2023. Tickets are now available for purchase at
FernbankMuseum.org/AGLOW.

This all-new, limited-run nighttime experience offers a different experience within WildWoods, a 10-acre natural habitat behind the museum. Highlighting the complex, connected and sometimes-hidden stories that flourish in the surrounding forest, this innovative experience brings together the vast, natural environment with the latest innovations in immersive design and technology. Transformative illuminations, large-scale projections and original music
compositions beckon guests into a nighttime wonderland of biodiversity.


Inspired by native flora and fauna – and unlike anything else in Atlanta – this multi-sensory experience reveals the wonder of nature through a range of glowing, interactive and panoramic scenes across five distinct zones. 


“We are always exploring exciting ways to engage audiences with science and nature while tickling the imagination through innovative and fun programming,” said Fernbank President and CEO, Jennifer Grant Warner. “WildWoods: AGLOW is an exciting experience that will reveal nature’s magnificent wonders through beautiful, artistic and intentional uses of projection that enhance our understanding of the ecosystem that connects us all.”


As guests enter the experience, they first discover oversized seeds glowing with interactive light, signaling the origin of forest growth and inspiring a deeper connection with nature. Throughout the experience, guests will encounter nocturnal animals, forest projections, and interactive lighting integrated with the surrounding plants and forested environment. Another zone features larger-than-life incandescent mushrooms that can respond to guest movement with a musical symphony of illuminated communication. Developed in partnership with Thinkwell, a leading design and production agency creating immersive, content-driven experiences for brands and companies around the world, “WildWoods: AGLOW” is the third endeavor between the two organizations, following the opening of the award-winning children’s exhibit NatureQuest in 2011 and the creation of a series of outdoor exhibits in WildWoods, which expanded Fernbank’s experiences into the outdoors in 2016. Thinkwell has also previously designed and opened outdoor, nighttime experiences, including Omega a la Nuit and Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience.


“We are thrilled to be partnering with Fernbank once again, this time with creative and technical development driven by our teams in Montréal. The focus on innovation, along with strategic partnership and shared creative vision has allowed this project to flourish,” said Joe Zenas, Thinkwell’s CEO. “Wildwoods: AGLOW highlights the best of nature, immersion and
engagement in a unique and beautiful way, and we’re so excited to bring it to the public in the coming weeks.”


“WildWoods: AGLOW” is a limited-run nighttime experience for visitors of all ages and abilities, offered on select evenings Nov. 17, 2022 – March 5, 2023. Attendance will be available only to guests ages 21 and older on evening that coincide with Fernbank After Dark: Dec. 9, 2022; Jan. 13, 2023, Feb. 10, 2023. Availability, times and prices vary by date with special discounts for Fernbank Members. Tickets range from $20.95-$39.95 and are available at FernbankMuseum.org/AGLOW.

EXPLORE TWO LIVE-ANIMAL EXHIBITS AT FERNBANK THIS SUMMER

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 7/7/21

Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World’ and ‘Nature’s Ninja’ make their way to Fernbank Museum with special guests in tow 

  

Fernbank announces the opening of two new special exhibitions in time for summer. ‘Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World’ and ‘Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom’ display a vast array of live animals that take guests to almost every corner of the animal world.

Whether exploring the rich and complex lives of crocodiles or discovering the many different defense mechanisms used by animals, guests will be surrounded by live animals throughout the exhibit. Through interpretative panels as well as live and modeled dioramas, guests will learn more about the magnificent animals these two exhibits display. Both exhibits will run from Saturday, June 5 through Monday, September 6, 2021.

Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World 

‘Crocs’ takes guests on an expedition through everything crocodile from their evolutionary history to modern crocodilian biology and even their precarious relationship with humans throughout history. Via a series of dioramas, some living and some modeled, guests are taken on a tour of the world of the crocodile.

Live crocodile species featured in ‘Crocs’ include the shy African Dwarf Crocodile, the endangered Siamese Crocodile and the Slender-snouted Crocodile, found throughout the tropical rainforests of Central America.

Interactive models include Bring a Fossil to Life where guests can create a 3D-animation of a long-extinct croc, Crunch Capacity giving guests the chance to test their strength against a crocodile’s bite force and, Build a Crocodylomorph providing visitors a virtual field notebook to work from to assemble a variety of ancient crocs.

Other exhibit highlights include:

  • Thechampsa skull – The 13-million-year-old jaws of this massive fish-eating crocodylomorph (the group that includes modern crocodilians) is an example of the super-giant crocs of the past.
  • Dwarfs – The delicate preserved skeleton of Hoplosuchus, a tiny insect-eating relative of modern crocs, was a long-legged runner that probably ate insects!
  • Croc Talk – Learn to speak “croc” in under 5 minutes with this interactive station. Activate real croc calls and learn what scientists think they mean
  • Croc Bytes – Test your crocodilian IQ with fun facts and croc trivia.
  • Gomek – The largest crocodile ever exhibited in the Western Hemisphere was caught on the Fly River of New Guinea in the 1960s. Gomek was believed to be a man-eater by local villagers, but later became a symbol for crocodile conservation in Australia and the United States. A life-sized model of this enormous animal allows visitors to get closer than otherwise possible to a giant “salty.”

These are just some of the highlights of the many displays and dioramas that ‘Crocs’ explores. ‘Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World’ was created by Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s REPTILAND.

Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom 

Ninjas have been known for their unbelievable survival tactics. They have employed deception, stealth, forgery, armor and advanced chemistry to defend themselves throughout history. The animal kingdom is full of creatures employing these tactics to survive. Come explore some of the world’s most adaptable animals with Fernbank in ‘Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom’.

‘Nature’s Ninjas’ dives into a variety of defenses found in the animal kingdom including poison, venom, camouflage, mimicry, speed, size (both big and small) and more. Through live-animal displays and detailed graphic panels, guests will learn how these natural ninjas deploy their defenses in order to survive.

Live-animals featured in ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ include:

  • Green Tree Python (camouflage)
  • Veiled Chameleon (camouflage)
  • Three-banded Armadillo (armor)
  • Emperor Scorpions (autonomy)
  • Honduran Milk Snake (mimicry)
  • Poison Dart Frogs (poison)
  • American Porcupine (armor)

These are just seven of the 17 species featured in the exhibit, exploring 10 different defense mechanisms found in the animal kingdom. ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ also features daily live animal encounters programs outside of the exhibit space. These programs further explore the defense mechanisms used by animals on display and open up the floor for guests to pose any unanswered questions they might have from the exhibit.

‘Nature’s Ninjas: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom’ was designed and offered by Little Ray’s Nature Centres and FARE- Foundation for Animal Rescues.

‘Nature’s Ninjas’ and ‘Crocs’ are sponsored locally by Isdell Family Foundation.

Tickets and Visitor Information 

Both exhibits are included with general admission and is free for Fernbank members. Timed, online tickets are required in advance at FernbankMuseum.org at $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children*.  To purchase tickets or view pre-visit information, frequently asked questions, safety protocols and more, visit FernbankMuseum.org

‘Crocs’ and ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ will be on view daily from Saturday, June 5 through Monday, September 6, 2021, from 10am to 5pm, along with evening hours during select events.

Special Programming 

Join Fernbank for the opening of ‘Crocs’ and ‘Nature’s Ninjas’ with an opening day event, ‘Scales and Tails’. Discover unique reptiles and amphibians from Fernbank’s animal collection and be one of the first to enjoy everything these two exhibits have to offer.

*Tickets not purchased online are $19.95-$21.95 and may not be available due to safety precautions that limit capacity.