“Masterworks of Native American Art: Selections From the Fred and Enid Brown Collection”

February 15 through May 11

This is a significant historical collection, spanning more than 100 years. The exhibit features more than 150 works of art and ethnographic objects works ranging from paintings and sculpture to textiles and pottery. Both traditional and contemporary works from many tribes are represented, illustrating the rich cultural heritage of Native American artists.

“Eagle Dancer” by Stephen Mopope, 1952, tempera on board.

"The Science of SuperCroc,

Featuring Nigersaurus"

May 31 through August 24

An exhibit created by Project Exploration featuring full-scale replicas of one of the largest crocodiles that ever lived, plus Nigersaurus, a recently-revealed sauropod described as a "Mesozoic cow."

Paleontologists first named Sarcosuchus imperator – or "flesh crocodile empoeror" – in the 1960s. In 2000, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno and his team found Sarcoshuchus remains in the Sahara desert so enormous they dubbed the creature SuperCroc. SuperCroc weighed as much as ten tons and measured as long as 40 feet, with a 6-foot-long skull.

In addition to SuperCroc, this special exhibition will feature Nigersaurus taqueti, a strange-looking sauropod with an elephant-sized body and a low-riding, 6-foot-long neck. Nigersaurus was previously known only from a few scattered bones discovered in Africa in the 1950s. In November, 2007, Sereno unveiled a nearly complete skeleton of this unusual sauropod, pieced together from bones of many specimens found by his expeditions to Africa in the late 90s. The SNOMNH exhibition of Nigersaurus will be its first public viewing outside the National Geographic headquarters in Washington DC.

Local exhibition of ""The Science of SuperCroc Featuring Nigersaurus" was made possible by the Whitten-Newman Foundation. SuperCroc photo © S. Mann, courtesy Project Exploration.

"Hatching the Past: The Great Dinosaur Egg Hunt"

October 11, 2008 through January 19, 2009

This remarkable hands-on exhibition offers an astounding array of authentic dinosaur eggs and nests collected from all over the globe – including those of each of the major plant and meat-eating dinosaur groups.

A captivating experience for all ages, "Hatching the Past" invites visitors to touch real dinosaur bones and reconstructed nests – one more than eight feet in diameter – dig for eggs, experience hands-on exploration stations and view animated video presentations featuring well-known dinosaur experts. Each science-rich section is enhanced with exciting life-like models of embryos and hatchlings, colorful illustrations of dinosaur family life and stunning photographs of some of the world’s most renowned dinosaur hunters and their discoveries.

Hatching the Past was developed by Charlie and Florence Magovern of The Stone Company, Boulder, Colorado in association with the Harvard Museum of Natural History. 

Local exhibition is made possible through the generous support of
Chesapeake Energy.