Drawing the Motmot:

An Artist's View of Tropical Nature
Oct. 10 through Jan. 18

Designed to take the visitor on an artistic rainforest adventure, this exhibit showcases the process of creating art in the tropical forests of Central America through the field sketches, paintings and commentary of nature artist Deborah Kaspari. Through dozens of sketchbook pages and notes, as well as beautifully completed paintings, visitors will learn how the artist/naturalist observes and interprets the rainforest environment. Sound clips, video, photos and Kaspari’s introspective commentary also serve to illustrate how a field artist lives and works in tropical jungle, armed only with sketchbook, art kit and bug spray. In addition to Kaspari’s artwork, the exhibit will highlight specimens from the museum collections, graphics and plants to complete a tropical immersion experience for the museum visitor. This exhibition was made possible, in part by a Fellowship from the Don and Virginia Eckelberry Endowment.

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Darwin at the Museum

Oct. 10 through Jan. 18

When Charles Darwin published his famous “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, he was already a published author of nine other publications featuring his scientific inquiries. From the structure of coral reefs to the expression of emotion in animals, Darwin’s insatiable appetite for scientific knowledge led him to delve into a wide variety of research subjects. The works he published in his lifetime, numbering some 19 books in addition to numerous papers and monographs, have impacted every branch of the life sciences, as well as geology, paleontology and cosmology.

This special exhibition, created in partnership with the University of Oklahoma History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries, features a complete set of first-editions of Darwin’s works, and sheds light on the man not only as the founder of evolution, but also as a global traveler, a geologist, botanist and thinker. Finally, the exhibition showcases how Darwin’s groundbreaking ideas continue to inspire the work of the scientists at the museum today.

In addition to the books themselves, the exhibition features maps and illustrations, hand-written manuscripts and letters by Darwin himself, and specimens from museum collections relating both to Darwin’s studies and to the research of current museum scientists.

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