New Exhibition At The American Museum Of Natural History In New York, The Nature of Color, Opens March 9

February 2020

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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ANNOUNCES THE NATURE OF COLOR new exhibition will let visitors of all ages connect with color through experimentation and play opens for member previews on March 6, 2020, and to the public on March 9, 2020

Color is all around us, woven so tightly into our lives that we rarely stop to question what it is and how it works. Where do the colors in diamonds and rainbows come from? How have some animals benefited by evolving to stand out, while others survive by blending in? Why do some colors make us happy while others make us, well, blue? How did pink come to be associated with femininity in Western culture after centuries of being considered suitable for all? The Nature of Color, a new exhibition opening at the American Museum of Natural History this spring, reveals how color carries information in nature—where organisms use it to find food, warn off predators, and conceal or reveal themselves—and across cultures, where different colors can signal a wide range of meanings, from good luck to power to a sense of urgency.

This fun, family-friendly exhibition features models, cultural objects, media, and interactive exhibits that will invite visitors to play and experiment while exploring the science of color, how it makes us feel, how it is perceived across cultures, the history of color production, and how plants and animals use color to help them survive and reproduce. Visitors will explore the physics of color in an immersive color-changing room and a light lab with hands-on activities to discover that white light is actually a mixture of colors; play a game show interactive—on kiosks or from their mobile devices—that examines how colors affect emotions, alertness, perception of time, appetite, and much more; and “paint” without the mess in a floor-to-ceiling color play interactive just by moving their hands.

Visitors also will come face to face with three live species that rely on their unique coloration for survival: the leaf-tailed gecko, which evolved to blend in with dried leaves and tree bark; the golden poison frog, among the most colorful creatures on Earth, whose skin contains a deadly poison traditionally used in hunting darts; and iridescent blue beetles. A section on making color will explore the rich history of blue pigments in particular, with objects from the Museum’s anthropological collection and an interactive that will demonstrate the process of dying indigo fabric, which was used to create the dark blue hues of Japanese artwork, African textiles, and the first blue jeans. Several hands-on interactives will explore the many ways in which objects can produce color. And a variety of striking exhibits will demonstrate how the meaning of certain colors can vary greatly when used for special occasions, as identity markers, as symbols for nations, teams, communities, and more.

As part of the exhibition, the Museum will feature an installation of portraits by Brazilian photographer Angélica Dass. Her work showcases the diversity of human skin tones, challenging socially constructed racial categories and celebrating the beauty and diversity of humans from around the world.

The Nature of Color is curated by Rob DeSalle, a curator in the Museum’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology whose recent exhibitions include Our Senses: An Immersive Experience, and Brain: The Inside Story.

The Nature of Color will open to the public on Monday, March 9, 2020. Museum Members will be able to preview the exhibition starting on Friday, March 6, through Sunday, March 8.

A trailer about The Nature of Color can be seen here.

A media preview for The Nature of Color will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

Doors open at 10 am; Program starts at 10:30 am

You may RSVP here. If you are not immediately connected to the site, please cut and paste https://www.amnh.org/nature-of-color-media-preview into your browser. Alternatively, you may call 212-769-5800 or email communications@amnh.org

Enter at 77th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

The Museum gratefully acknowledges the Richard and Karen LeFrak Exhibition and Education Fund.

The Nature of Color is generously supported by Chase Private Client.

American Museum of Natural History (amnh.org)

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869 and currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls, including those in the Rose Center for Earth and Space plus the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. It is home to New York State’s official memorial to Theodore Roosevelt, a tribute to Roosevelt’s enduring legacy of environmental conservation. The Museum’s approximately 200 scientists draw on a world-class research collection of more than 34 million artifacts and specimens, some of which are billions of years old, and on one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, the Museum grants the Ph.D. degree in Comparative Biology and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, the only such free-standing, degree-granting programs at any museum in the United States. Annual on-site attendance has grown to approximately 5 million, and the Museum’s exhibitions and Space Shows can be seen in venues on six continents. The Museum’s website, digital videos, and apps for mobile devices bring its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more around the world. Visit amnh.org for more information.

 

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