Past Exhibitions - 2009

EXHIBITION
Parks in Focus
Monday, April 20, 2009 - October 30, 2009

The U.S. Department of the Interior Museum and the Morris K. Udall Foundation present Parks in Focus; an art exhibit to commemorate National Park Week.

The exhibit is composed of more than twenty photographs taken by Parks in Focus program participants.

For ten years, the Morris K. Udall Foundation has introduced middle school students, from Boys & Girls clubs all over the national, to the wonders of nature.

The Parks in Focus program connects middle-school children to nature through week-long trips to state and national parks. Learning the fundamentals of photography, ecology, and conservation adds to students' continuing engagement with nature. The Foundation provides cameras and teaches that nature is accessible, fun, and educational. Included in the exhibit are photographs taken by participants visiting Arizona, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, Wyoming, and California in 2007 and 2008. more

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Endangered Species - Flora & Fauna in Peril

Featuring fifty works of art in a variety of media (drawing, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture) depicting flora and fauna listed as threatened or endangered in North America by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Over forty-seven species are represented, among them the California condor, Northern spotted owl, Grizzly bear, Black-footed ferret, Oahu tree snail, Sonora tiger salamander, Mesa Verde cactus, and Texas wild-rice. This exhibition, featuring work by forty artists, is the result of an international juried competition organized by the Wilding Art Museum.  more

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The Bats and the Bees: Pollination Systems in America
September 14, 2007 - October 30, 2009

Pollination occurs when pollen is moved within a flower or carried from flower to flower by birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles or other animals, or by the wind. This transfer of pollen in and between flowers of the same species leads to fertilization, successful seed and fruit production for plants. The current declines in the health and population of pollinators pose a significant threat to the integrity of biodiversity, to global food webs, and to human health. To combat this threat, the Interior Museum, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and all members of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign are working to educate public, private and governmental organizations about the importance of understanding pollinator systems around the globe.

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Rachel Carson Centennial Birthday Celebration
April 20, 2007 - October 30, 2009

Rachel Louise Carson (1907-1964) was a world-renowned marine biologist, author and environmentalist. [FWS Photo]

The Interior Museum celebrates the centennial of the birthday of Rachel Carson with an exhibit highlighting her history and legacy. Carson's work as an educator, scientist, and writer revolutionized America's interest in environmental issues. She worked for the Department of the Interior from 1936-1952 where she created some of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's first public information brochures in a series called “Conservation in Action.” Perhaps best known for her seminal work Silent Spring (1962), which documented the pesticide DDT's menace to the environment and its destructive effects birds of prey, Carson also had a passion for connecting children with nature. “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder," she wrote, "he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” The Interior Museum urges all parents, caregivers, and educators to use Carson's centennial anniversary is an opportunity to reach children growing up in a digital age and rekindle their sense of wonder in nature. The exhibition opens to the public on April 20, 2007.

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