Pyenson Lab

Exhibition: "Whales: From Bone to Book"

Well, things are rolling now. The installation for the exhibition "Whales: From Bone to Book" is nearly complete, and if you're in the area, you can see it in person. (Speaking as its lead curator, it's a lot of fun to see it up finally).

The exhibit's website is now open as well, hosted by Smithsonian Libraries. On this site you will be able to search Smithsonian's online collections for original literature relating to the exhibit, see examples of pen-and-ink illustrations featured on the exhibit, and read some fun articles. Also, there is a short link to the June 6th symposium. In the future, we will swap out modules to keep things lively, so check back for updates.

The Smithsonian Libraries, which is leading the exhibition, has more details on their blog about the literature displayed in the exhibit, including over 400 year old books, and key publications in the history of cetology. Check it out! Smithsonian Science is also covering the exhibition too.

From Magnus Olaus' 1557 work Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus. Read it online or see the original book in person at the exhibition!

From Pierre-Joseph van Beneden and Paul Gervais’s Ostéographie des cétacés, a classic 19th century work that is still used by modern researchers.

Free public symposium associated with "Whales: From Bone to Book"

Yes, there's more than just an exhibit. Following the heels of the last post, I also wanted to share news about an exciting event associated with the forthcoming Smithsonian Libraries's exhibit "Whales: From Bone to Book." In the early planning stages of the exhibit, we agreed that there were simply too many important stories, and that a symposium with guest speakers would be an ideal venue to share some of the more interesting narratives that link up different aspects of the exhibit. So make sure to circle Thursday, June 6th, 2013:

We're fortunate to have a great line-up of speakers, including Stephen Godfrey from Calvert Marine Museum and keynotes addresses by two scholars with unique perspectives on the history of cetacean research at the Smithsonian. These talks are free and open to the public inside the gorgeous Baird Auditorium; but, please, RSVP if you think you might attend. In addition to the talks, there will be a demonstration of 3D laser scanning, and a Q&A with the speakers. Heck, you might even be able to get your cetacean literature signed by the authors!

Sneak peek of Smithsonian Libraries "Whales: From Bone to Book" exhibit

I have a few more posts to build up the big reveal on this topic, but I've mentioned it a few times before (here, here and here). Now that we're in the month of May, I'm excited to share more about the forthcoming Smithsonian Libraries exhibit, to be featured in NMNH's Evans Gallery (between the museum gift shops), all about the Smithsonian's legacy of studying whales. It opens 25 May 2013, and it will be free and open to the public during regular museum hours.

Here's the scoop: this exhibit traces the journey of how Smithsonian scientists study the largest and most enigmatic mammals on the planet: whales. It shows how cetacean bones and fossils make their way from discovery on a beach or in sea cliff, through the museum’s doors and into its vast collections, and finally to sharing new knowledge about the natural history of whales, past, present and future.

One of the most exciting parts of the exhibit will be the objects. We're showcasing field equipment, photos, illustrations, museum specimens, rare books and even 3D prints, all of which describe the long arc of whale natural history, and the Smithsonian's role in it, over the past 150 years.

Stay tuned -- I'll post links to the exhibit website, shortly, along with associated events.

Updates, updates...

Springtime has officially hit DC this week, and the cherry blossoms blooms are well underway. 

In the coming days, I will circle back to some new publications in 2013 by colleagues, new and old, in the Pyenson Lab, along with an update on the long-coming Smithsonian Libraries exhibit on the art and science of Remington Kellogg's whale illustrations.

First, check out some recent guest blog posts in two different venues: one, at Smithsonian magazine's Around The Mall, where I wrote about the digital specimens and the importance of the real thing; another, for the US State Department, describing the value of museum collections, in general terms.

Also, below, a shot from my talk at the March 9 Nerd Nite DC. (Quite a bit of profanity-laced, after-hours fun). Thanks to Jenna Jadin and also Matt Carrano, for signing me up.

On stage, at DC 9. (h/t to Carrano).

Remington Kellogg Illustration Gallery now online!

 As I mentioned before, a group of us at the Smithsonian are hard at work on creating a new exhibit featuring the art and science of cetaceans -- see teasers here and here. Specifically, this exhibit, through the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, will display the outcomes of artistic and scientific collaborations behind the natural history of cetaceans (both fossil and modern), and the unique legacy of this work at NMNH. Among these interactions, which have been happening since the museum's origin, we focus on the achievements of Sydney Prentice and Remington Kellogg. Who are they, and what did they do?

Click over to the Department of Paleobiology's Kellogg Illustration Gallery to find out more! And watch the exhibit galleries at NMNH in mid 2013...

Many sincere thanks to Paleobiology's Mary Parrish and recent St. John's College graduate Julia Coursey, who were the two primary drivers behind this incredible resource and set of webpages. Click over to Mary Parrish's PaleoArt homepage, hosted by the Department of Paleobiology, to see more!

Coming soon: the art and science of fossil whales, part 2

As we mentioned some time ago, NDP and Paleobiology scientific illustrator Mary Parrish are spearheading an effort through the Smithsonian Institution's Libraries to build an exhibit featurin pen-and-ink illustrations of fossil whales from the early 20th century, which were rediscovered and recently rehabilitated. 

The exhibit planning stages are in full swing, and part of the work that goes into it is selecting SIL's contributions for the exhibit. Yesterday, the participants on the exhibit took an in-house field trip to NMNH's Cullman Library -- the U.S. national natural history rare books collection. Like other such collections, these holdings are stored under careful climate controls and usage is carefully monitoring and measured. Much of what we do, as naturalists, directly ties into a long lineage of work that can be traced back through the centuries. It's inspiring to carefully page through >500 year old books whose authors and contributors asked similar questions that we still do today about the natural world.

Dave Bohaska, Charley Potter, Daryl Domning and Martha Rosen (SIL) stand rapt in awe, while paging through possible exhibit pieces in the Cullman Library at NMNH. Careful observers will note some familiar books. (Photo NDP)