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Media Inquiries: Aubrey Gaby Miller, Department of Communications

212-496-3409; amiller@amnh.org www.amnh.org __________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 2016

ADVANCE SCHEDULE OF EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

SUMMER 2016–SPRING 2017

PLEASE NOTE: All information provided below is subject to change; please confirm with the Department of Communications, 212-769-5800 or communications@amnh.org.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS

One Step Beyond June 10, 2016

The Museum’s popular One Step Beyond is an ongoing party series that features the biggest names in techno, electronica, and hip hop. Guests can dance in the Museum’s Rose Center for Earth and Space while cocktails keep the party going. The next One Step Beyond will take place on Friday, June 10, with DJ sets by DâM-FunK, Waajeed, and Shawn Dub.

SciCafe First Wednesday of the month, October through June

SciCafe is the American Museum of Natural History’s popular after-hours series featuring informal talks on current topics in science, amazing stories from the field, cocktails, and conversation. The series draws on the unique expertise of the Museum’s staff of more than 200 active scientists as well as their vast network of colleagues across the globe. Recent SciCafe topics have included understanding autism, collective behavior in ant colonies and beyond, and exploring the evolution of human irrationality by watching the way our primitive relatives make decisions.

23rd Annual Family Party Wednesday, October 19, 2016, 5–7:30 pm

The Family Party features educational activities and entertainment for children of all ages. Children will have the opportunity to explore the Museum’s magnificent halls; interact with live animals; dig for gems; look through a microscope; and explore the Family Party’s Museum Science Center, which showcases Museum scientists’ ongoing work through hands-on activities. Tickets to this special benefit event are $85 for children and $175 for adults. For event and ticket information, please call 212-313-7161, or email familyparty@amnh.org.

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40th Annual Margaret Mead Film Festival October 13–16, 2016

On its 40th anniversary, the festival celebrates the groundbreaking spirit of legendary Museum anthropologist Margaret Mead. Through a Samoan artist installation, a virtual reality showcase, and a host of new documentary films that will transport and connect viewers to communities around the world, this year’s Mead invites participants to explore new cultural perspectives while critically examining our own points of view. As always, the festival will feature intimate conversations with filmmakers and film subjects, as well as the presentation of the annual Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award.

The Margaret Mead Film Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Support for the Margaret Mead Festival is provided, in part, by the May and Samuel Rudin Foundation, the Sidney, Milton, and Leoma Simon Foundation, the family of Frederick H. Leonhardt, and The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation.

Halloween Celebration Monday, October 31, 2016, 4–7 pm

More than 30 of the Museum’s popular halls will be open for trick-or-treating, arts and crafts, fun with roaming cartoon characters, and live performances. Past performers and characters have included Curious George®, Clifford the Big Red Dog®, Miffy, Peter RabbitTM, David Grover and the Big Bear Band, Big Nazo, Louie & Subanda, a magician, stilt walkers, and performers from the Big Apple Circus.

Made possible with support of The Rudin Foundation, Inc.

Origami Holiday Tree November 21, 2016–January 8, 2017

An annual tradition and major tourist attraction, the delightfully decorated Origami Holiday Tree has marked the start of the holiday season at the Museum for decades. Volunteers, including local, national, and international origami artists, fold year-round, contributing to a collection of over 1,000 models that will be displayed on the tree. Each year the 13-foot-tree features a different theme relating to the Museum’s special exhibitions or to its collections, which includes more than 33 million artifacts and specimens. Past themes have included Mighty and Microscopic Life; Origami Night at the Museum; Wicked, Wild, and Wonderful; The Museum’s Biggest and Best; Fantastic Creatures: Mythic and Real; Origami in Flight; Under the Sea; Flowers for New York; Origami A to Z; and Origami Safari. During the holiday season, volunteers will be on hand to teach visitors of all ages origami, the art of paper folding.

Astronomy Live Tuesdays through August 30, 7 pm

Take a tour of the universe with a live presenter or view the constantly changing night sky in this monthly program series. Learn about what is visible in our nighttime sky with the brilliant stars of the Zeiss Mark IX star projector or travel to the edge of the observable universe with the world’s largest scientifically accurate cosmic atlas, the Digital Universe, assembled at the Hayden Planetarium. Programs vary each month; visit amnh.org for descriptions. For a quick journey into space, view the Museum’s Webby-nominated The Known Universe—a short video with more than 14 million views on YouTube. The Known Universe takes viewers from the Himalayas, through our atmosphere, and into the inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang.

The Butterfly Conservatory: Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter December 10, 2016–May 29, 2017

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This exhibition, an annual favorite, features up to 500 live, free-flying tropical butterflies from the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The butterflies are housed in a vivarium that approximates their natural habitat, includes live flowering plants that serve as nectar sources, and features controlled artificial light, temperature, and humidity. Featured species include iridescent blue morpho butterflies, striking scarlet swallowtails, and large owl butterflies. Text panels located immediately outside the vivarium offer information about the evolution and life cycle of butterflies, including explanations of mimicry, diversity, and butterflies’ important role in conservation. Whitney Hall of Oceanic Birds, second floor

Generous support for The Butterfly Conservatory has been provided by the Eileen P. Bernard Exhibition Fund.

Kwanzaa 2016: Songs for the Soul Friday, December 30, 2016

This year’s cultural festival of African and African-American heritage marks the Museum’s 38th annual Kwanzaa celebration. Attendees can join in the fun and experience the rich traditions of Kwanzaa, honoring the holiday’s seven guiding principles. The day will also include family-friendly activities, exciting performances, and an international marketplace. In addition, special Kwanzaa foods will be available in the Museum Food Court. Past guests have included Tony award-winning tap virtuoso Savion Glover; rapper, producer, and beatboxer Doug E. Fresh; and Oscar-nominated IMPACT Repertory Theatre. Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, first floor Support for Kwanzaa is provided, in part, by the May and Samuel Rudin Foundation, the Sidney, Milton, and Leoma Simon Foundation, the family of Frederick H. Leonhardt, and The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation.

Frontiers Lecture Series Select Mondays monthly, 7:30 pm

This dynamic lecture series features prominent scientists, authors, and Museum experts. Learn about cutting-edge research and more. Kaufmann Theater, first floor Coming up:

Monday, June 13: Coloring the Universe. The data collected using giant telescopes is meant for scientific research, but it can also be presented as images of incredible beauty. Astrophysicist Travis Rector will explain how researchers create images that are both aesthetically pleasing and scientifically useful while Carter Emmart will project examples of this stunning imagery in full-dome. Support for Hayden Planetarium Programs is provided by the Schaffner Family and the Horace W. Goldsmith Endowment Fund.

Mummies: New Secrets from the Tombs (working title) March 2017–January 7, 2018

Mummies: New Secrets from the Tombs (working title) gives a rare, up-close look at one of the largest collections of mummies in North America. Visitors will discover why mummification was not just for royal Egyptians. From predynastic Egypt to pre-Columbian Peru, the exhibition explores the intersection between societies, their desert environment, and the preparations they made for the dead. The latest technologies are making it possible for scientists to discover more details about each mummy and the precious objects buried with it. Mummies will include mummies and coffins, burial goods including some animal mummies, stone mummy masks, false tomb doors, 3D-printed casts of mummies and burial figures, forensically reconstructed sculptural busts, CT scans, and interactive touch tables for digitally unwrapping mummies and exploring the interior.

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This Exhibition was developed by The Field Museum, Chicago. ONGOING EXHIBITIONS Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World May 28, 2016–January 2, 2017

This exhibition explores the complex lives of crocodilians—the group that includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials—their evolutionary history, biology, behavior, and precarious relationships with human societies. Crocs have flourished for more than 200 million years, once including a rich diversity of specialized forms from galloping land predators and jumping insect-eaters to pug-nosed herbivores and dolphin-like pelagic hunters. Today, all modern crocodilians are built for the water’s edge. These stealthy aquatic predators have rugged bodies, keen senses, and incredible strength. They also lead intricate social lives, communicating with a range of pips, grunts, hisses, bellows, and subtle changes in body posture; battling over territories; engaging in lengthy courtship rituals; and providing their young with parental care. Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World immerses visitors in the world of crocs, with engaging interactives, models, artifacts, and living specimens, including an African dwarf crocodile, Siamese crocodiles, and American alligator hatchlings. Gallery 77, first floor Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World was created by Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s REPTILAND.

Dinosaurs Among Us March 21, 2016–January 2, 2017

Dinosaurs Among Us examines how one group of dinosaurs evolved into the fascinating living creatures we call birds. Exploring topics ranging from flight to feathers, nests to wishbones, and brains to lungs, the exhibition highlights the continuities between living dinosaurs—birds—and their extinct ancestors, showcasing remarkable new evidence for what scientists now call one of the best-documented evolutionary transitions in the history of life. The exhibition features ancient, rarely seen fossils, and lifelike models, including a 23-foot-long feathered tyrannosaur (Yutyrannus huali) and a small four-winged dromeosaur (Anchiornis huxleyi) with a 22-inch-wingspan and vivid, patterned plumage. Visitors encounter a tiny dinosaur whose sleeping posture precisely echoes that of a living bird, an extinct-dinosaur nest containing remains of the adult that guarded the hatchlings, and the fossil cast of a relative of Triceratops that had simple feathers on its body. LeFrak Family Gallery, fourth floor The Museum gratefully acknowledges the Richard and Karen LeFrak Exhibition and Education Fund. Dinosaurs Among Us is proudly supported by Chase Private Client.

The Titanosaur Opened on January 15, 2016

Generations of visitors have flocked to see the renowned blue whale and iconic Tyrannosaurus rex at the American Museum of Natural History. On January 15, the Museum added another must-see exhibit on its fourth floor: a cast of a 122-foot-long dinosaur so new that it has not even been formally named by the scientists who discovered it. Paleontologists infer that this dinosaur, a giant herbivore that belongs to a group known as titanosaurs, weighed in at around 70 tons—as much as 10 African elephants. Since this titanosaur is too large to fit into the gallery, part of its 39-foot-long neck will extend out towards the elevator banks, welcoming visitors to the fossil floors. The massive cast, created over six months by Research Casting International in Ontario, Canada, in association with Argentina’s Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, is based on 84 fossil bones that were excavated in Argentine Patagonia

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in 2014. One femur found at the site will be among five original fossils on temporary view with the titanosaur. Generous support for The Titanosaur exhibit has been provided by the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Foundation.

The Secret World Inside You November 7, 2015–August 14, 2016

Our bodies are home to approximately 100 trillion bacteria living inside us and on us—along with even more viruses and other microorganisms. This vast community is referred to as our microbiome. Many of us think of all microorganisms as “germs” that cause disease, and that eliminating these microbes is essential to improving health. But only a tiny fraction of the microbes we harbor could, and do, make us sick. Fascinating new research is revealing how many of these microbes work with the body to manufacture vitamins, bolster our immune system, help digest food, and even moderate moods and behavior. The Secret World Inside You: The Human Microbiome explores the rapidly evolving science that is revealing complexities of the human microbiome and redefining our notions of human health. This perspective may prove critical in preventing common health problems including allergies, asthma, and obesity. Interactives explore where the microbes are in the human body and how they interact and affect our bodies, and a live presenter examines the world of microbes. Gallery 3, third floor

This project is supported by the Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Opulent Oceans: Extraordinary Scientific Illustrations from the Museum’s Library Through October 1, 2017

Inspired by the book Opulent Oceans: Extraordinary Rare Book Selections from the American Museum of Natural History, published in October 2014, this exhibition includes 46 exquisite reproductions from 33 rare and beautifully illustrated scientific works. The world’s oceans abound with a truly astonishing diversity of life forms. Beginning some 400 years ago, European voyages of discovery began mapping the globe, and knowledge of ocean life flourished as never before. These explorers documented their discoveries in illustrated books—by sketching their own specimens or collaborating with artists and engravers—resulting in images that communicate the anatomy, life cycles, habits—and sheer beauty—of newfound marine species. The exhibition is curated by the author of the book, Melanie L.J. Stiassny, Axelrod Research Curator in the Museum’s Department of Ichthyology in collaboration with Tom Baione, Harold Boeschenstein Director of the Museum’s Research Library. LeFrak Theater corridor, first floor The presentation of Opulent Oceans: Extraordinary Rare Book Selections from the American Museum of Natural History at the American Museum of Natural History is made possible through the generosity of the Arthur Ross Foundation.

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease Through January 2, 2017

The challenges of eliminating devastating diseases are enormous, but successful strategies can bring about colossal social and economic benefits. Countdown to Zero, a new exhibition developed in collaboration with The Carter Center, highlights scientific and social innovations that are ridding the world of ancient afflictions. The exhibition focuses on several global efforts that have been able to contain, eliminate, or eradicate disease. Chief among these is the 30-year campaign that may soon eradicate Guinea worm disease, positioning it to become only the second human disease ever

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eradicated, after smallpox. The exhibition also highlights the ongoing programs to eliminate polio and prospects for more localized elimination of river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, and malaria. Akeley Gallery, second floor

Countdown to Zero is presented by the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with The Carter Center.

The presentation of Countdown to Zero at the American Museum of Natural History is made possible through the generosity of the Arthur Ross Foundation.

LARGE-FORMAT AND 3D FILMS, Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Theater, first floor National Parks Adventure February 12–September 1, 2016

Produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films, the film takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness of America’s national parks. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Robert Redford, the film lets audiences soar over red-rock canyons, hurtle down steep mountain peaks, and explore otherworldly realms found in our country’s most legendary spaces. This new film is a celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service and a reflection on what wilderness means to us all.

National Parks Adventure is a MacGillivray Freeman film produced in association with Brand USA and presented by Expedia, Inc., and Subaru of America, Inc., with major support from the Giant Dome Theater Consortium.

Wonders of the Arctic September 2, 2016–March 2, 2017

Set in the frozen wilderness at the top of the world, Wonders of the Arctic tells the story of survival in one of the most unforgiving environments on earth dominated by a single element: ice. Far away in this glittering world of ice and snow, polar bears tussle, huskies howl, and narwhals dive within the turquoise waters. Through compelling stories told by scientists and Inuit leaders, viewers will discover the impact of ice on the Arctic’s inhabitants, both animals and humans. For thousands of years, the Inuit and their predecessors have adapted and thrived in the beautiful yet harsh climates of the Arctic. Today, their survival has inspired scientists to conduct intense research and answer troubling questions about living in this fragile and largely uninhabited landscape.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker David Lickley, Wonders of the Arctic takes audiences on a journey across one of the most beautiful and severely cold places on earth, exploring how humans and animals have adapted and thrived for thousands of years in the vast ice wilderness of the Arctic.

Humpback Whales March 3, 2017-August 2017

Narrated by two-time Golden Globe® nominee, Ewan McGregor, Humpback Whales is an extraordinary journey into the mysterious world of one of nature’s most awe-inspiring marine mammals. Set in the spectacular waters of Alaska, Hawaii, and the remote islands of Tonga, this ocean adventure offers audiences an up-close look at how these whales communicate, sing, feed, play, and take care of their young. Captured for the first time with IMAX® 3D cameras, and found in every ocean on earth, humpbacks were nearly driven to extinction 50 years ago, but today are making a slow but remarkable recovery. Join a team of researchers as they unlock the secrets of the humpback and find out why humpbacks are the most acrobatic of all whales, why they sing their haunting songs, and why these intelligent 55-foot, 50-ton animals migrate up to 10,000 miles round-trip every year.

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A MacGillivray Freeman film presented by Pacific Life, Humpback Whales is directed by Greg MacGillivray (The Living Sea, Dolphins, Everest) and produced by Shaun MacGillivray (To The Arctic, Grand Canyon Adventure). Filmed with 15perf / 65mm IMAX® cameras, Humpback Whales is written and edited by Stephen Judson (Everest, To The Arctic) with a musical score by Steve Wood (Journey to the South Pacific, To The Arctic). A One World One Ocean production.

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Hours

The Museum is open daily, 10 am–5:45 pm. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Admission

Museum admission is free to all New York City school and camp groups.

Suggested general admission, which supports the Museum’s scientific and educational endeavors and offers access to the Museum’s 45 halls including the Rose Center for Earth and Space, is $22 (adults) suggested, $17 (students/seniors) suggested, $12.50 (children) suggested. All prices are subject to change.

The Museum offers discounted combination ticket prices that include suggested general admission plus

special exhibitions, 2D or 3D giant-screen movie, and Space Shows. o Museum Plus One includes one special exhibition, 2D or 3D giant-screen movie, or Space Show: $27

(adults), $22 (students/seniors), $16 (children)

o Museum Supersaver includes all special exhibitions, 2D or 3D giant-screen movie, and Space Show: $35 (adults), $28 (students/seniors), $22 (children)

Visitors who wish to pay less than the suggested Museum admission and also purchase a ticket to

attend a special exhibition, 2D or 3D giant-screen movie, or Space Show may do so on-site at the Museum. To the amount they wish to pay for general admission, they add $25 (adults), $20.50 (students/seniors), or $13.50 (children) for a Space Show, special exhibition, or 2D or 3D giant-screen movie. Public Information

For additional information, the public may call 212-769-5100 or visit the Museum’s website at amnh.org. Follow

Become a fan of the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/naturalhistory, follow us on Instagram at @AMNH, Tumblr at amnhnyc or visit twitter.com/AMNH to follow us on Twitter.

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