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What do rare butterflies, black cockatoos and ancient mythical creatures have in common? They all feature in the Tweed Regional Museum's next Up Late event, Capturing Curious Creatures, which will take place on Saturday 26 November from 4 pm – 8 pm.
Delve into the weird and wonderful world of natural history through a range of interactive, creative experiences for both little and big explorers. You will hear from observers and conservers on the art of taxidermy, taxonomy for evolution and scientific research, and the relationship between humans and animals throughout the life cycle.
Allow your curiosity to run wild to the fascinating backdrop of the Museum's latest exhibition, Capturing Nature, and hear stories from experts about why we collect, preserve, and highlight our natural history – then relax in the Museum's courtyard and listen to live music by Phil and Tilley, while you enjoy tasty Japanese eats by Oki Food and fun beverages by The Gin Experience.
Come and marvel at the Butterfly Booth with lepidopterist (butterfly expert) Greg Newland and see stunning butterflies from around the world, learning firsthand the art of butterfly collecting, pinning, and preserving. Greg will show you how you can create a healthy habitat for butterflies and explain the important role they play in the natural ecosystem.
Learn to identify the unique calls and mannerisms of our Black Glossy Cockatoos as you draw them using chalk, pastel and charcoal with Anne Smerdon. Anne is an award-winning Australian artist focused on the complex but often overlooked minds of animals, particularly birds, and strives to capture their true personality in her artwork.
Then, dive into animal bones, feathers, quills and snakeskin used in creative practice with local artist Christine Mellor. Christine utilises native Australian animals, retrieved as roadkill, arranging them in her work to produce evocative paintings and special sculptures exploring life and death.
Our little explorers can create their own Cryptid (an unknown, legendary or mythical animal like those found in folklore – think Loch Ness monster or unicorn). Using their imagination and collage techniques, little ones can produce their own magical creations and explain where they come from.
For the palaeontologists among us, there is also our much-loved Diprotodon Dig where you can find a fossil and identify what it is!
Also, meet Museum Director Molly Green as she reveals some of the dramatic, behind-the-scenes stories from the images found within the Capturing Nature exhibition and discuss taxonomy for evolution and scientific research.
For those who have not yet made it, Capturing Nature: Early photographs at the Australian Museum 1857-1893, travels back to a time when photography was revolutionising science, art and society. These images, reproduced from the Australian Museum's collection of glass plate negatives from this period, are some of Australia's earliest natural history photographs.
