Upcoming Exhibits
ANIMATION
February 14, 2009 - May 10, 2009Castle Memorial Building
This exhibit is created by the Oregon Museum of
Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon in
collaboration with the Cartoon Network. Animation
is everywhere! Every time we turn on a TV set, go
to a movie, or surf the Internet, we see animated
segments. But how does animation really work? Get
ready to explore the science behind the art when
you visit Animation!
From concept to finished product, visitors will
learn all about the intricacies of the art of animations.
From storyboarding to character design and drawing
techniques, to movement, timing, filming, and sound—come
to Animation and see how
it all works. Larger than life graphics of popular
Cartoon Network characters provide a colorful backdrop
to the exhibit, which also explores the history of
Animation and features a screening room and a cartoon
museum.
To illustrate convincing movement, animators apply
knowledge of the physics of motion, and the science
of human perception. Animators plot out a character’s
path of action on a grid before producing an animated
sequence. The animator creates characters in scale
with their environments through the use of basic
geometry and spatial sense.
Several of the exhibit areas feature digital slide shows of real animators working in the studios at Cartoon Network. Visitors will learn about the skills and training needed to pursue a career in animation.
Six thematic areas are explored in the Animation exhibit:
History: Learn about early animation and apparent motion. Visitors can try using a praxinoscope, posing a three-dimensional figure and spinning it to se the figures morph into a single animation. At the penny Arcade, you can “crank” out animations with an old-fashioned mutoscope.
Animation Studio: Explore the process of animation, story creation, and animator techniques and tools. You can develop a storyboard from a series of picture cards, design objects with a pantograph, and create scenes using layered cels and moving backgrounds.
Art in Motion: With help from the characters of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, discover why art and math are important allies when it comes to creating characters, motion, and change. The illusion of movement will come alive as you magically “move” around a room without using your legs.
Animation Laboratory: In Dexter’s Laboratory, you can delve into the science and technology that make animation possible. Create the illusion of a bouncing ball with the technique of ”squash and stretch” and find out how the action slows down or speeds up with time-lapse videos. You can also see yourself hover while exploring visual effects in a full-body interactive experience.
Sound and Stage: Discover the principles of sound and phonetics with the Kids Next Door, while exploring the complexity of matching phrases to different mouth shapes. You can add your own voice to a silent animation, and set the mood of the film by selecting background music from a variety of soundtracks.
Cartoon Museum: Take a seat in an intimate theater setting and view clips of popular animations while learning the secrets behind their production. Examine important artifacts such as cels, models, and storyboard drawings from classic and favorite animations such as Scooby-Doo, The Powerpuff Girls, and The Flintstones.
Mahalo to our sponsors:
The John Young Foundation
BACKYARD MONSTERS
Saturday, June 13 through Monday, September 7, 2009
Summer 2009 is the time for big, big bugs at Bishop Museum! Backyard Monsters features six giant-sized moving robotic insects. From the chills of a 12-foot tarantula to the drama of two Atlas Beetles fighting it out to the grace and beauty of a giant Monarch Butterfly, the animatronic creatures of Backyard Monsters bring the often-secret world of insects vividly to life.
Each of the creatures is between 10 and 12 feet in length. Other featured insects include a Tomato Caterpillar that towers nearly 12 feet high; a paper wasp with a 15 foot wingspan; and a stationary Dragonfly overhead.
The exhibit also includes nine insect display cases and a full set of interactive exhibits that help visitors explore bug sounds, worldwide insect population and insect vision.
Backyard Monsters has been completely refurbished by Adventure Edutainment, an Odyssey Attractions/Garner Holt Productions LLC. The exhibit has won the prestigious endorsement of the American Entomological Society and has appeared at such leading venues as the Field Museum in Chicago, the Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul) and Science World Vancouver.
DINOSAURS UNEARTHED
Saturday, September 26, 2009 through Sunday, January 3, 2010
Long awaited! After three years, dinosaurs return to Bishop Museum. Dinosaurs Unearthed will feature the jaw-dropping outdoor spectacle of a full-sized, Tyrannosaurus Rex and facing off against a full-sized, moving Triceratops on the Museum’s lawns, plus a full set of indoor dinosaurs in Castle Building.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex will be 22 feet high and 49 feet from the tip of his tail to the end of his nose; the Triceratops will be ten feet high and 26 feet from the end his tail to the tips of his horns. Inside, visitors will experience another five full-sized robotic dinosaurs, from the crested 11-foot tall Parasaurolophus to the Metriacanthosaurus (an Allosaurus-type predator) to a winged Pterosaur. In addition to the full-sized creatures, the exhibit features miniature robotic dinosaurs, including Apatosaurus (the former “Brontosaurus”) and Stegosaurus, and a full-sized T. Rex head. The exhibit also includes a full set of fossils and several dinosaur skeletons.
“We are very excited to be working with a new dinosaur exhibit company, Dinosaurs Unearthed, for our next dinosaur show at Bishop Museum” says Mike Shanahan, Director of Education and Exhibits at Bishop Museum. “The smooth motion, realistic look and sheer spectacle of these dinosaurs are going to make for a great show at the Museum.”
Bishop Museum has been presenting dinosaur exhibits since the late 1980s and the exhibits have been a consistently popular attraction for kids, families and adults alike. This one, fall 2009, promises to be one of the most spectacular shows the Museum has ever presented.
