Capturing Nature: Middlebury's Treasures, Poster 54

Students from the First-Year Seminar 'Mastodons, Mermaids, and Dioramas: Capturing Nature in America' will share their research on Middlebury College's natural history specimens and collections in this gallery talk and display... [ view full abstract ]

Students from the First-Year Seminar 'Mastodons, Mermaids, and Dioramas: Capturing Nature in America' will share their research on Middlebury College's natural history specimens and collections in this gallery talk and display that features stuffed birds, mounted insects, solidified lava, and pressed plants, all collected by Middlebury students and faculty from the early 1800s to the 1970s. We will consider the history of the study of the natural sciences at Middlebury College from the 1800s to today, as well as broader issues in the aestheticization of the natural world, the mediation involved in preparing specimens of natural history, and the intersections between art and science.