Andrew
07-08-2008, 11:52 AM
NEWS RELEASE
AQUARIUM SAYS GOODBYE TO
AWARD-WINNING SPECIAL EXHIBITION
Beautiful and graceful, jellies have captivated visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for nearly two decades. Now "Jellies: Living Art" - the most popular special exhibition in the aquarium's history - will close on September 1, 2008 after 6 ½ years.
The space currently occupied by "Jellies: Living Art" will be replaced with a special exhibition showcasing "The Secret Lives of Seahorses," which opens April 3, 2009. Visitors can still find permanent displays of jellies in the aquarium's Drifter's Gallery.
When it first opened in April 2002, "Jellies: Living Art" instantly became a visitor favorite, rated "excellent" by 76 percent of visitors during its first five months - the highest rating for any special exhibition at the aquarium. Since then, approximately 10 million people have seen the gorgeous jellies and vibrant art that create this unique exhibit. "'Jellies: Living Art' appeals to our emotions and to our senses," says Senior Exhibit Developer Jaci Tomulonis, the exhibition curator.
Among the 25 jelly species exhibited over the years in "Jellies: Living Art," many were rare species seldom seen by visitors, and several were displayed for the first time ever in the United States. Stunning blue jellies, colorful flower hat jellies and fragile spotted comb jellies were all new species for a U.S. aquarium.
The team of biologists who maintain the jelly collection at the Monterey Bay Aquarium made many innovations in collecting, exhibiting, breeding and raising these mysterious creatures during the long run of "Jellies: Living Art." Several team members published papers on their work with jellies in notable scientific journals including Marine Biology and Pacific Science.
In 2002 Chad Widmer and Bruce Upton, both senior aquarists, become the first people in the world to bring the extremely delicate spotted comb jelly (Leucothea pulchra) from the ocean to an exhibit, using special tools and techniques. One wrong move and this fragile jelly can tear in two, or disintegrate. These complex and beautiful jellies have been featured in "Jellies: Living Art" several more times since that initial success.
"Since this is one of the most delicate animals we work with, special husbandry techniques were used every step of the way," Widmer said. "Now the process seems routine but it wasn't when Bruce and I did it the first few times."
Another team of aquarists, Thomas Knowles and Wyatt Patry, developed a feeding schedule that allowed black sea nettles (Chrysaora achlyos) on exhibit to grow close to their species' maximum size in the wild. One of these stunning jellies reached nearly 10 feet long with a swimming bell the size of a basketball. Since their first success, they've kept several large sea nettles on exhibit.
The innovative concept of "Jellies: Living Art" was to celebrate the beauty of these ethereal animals, and show how contemporary and classical artwork draws inspiration from the sea. The galleries of art and jellies, exhibited together, highlight visual themes from nature and art: shape and size, rhythm and movement and color and pattern.
When the exhibit was in the early planning stages, aquarium staff interviewed visitors and found that "many people just wanted to be with the jellies," Tomulonis said. "It confirmed our suspicion that they were having a different kind of experience with our jellies than they were with some of our other exhibit animals."
Aesthetic terms like "graceful" and "art in motion" kept recurring in evaluation interviews. Since visitors were perceiving jellies as living art, Tomulonis and the exhibit team decided to pair the jellies with actual works of art inspired by the marine environment, and create a visual parallel.
A large glass installation by renowned artist Dale Chihuly was designed for the entrance of the exhibit, and several other notable artists were featured, including David Hockney and Roger Brown. This unique presentation - combining art with stunning live exhibits - earned "Jellies: Living Art" several awards including the prestigious Curator's Choice Award from the American Association of Museums, and the Exhibit Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
When the exhibit closes in September, many of the jellies will be sent to aquariums throughout the United States including the Tennessee Aquarium, Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences and the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The art will be returned to the galleries, museums, private owners and artists who generously loaned pieces for the exhibition.
Though visitors have asked that "Jellies" not be closed, Tomulonis said the aquarium will continue to create innovative special exhibitions.
"It was a great exhibit, and a lot of fun," she said, "and there's lots more to do in the future."
The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans.
Discuss here (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?p=1260379#post1260379)
AQUARIUM SAYS GOODBYE TO
AWARD-WINNING SPECIAL EXHIBITION
Beautiful and graceful, jellies have captivated visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for nearly two decades. Now "Jellies: Living Art" - the most popular special exhibition in the aquarium's history - will close on September 1, 2008 after 6 ½ years.
The space currently occupied by "Jellies: Living Art" will be replaced with a special exhibition showcasing "The Secret Lives of Seahorses," which opens April 3, 2009. Visitors can still find permanent displays of jellies in the aquarium's Drifter's Gallery.
When it first opened in April 2002, "Jellies: Living Art" instantly became a visitor favorite, rated "excellent" by 76 percent of visitors during its first five months - the highest rating for any special exhibition at the aquarium. Since then, approximately 10 million people have seen the gorgeous jellies and vibrant art that create this unique exhibit. "'Jellies: Living Art' appeals to our emotions and to our senses," says Senior Exhibit Developer Jaci Tomulonis, the exhibition curator.
Among the 25 jelly species exhibited over the years in "Jellies: Living Art," many were rare species seldom seen by visitors, and several were displayed for the first time ever in the United States. Stunning blue jellies, colorful flower hat jellies and fragile spotted comb jellies were all new species for a U.S. aquarium.
The team of biologists who maintain the jelly collection at the Monterey Bay Aquarium made many innovations in collecting, exhibiting, breeding and raising these mysterious creatures during the long run of "Jellies: Living Art." Several team members published papers on their work with jellies in notable scientific journals including Marine Biology and Pacific Science.
In 2002 Chad Widmer and Bruce Upton, both senior aquarists, become the first people in the world to bring the extremely delicate spotted comb jelly (Leucothea pulchra) from the ocean to an exhibit, using special tools and techniques. One wrong move and this fragile jelly can tear in two, or disintegrate. These complex and beautiful jellies have been featured in "Jellies: Living Art" several more times since that initial success.
"Since this is one of the most delicate animals we work with, special husbandry techniques were used every step of the way," Widmer said. "Now the process seems routine but it wasn't when Bruce and I did it the first few times."
Another team of aquarists, Thomas Knowles and Wyatt Patry, developed a feeding schedule that allowed black sea nettles (Chrysaora achlyos) on exhibit to grow close to their species' maximum size in the wild. One of these stunning jellies reached nearly 10 feet long with a swimming bell the size of a basketball. Since their first success, they've kept several large sea nettles on exhibit.
The innovative concept of "Jellies: Living Art" was to celebrate the beauty of these ethereal animals, and show how contemporary and classical artwork draws inspiration from the sea. The galleries of art and jellies, exhibited together, highlight visual themes from nature and art: shape and size, rhythm and movement and color and pattern.
When the exhibit was in the early planning stages, aquarium staff interviewed visitors and found that "many people just wanted to be with the jellies," Tomulonis said. "It confirmed our suspicion that they were having a different kind of experience with our jellies than they were with some of our other exhibit animals."
Aesthetic terms like "graceful" and "art in motion" kept recurring in evaluation interviews. Since visitors were perceiving jellies as living art, Tomulonis and the exhibit team decided to pair the jellies with actual works of art inspired by the marine environment, and create a visual parallel.
A large glass installation by renowned artist Dale Chihuly was designed for the entrance of the exhibit, and several other notable artists were featured, including David Hockney and Roger Brown. This unique presentation - combining art with stunning live exhibits - earned "Jellies: Living Art" several awards including the prestigious Curator's Choice Award from the American Association of Museums, and the Exhibit Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
When the exhibit closes in September, many of the jellies will be sent to aquariums throughout the United States including the Tennessee Aquarium, Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences and the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The art will be returned to the galleries, museums, private owners and artists who generously loaned pieces for the exhibition.
Though visitors have asked that "Jellies" not be closed, Tomulonis said the aquarium will continue to create innovative special exhibitions.
"It was a great exhibit, and a lot of fun," she said, "and there's lots more to do in the future."
The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans.
Discuss here (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?p=1260379#post1260379)