New York’s American Museum of Natural History will offer a slate of programming in conjunction with Climate Week NYC, an annual gathering of global leaders, activists, and organizations.
Museum programming runs from Friday, September 19, through Monday, September 29. Eight of the Museum’s dioramas across three historic exhibition halls will be transformed through large-scale graphics and interactive media to highlight the effects of climate change and human activity on our planet’s ecosystems, biodiversity, and health.
Familiar scenes that will be reinterpreted through this lens include three in the Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals, including the Alaska Moose Diorama that will tell the story of how climate change affects tick populations and the implications for human and animal health; three in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, including the Dolphin and Tuna Diorama where visitors will learn about threats posed by plastics and play a game about removing them; and two in the Hall of North American Forests, including the Mixed Deciduous Forest Diorama that will investigate wildfires.
Program offerings include ClimateFest, a full-day, all-ages event that will bring the science of climate change to life through hands-on activities, communal art projects, and more; the AMNH Climate Assembly, a participatory gathering where guests are invited to take part in a series of collaborative discussions and activities that envision how New Yorkers can adapt and thrive on our changing planet; Climate Resilience in Action, an evening of music, lectures, and expert perspectives highlighting on-the-ground efforts to address the effects of climate change; The Art & Science of Storytelling for Climate Progress panel discussion; the launch of a new Climate Learning Lab dedicated to teaching climate science that will be available for drop-in visits on select weekend days; and an event for educators, policymakers, and thought leaders about increasing climate literacy and integrating climate education in the classroom.