This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2018) |
Established | October 5, 1992 |
---|---|
Location | 767 Clifton Road NE Atlanta |
Type | Natural History |
Director | Jennifer Grant Warner |
Website | Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
Fernbank Museum of Natural History, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a museum that presents exhibitions and programming about natural history. Fernbank Museum has a number of permanent exhibitions and regularly hosts temporary exhibitions in its expansive facility, designed by Graham Gund Architects. Giants of the Mesozoic , on display in the atrium of Fernbank Museum, features a 123-foot (37 m) long Argentinosaurus , the largest dinosaur ever classified; as well as a Giganotosaurus . The permanent exhibition, A Walk Through Time in Georgia, tells the twofold story of Georgia's natural history and the development of the planet. Fernbank Museum has won several national and international awards for one of its newest permanent exhibitions, Fernbank NatureQuest, an immersive, interactive exhibition for children that was designed and produced by Thinkwell Group. [1] The awards NatureQuest has won include the 2012 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for a Museum Exhibit [2] and the 2011 Bronze Award for Best Museum Environment from Event Design. [3] The nearby Fernbank Science Center is a separate organization operated by the DeKalb County Board of Education and is not affiliated with Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Fernbank, Inc.).
In the late 1800s, a nature-lover named Emily Harrison grew up in an area east of Atlanta which she called "Fernbank". Along with others, Harrison created a charter for Fernbank in 1938 and purchased the 70 acres (280,000 m2) of woodland on which Fernbank Museum now stands. In 1964, the Fernbank trustees and the DeKalb County School System created Fernbank Science Center, which led to a desire to share Fernbank's resources with the general public. [4]
Following master planning and designs by the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based architectural firm, Graham Gund Architects, ground was broken in 1989, and on October 5, 1992, Fernbank Museum of Natural History opened to the public. The new building is carefully located behind a row of historic houses, and features a glass-enclosed atrium overlooking Fernbank Forest. Fernbank Museum now stands on 65 acres (260,000 m2) of the largest old-growth urban Piedmont forest in the country. [4]
Fernbank Museum offers a variety of exhibits exploring many different natural history topics. Exhibits include:
The museum also has an area where special exhibitions are cycled through. These exhibits tend to stay open to the public for 2–4 months each.
In 2016, the museum opened WildWoods, an accessible 10-acre area located directly behind the museum with trails and interactive exhibits. In 2016 Fernbank also opened access to the newly restored, 65-acre Fernbank Forest.
Fernbank is home to the Rankin M. Smith, Sr. Giant Screen Theater. Formerly an IMAX theater, upgrades were completed in February 2017 including a digital 4K 3D laser-illuminated projection system. [5] [6]
Fernbank puts on special activities for adults and children including camps, lectures, workshops, interactive conversations, family activity days, and storytelling.
One of Fernbank's most popular[ citation needed ] events, Fernbank After Dark runs the second Friday of each month and features hands-on educational activities, drinks, food and live music.
Fernbank Museum offers a year-round volunteer program for teens aged 13–17. FYI (Fernbank Youth Interpreter) Volunteers interact with museum guests while working on educational carts throughout the museum, exploring a wide range of natural history topics, including Archaeology, Paleontology, Anatomy, and more.
DeKalb County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur.
Druid Hills is a community which includes both a census-designated place (CDP) in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, as well as a neighborhood of the city of Atlanta. The CDP's population was 14,568 at the 2010 census. The CDP formerly contained the main campus of Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) however they were annexed by Atlanta in 2018. The Atlanta-city section of Druid Hills is one of Atlanta's most affluent neighborhoods with a mean household income in excess of $238,500.
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The Fernbank Science Center is a museum, classroom, and woodland complex located in Atlanta. It is owned and operated by the DeKalb County School System, which announced in May 2012 it was considering closing the facility to cut its annual budget, then quickly shelved the plan after public outcry. The nearby Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a private non-profit organization that is separate from the Science Center.
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