The Museum celebrates 150 years: anniversary events in 2010
The Museum celebrates its 150th anniversary with a series of events.
- 150th Anniversary Lecture Series, Michaelmas Term
Wednesday 20 October - Sir David Attenborough: Birds of Paradise (fully booked)
Wednesday 27 October - Professor Marcus du Sautoy: Symmetry
Wednesday 3 November - Professor Richard Fortey: The Life and Death of Trilobites
Wednesday 10 November - Professor Dame Kay Davies: Muscular dystrophy in the new genetic era
Wednesday 17 November - Dr George McGavin: An inordinate fondness for beetles
Tickets are available online from the Oxford University website
5pm in the Museum Lecture Theatre - Remarkable Creatures, Remarkable Finds - Exhibition
A temporary exhibition about Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning, two nineteenth century female fossil hunters. Learn about their lives, livelihoods, and discoveries, including the stories behind many of the specimens they collected.
From 20th September - Tracy Chevalier - Talk and book signing
Tracy Chevalier will talk about two 19th century fossilists, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, whose fascinating lives in Lyme Regis formed the basis for her recent bestseller 'Remarkable Creatures'. Specimens collected by both Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning will be on display in the museum. Tracy will also read from her book and be available for book signing after the talk.
Tickets are available online from the Oxford University website
Wednesday 24th November, 5pm, Museum lecture theatre - A wonderland of natural history:
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History 1860-2010 - Exhibition
Contemporary documents, photographs and engravings trace the campaign to build the Museum as a home for Oxford science, the subsequent architectural competition, and the construction of the building between 1855 and 1860. The sculptures, carvings, stone and metalwork are explored through the drawings and words of John Ruskin, Henry Acland and others. Images record the evolution of the art, architecture and displays throughout the history of this remarkable temple to science.
24th April - 31st December - A few of our favourite things - Exhibition online
A selection of favourite objects, places and features chosen by the people who work within the Museum. - From the Archives - Exhibition
These natural history illustrations from the archives of the Museum and University span four centuries, from the miniature paintings of Joris Hoefenagel (1542-1601) to The Zoology of the Voyage of HMS Beagle (1838-1843).
From 24th April - Dodology - Blog
Writer in residence for 2010, Georgina Ferry, describes her experiences of the Museum. - Exceptional fossils from Chengjiang, China - Exhibition
These exceptional fossils are 525 million years old, and bear witness to one of the most important benchmarks in the history of life on Earth, the Cambrian 'explosion' event. This event heralded the first appearance in the fossil record of most of the major animal groups that make up global marine biodiversity today.
Fool's gold holds fossil treasure
17th May - 14th November - Son et Lumière - Evening event
Son et Lumière and Pitt Rivers torchlight trail
Friday 28th May, 8 - 11pm - The Ark - Interactive exhibition
The Ark, part of the CIAO! Festival, will be installed on the Museum lawn. The building of the Ark is part of a project which aims to give children a voice on issues around climate change and environmental science.
CIAO! Children's International Arts Organisation
23rd June - 28th June - Alice's Day - Talks
The Museum is hosting three talks to celebrate Alice's Day.
10am - Alice in Waterland by Mark Davies
10.45am - The importance of the Dodo by Errol Fuller
11.15am - Storytelling: The 30-minute Alice by Adam Guillain
11.30am - Carroll and Surrealism by Mark Richards
12.15pm - The Curious Company re-enact the Mad Hatter's tea party in cabaret style on the front lawn in the wondrous ghost forest.
12.30 - 1.30pm - The Real Alice by Nick Mellersh - a story about the life of Alice Liddell.
The The Story Museum is co-ordinating events all over Oxford.
Saturday 10th July - Ghost Forest - Exhibition
A group of huge primary rainforest tree stumps, most with their buttress roots intact, is installed on the lawn in front of the Museum.The 'Ghost Forest' is a project by artist Angela Palmer, and is intended to highlight the impacts of worldwide deforestation on the earth's climate, biodiversity and the livelihood of indigenous populations.
Ghost Forest
1st July 2010 - March 2011 - Great Debate Plinth
The plinth will be unveiled to celebrate the 1860 Huxley-Wilberforce debate.
11th September - Learning more
Learn more about the history and architecture of the Museum.
Architecture of the Museum
Statues in the court
Stonework of the Museum
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Museum the shop is selling Oxford Museum: Deane and Woodward, reprinted by Phaidon Press, at a bargain price of £15. This narrative of the building of the Museum, accompanied by stunning photographs, is part of Trevor Garnham's Architecture in Detail series.
Enquiries regarding events at the Museum should be sent to: info@oum.ox.ac.uk
