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Biomedicine in museums

Another natural history museum plays the art card to bring an adult audience into the museum

Natural history museums are usually thought of a places for school children. Now the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia is trying to broaden their audience by playing the art card — like several science and technology museums and some European natural history museums already have done.

The Scientist reports that the museum is currently showing two exhibitions that “use the aesthetic quality” of natural science “to get people interested in the science”: “First Impressions: Thomas Horshfield’s printed plants of Java”, which is part of new The Art of Science permanent gallery at the Academy, and “Looking at Animals”, a temporary exhibition, which displays nature photographs by artist Henry Horenstein.

The vice president of public operations for the Academy claims that both exhibitions have been successfully attracting a more adult audience to the museum.

Will be interesting to see when the Academy of Natural Sciences will take the step to introduce more contemporary art forms into their venerable museum.

Thomas Söderqvist

Author Thomas Söderqvist

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