A Natural Curiosity: The Story of the Bell Museum Virtual Book Launch with the Bell Museum set for April 20
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 1:57PM
Virtual book launch for A Natural Curiosity: The Story of the Bell Museum by Lansing Shepard, Don Luce, Barbara Coffin, and Gwen Schagrin
Wednesday, April 20, 7:00-8:30pm
Bell Museum (virtual) Register
The University of Minnesota's Bell Museum in St. Paul will host a virtual book launch event for the new book A Natural Curiosity: The Story of the Bell Museum (University of Minnesota Press, April 2022) by Lansing Shepard, Don Luce, Barbara Coffin, and Gwen Schagrin on Wednesday, April 20 at 7:00 PM CT. Hosted by the Bell Museum’s Science Director Dr. George Weiblen, the event will feature brief presentations by coauthors Don Luce and Barbara Coffin and a moderated discussion focused on the museum's leadership and innovation in public education throughout its long history. Fellow coauthors Lansing Shepard and Gwen Schagrin will join the event during the Q&A portion of the event.
Since its humble start in 1872 as a one-room cabinet of curiosities, the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of natural history has become one of the state’s most important cultural institutions. From its conception as part of a state-mandated geological and natural history survey, to its most recent ventures into technology, environmental science, and DNA sequencing, the Bell Museum has informed, explained, and expanded our relationship to the natural world. Drawing on a wealth of materials unearthed during the museum’s recent move, the gorgeously illustrated book, A Natural Curiosity, chronicles the remarkable discoveries and personalities that have made the Bell Museum what it is today. The Bell Museum's story, engagingly told in A Natural Curiosity, reveals and explores the profound changes undergone by society, science, and the natural landscape over the museum’s lifetime.
Beginning this past January, the Bell Museum celebrates 150 years. The book launch for A Natural Curiosity is part of the yearlong celebration that will feature different experiences that showcase the rich and varied history of the museum.
