“The Art of Science, Illustrations of the Natural World: 1750-1900
Beautiful birds, amusing animals, fanciful fishes and natural curiosities await you in “The Art of Science, Illustrations of the Natural World: 1700-1900″ at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. This unique collection of antique etchings and lithographs, provided by Seaside Art Gallery, will be on display at the Aquarium July through September 2009. Featured are works by Americans foremost bird illustrator John James Audubon who work is still a standard against which bird artist are measured. These are hand colored stone lithographs, based on his seminal work Birds of America. The show includes art by other American and European artist. The art is available for purchase directly through Seaside Art Gallery, 252-441-5418.

Step back in time and see the natural world through the eyes of John James Audubon and artist of the period.
The period 1750-1900 was marked by great leaps in knowledge and stunning technological advances. It encompassed the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and he climax of European imperialism. I t was the age of Franklin and Priestly, Jenner and Pasteur, Linnaeus and Darwin, Watt and Edison, Tesla and the Curies.
The seeds of rational inquiry planted during the Renaissance blossomed into modern science, medicine and technology. Geology, genetics, linguistics, physics, psychology, and other disciplines to shape. Navigation, cartography, agriculture, and forestry became more science than art. A brief account of invention in this 150-year span-Which gave the world railroads, the steamboat, the automobile, the chronometer, the telegraph, the telephone, the electric generator, petroleum distillation, for example would fill and encyclopedia, another legacy of the period.
The new branches of learning were inundated with information about the natural world from all parts of the world. Global travel and trade brought to light countless plants, animals, landforms, water, and phenomena to be studied.
At length the pursuit of knowledge and the appreciation of nature came to be widely regarded as worthy in themselves. Scholars turned to direct observation of plants and animals for natural history and many began to accumulate large collections of exotic specimens. Artists would document them by creating watercolors, drawings, etchings and lithographs. The finer detail of the printing process allowed artists to depict minute aspects of the subject. many publications continue to use illustrator’ plates. Illustrations produced in the 18th and 19th century are regarded as both appealing and scientifically valid. Today scientific illustrators bridge art and science, by picking out detail and omitting the irrelevant, to make the image convey the essential attributes of the subject.



When it comes to fun at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, Sandy Feat artists think big. Really big. The famed sand sculptors molded 16 tons of beach sand into a scene of river otters exploring a sand castle. The “otterly” amazing masterpiece near the Aquarium entrance is visible for the next few weeks.
Spend summer on the water with the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The Aquarium offers a canoeing program that takes participants on a three-hour exploration of the Zeke’s Island Estuarine Research Reserve, considered to be one of the most unusual areas of the North Carolina coasts. The trip includes an almost one mile paddle across the basin to Zeke’s Island. Common animals seen while touring the salt marsh include pelicans, seagulls, egrets, herons, ibis, sea turtles, and dolphins.
A titan of a turtle is snapping up the spotlight at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Crunch, a 165-pound alligator snapping turtle, is on loan to the Aquarium through the end of July. The special exhibit of the four-foot-long reptile is free with Aquarium admission or membership.
Mitchell “has dedicated herself to helping restore the natural hydrology of the coast through the use of native plants and rain gardens. Kathy has done more than anyone else to bring about the cumulative success of rain gardens to the Northeast region. She has served as a trusted partner to the Coastal Federation in the design and installation of rain gardens throughout Manteo, including the gardens at the federations’ new office,” as was stated in the NC Coastal Federations 2009 State of the Coast Report.
Come on in and cool off! The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is open normal daily operating hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday, July 4, Independence Day, as well as the remainder of the holiday weekend.
June is National Zoo and Aquarium month. Come celebrate at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher! This month long recognition focuses on helping people learn how to preserve America’s wildlife. Summer is an excellent time to visit your local zoo or aquarium, as well as their websites and blogs.
Think your teens are too old for summer camp? Think again! The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s Coastal Crusaders summer camp on June 29-July 3, is designed especially for young adults, ages 13-14. Additional dates for Coastal Crusaders are also available.