Giant-screen Films
Current Exhibitions
Upcoming Exhibitions
Past Exhibitions

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CONTACT:
Tim Murray
Director of Exhibits
619.255.0205
fax: 619.232.0248
exhibits@sdnhm.org

Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS & The Brain–Our Three Pound Gem, The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies
OPENS March 5, 2009, for a limited engagement
The BODY WORLDS exhibitions have been hailed by many as the most educational exhibitions ever created to improve the public’s awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the human body. Thanks to a process developed by Dr. Gunther von Hagens called “plastination,” these exhibitions feature dynamic, whole-body plastinates that are unparalleled for their aesthetic and informative value. Visitor studies have shown that people who see BODY WORLDS exhibitions have made lifestyle changes in diet, alcohol, smoking, and exercise habits to improve their health. BODY WORLDS & The Brain–Our Three Pound Gem focuses on the brain.

Best of Nature Photography Show
June 27–September 13, 2009
The international juried show of outstanding nature photography will be on view at the Museum between June 27 and September 13, 2009. See the winning images from amateur as well as professional photographers. Landscape, wildlife, and nature-based abstract/impressionistic images will be shown. All artwork in The Ordover Gallery is for sale; a substantial portion of proceeds will benefit the Museum.

Fossil Mysteries
Permanent exhibition
From dinosaurs to mastodons, discover the rich fossil history of our region. In this major exhibition, created by the Museum, ponder a mystery, examine the strong fossil evidence from the Museum's collection, and use scientific tools to discover answers. Traveling through a 75-million-year timeline, from the age of dinosaurs to the Ice Ages, experience an unfolding of the prehistory of southern California and Baja California, Mexico.

    Developed by the San Diego Natural History Museum. Major funding provided by the California Cultural and Historic Endowment; National Science Foundation; Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation; an anonymous donor; and generous support from the J. W. Sefton Foundation; the San Diego Foundation: Weingart-Price Fund and Carol and Henry F. Hunte Fund; San Diego County Supervisors Pam Slater-Price, Ron Roberts and Greg Cox; The Legler Benbough Foundation; THE PARKER FOUNDATION: Gerald and Inez Grant Parker; Thomas C. Ackerman Foundation; Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan; Carol and Dennis Wilson; Rice Family Foundation; Samuel and Katherine French Fund; Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation; and Sony Electronics Inc.

Water: A California Story
July 19, 2008–Indefinite
Through photos, maps, video, and hands-on activities, learn about current, local issues on land and in the ocean. Examine the infrastructure of the regional water system, and discover how we import the majority of our water and the costs associated with this practice. Water: A California Story also looks at effects of a changing climate on our region’s water supply and reveals how southern Californians can help protect water for future generations. Natural history specimens and live animals will serve as reminders that the natural environment and its inhabitants are also legitimate users of water resources.

Aerial Portraits of the American West: Photographs by John Shelton
May 11–Indefinite
This photography exhibition, a retrospective of Shelton’s work, marks the first time works by the legendary geologist will be exhibited for the public. A geologist filled with a love for music and machines, John Shelton is best known for his pioneering aerial photography. Formerly an associate professor of geology at Pomona College, he has always been intensely interested in the process of learning. Shelton’s love and knowledge of flying enabled him to reveal geologic features and processes through his aerial photographs of wondrous landscapes. His aerial photographs of North America are especially valuable today, when diminishing air quality makes some of his shots irreplaceable.

Upcoming Exhibitions

DARWIN: Evolution | Revolution
November 7, 2009–February 28, 2010
A remarkable exhibition developed by the American Museum of Natural History, Darwin celebrates the life and work of the great 19th-century British naturalist. The exhibition's appearance in San Diego coincides with the celebration of the bicentenary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species.

Baja California
September 19–January 3, 2010
Witness imagery by National Geographic photographer, author and expedition leader Ralph Lee Hopkins. In addition to photographs by Hopkins, outstanding images by American and Mexican photographers will also be shown. Baja California, the 800-mile long peninsula that begins across the U.S. border, is stunningly beautiful with many endemic plants and animals. The peninsula includes the meeting of the Sonoran Desert, the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean. All artwork in The Ordover Gallery is for sale; a substantial portion of proceeds will benefit the Museum. The Ordover Gallery’s imagery and artists’ biographies can be viewed at www.ordovergallery.com.

Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
March 27–September 5, 2010
Visitors will take a journey of discovery into the exciting world of modern paleontology. Based on the American Museum of Natural History’s latest dinosaur finds, including a stunning array of feathered dinosaurs, this exhibition shows how advanced technology is allowing scientists to look at these fossils in fresh ways. Dinosaur diversity is revealed as the latest discoveries by some of the world’s leading paleontologists show these ancient giants in a new light!

Snakes & Lizards: Alive!
October 2010–March 2011
Small and shy, or big and fierce? Bright as a jewel, or hardly visible? Four legs? Two legs? No legs at all? When you're talking about lizards and snakes—the squamates—the answer is usually . . . Yes! This ancient group, whose scientific name is Latin for “scaled,” is more diverse than mammals, as old as dinosaurs. And they’re almost everywhere: harsh desert to lush rainforest, high in the treetops, beneath the ground. We share the planet, but we often overlook these quiet neighbors. So welcome to the world of squamates, and get ready to be surprised! Created in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History and Fernbank Museum of Natural History, this fascinating exhibition features a mix of live animals and interactive displays that reveal the secret lives of a group more diverse than mammals and as old as dinosaurs.

Ends of the Earth: Science North
May 12, 2011–January 1, 2012
Discover the unique nature of the Earth’s polar regions, the science undertaken there, and how these regions are indicators of climate change on Earth. Visitors will relive polar expeditions though the eyes of great explorers, learn about the formation and size of icebergs, and conduct experiments. Discover polar bears and penguins and the impact that global warming is having on their icy homes in the Ice Cave Theater.

The Horse
April 27–September 3, 2012
The horse-human relationship started as a prey-predator dynamic. With domestication, humans harnessed horsepower—hence the term—to travel greater distances, expand crop acreage, and be more effective in battle. Horses were bred for specific sizes and qualities that produced everything from tiny ponies to pull ore carts in mines to tall, powerful draft breeds to till the soil and drag lumber from forest to mill. The horse-human bond extended to the equestrian sports with athletic pairs competing together just as they worked together. The bond has been chronicled in literature and portrayed on film. The beauty, strength, and spirit of horses continues to awe each new generation of horse lovers.

 Past Exhibitions

The Osa: Where the Ocean Meets the Rainforest
Buddhist Earth: Sacred Places/Sacred Work, Tibet and Other Lands
The Art of Robert Bateman
Water H₂O=Life
Cool Globes
Autumn
Spirits in Stone—Art & Animals of Africa
Enraptured: Works by Mitch Dobrowner
A Day in Pompeii
Contemporary Israeli Photography
Dead Sea Scrolls
Playing with Time
Earth, Wind & WILDFIRE
Dinosaurs: Reel & Robotic
GENOME: The Secret of How Life Works
Backyard Monsters
Wildlife Art
Fossil Hunters San Diego
Natural Treasures: Past and Present
Chocolate: The Exhibition
Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight
Plant Portraits: The California Legacy of A.R. Valentien
Spirit of the Mountains: Images by Thomas D. Mangelsen
The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
Spirits in Stone: The New Face of African Art
Glow: Living Lights
Rare Places in a Rare Light: The Wildlands Photography of Robert Turner
DOGS!
FORE! The Planet
T. REX on Trial
California's Native Grandeur
Animal Eyes
After the Dinosaurs: When Crocodiles Ruled
Monarca: Butterfly Beyond Boundaries
Epidemic! The Natural History of Disease
BEARS: Imagination and Reality
The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park: The Lost World
Desert and Sea: Visions of Baja California
The Nature of Diamonds
SHARKS! Fact and Fantasy
REPTILES! Real and Robotic
Cats! Wild to Mild
Shona