Gallery of California Natural Sciences

Reopening in Spring 2013, the Gallery of Natural Sciences has been a leader in natural science presentation techniques since it opened in 1969.The new Gallery will include a comprehensive re-thinking of the exhibit and interpretive components, as well as a major expansion into previously under-utilized areas.

The focus of the new gallery is on California's unique status as a region of extreme biological and geological diversity—a global biodiversity "hotspot"—which harbors the nation's highest species' richness, as well as some of the most imperiled habitats on the planet. In addition to its rich diversity, part of what makes California a "hotspot" is the human population pressures that have rendered it one of the most ecologically degraded states in the country. In order to protect our natural environments, we first must encourage people to see themselves and their communities within the natural world. Therefore, the goal for the new gallery is to encourage a compelling connection to place, an understanding of the issues facing the natural environment, and a sense of urgency for sustainability.

The renovated gallery will feature an orientation area plus exhibits dedicated to specific California places. While many of the existing cases and dioramas will be retained, they will be dramatically enhanced with new content and messages. Integration of audio, video, online media, and scientific visualization technologies into the diorama displays will provide visitors with direct access to the places and the people who live and work in California's special places.

In addition, one of the major innovations of the new gallery is to directly engage community organizations, scientists, conservation leaders, and even Museum visitors  in the creation of and response to exhibitions. As with the other galleries, the new Natural Sciences Gallery will maximize the Museum's interdisciplinary mission by including artworks and artifacts from the Art and History collections in order to encourage an understanding of how the region's environmental, cultural, and political histories intertwine to create a distinctive California bioregion.