Carnegie "Age of Dinosaurs Lives On" Exhibit

[Christine Mills <millsc@clpgh.org>]

        The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh is mounting a
temporary exhibit called "The Age of Dinosaurs Lives On".  It will open on June
14 and close January 2, 1998.
        In the Sculpture Hall, there will be Dinosaur art and a cast of
Tyrannosaurus rex.  The skeleton will be mounted as the exhibit progresses in a
lifelike pose.
        In our temporary exhibit area, there will be displays of Mesozoic
materials explaining how some things that existed at the time of the dinosaurs
have survived into the present.  Some issues that have been discussed on this
list will also be covered in the displays.  Paul Sereno will speak on the
opening day at 7 pm in the Lecture Hall.  During the day from 1 to 3 pm, he
will be in the Hall of Sculpture.
        
        Some of the exhibits are:

       - a diorama with a replica of a Coleophysis with preparators working on a
Coleophysis block.
        - over 200 pieces of amber, with enlarged photographs of the insects in
three of the pieces.
        - Pangea display using fossil and living frogs.
        - a comparison of dinosaur (Troodon), crocodile and bird nests.
        - comparison between Deinonychus, Archeopteryx and goose arms to
illustrate how arms evolved into wings.
        - a Gobiconidon skeleton and reconstruction.  The Gobiconidon will be
posed next to a sauropod egg to show how one of the largest known mammals from
its time seems too small to eat the egg.
        - replica of Dinosaur National Monument Quarry with an actor posing as
Earl Douglass and another posing as his wife.
        - our Camarasaurus skull will be displayed next to the Quarry.
        - Mesozoic plant fossils and the "smells" from Mesozoic plants like
gingko, magnolias, pine and sassafras.
        -  Cope's Rule will be examined with a cast of Psittacosaurus and a
Torosaurus skull to illustrate the scaling up of ceratopsians over time.
        For very young children there will be dinosaur footprints that they can
stand in and nests that they can sit on eggs in.  There will also be a field
camp where they can participate in activities.  

        The exhibit is  a way to test the public, to survey what they would like
to see when we renovate our dinosaur hall.  We hope someday to remount our
dinos, add  the T-rex cast so that we have two rexes locked in combat and mount
our Camarasaurus skeleton for display.  Space and money are the only two things
stopping us! (and just about every other museum.)
  

        If you would like additional information, you can e-mail me or call the
museum at (412)-622-3131.  There will be additional lectures and family
weekends with children's activities throughout the length of the exhibit and
Dinosaur Teacher Workshops this summer.  I can give you this information if you
are interested.

Christine Mills
Docent Training Coordinator
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
4400 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh PA  15213-4080
(412)-622-3254
millsc@clpgh.org