Experience The Nature of Color at NHMU, a New Special Exhibition Opening February 26, 2022

SALT LAKE CITY—Feb. 22, 2022—Escape into a world awash with color with The Nature of Color, a new special exhibition opening to the public February 26, 2022 at the Natural History Museum of Utah. A traveling exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, The Nature of Color reveals the integral role color plays in nature and across cultures, including how color conveys information in the natural world—how it’s used: to find food, to ward off predators, to conceal and reveal—as well as across cultures, where color is used to communicate, celebrate, and convey meaning.

This vibrant family-friendly exhibition invites visitors to not just see, but feel and understand the importance of color in all aspects of life on earth. Through models, cultural objects, media, and interactives, visitors will see how the colors of our world affect survival, mental health, and communicating culture. Museumgoers will not just view The Nature of Color – they will live colorfully within a transformed space.

“We are so excited to welcome The Nature of Color to NHMU—especially right now,” said Jason Cryan, executive director of the Natural History Museum of Utah. “We are proud that it provides a world-class learning experience for the whole family. But perhaps equally important: The Nature of Color is dynamic and fun! We encourage everyone to come to NHMU for this engrossing and Instagram-able exhibition.”

And it will include some hometown pride, too. According to Tim Lee, exhibits director at NHMU, the Museum was given permission to temporarily replace an Alabama Crimson Tide football uniform display in the exhibit’s Red Room with one a bit nearer and dearer to our audience: a Utes jersey! “As a part of the University of Utah, we felt it was the perfect opportunity to support our football team,” said Lee.

In The Nature of Colors’ other rooms, visitors will explore the physics of color in a color-changing room and a light lab with hands-on activities to discover that white light is actually a mixture of colors; play a video interactive—on kiosks or from their mobile devices—that examines how colors affect emotions; and “paint” without the mess in a floor-to-ceiling color play interactive just by moving their hands.

“We wouldn’t have colors if it weren’t for physics. We wouldn’t have colors if it weren’t for the evolutionary process. We wouldn’t have colors if it weren’t for the cultural attitudes of people,” said Rob DeSalle, curator of The Nature of Color and a curator in the American Museum of Natural History’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology. “We’re all seeing a different world of color, and that’s what’s really spectacular.”

The Nature of Color is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org) and will be open at the Natural History Museum of Utah through August 14, 2022.

For more information and tickets reservations, please visit nhmu.utah.edu.

ABOUT THE NATURAL HISTORY OF UTAH

The Natural History Museum of Utah is one of the leading scientific research and cultural institutions in the country. Established in 1963, the Museum’s collections contain over 1.6 million objects and offers innovative exhibitions and educational programs to thousands of residents and visitors each year, including traveling and permanent exhibits, special events and other programs. With an expected attendance of 300,000 visitors a year, the Museum also offers a variety of outreach programs to communities and schools throughout Utah, reaching every school district in the state annually. The Museum has an active science program with more than 30 scientists and 10 field exhibitions each year.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (AMNH)

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869 is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses more than 40 permanent exhibition halls, including the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals which opened in 2021 – and those in the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. It is home to New York State’s official memorial to Theodore Roosevelt, a tribute to Roosevelt’s enduring legacy of environmental conservation. The Museum’s approximately scientists draw on a world-class research collection of more than 34 million artifacts and specimens, some of which are billions of years old, and on one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, the Museum grants the Ph.D. degree in Comparative Biology and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, the only such free-standing, degree-granting programs at any museum in the United States. The Museum’s website, digital videos, and apps for mobile devices bring its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more around the world. Visit amnh.org for more information.