Capture the diversity of animal forms using pencil and paper. Learn techniques for quickly sketching animals, closely observe the details of fur and feather textures and draw eyes in a way that brings animals to life.
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge
Explore the beauty of butterflies and moths using preserved museum specimens. This three-hour workshop will introduce observational drawing techniques with pencil, and then dive into colored pencil techniques to create a rich, vibrant image.
Phillips Auditorium, Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge
Born from vast clouds of gas and dust, stars embark on a fascinating life cycle, evolving from brilliant birth to fiery demise. As these stellar furnaces forge elements, they seed the cosmos with stardust, the very essence from which we arise. Our connection to the stars is profound—we are all made of stardust, a testament to the universal magic woven into the fabric of our existence.
Embark on an evening with two captivating talks delving into the mesmerizing world of stars. Following discussions, elevate your experience with rooftop stargazing using powerful telescopes,...
Graduate School of Design, Gund Hall Piper Auditorium
Sand and stone are Earth’s fragmented memory. Each of us is also a landscape inscribed by memory and loss. Lauret Savoy’s Trace interweaves journeys and historical inquiry across a continent and time to explore how this country’s still unfolding history has marked the land, this society, and her. From twisted terrain within the San Andreas Fault zone to a South Carolina plantation, from national parks to burial grounds to names on the land, from “Indian Territory” and the U.S.-Mexico Border to the U.S. capital, Trace grapples with a searing national history to reveal the often-unvoiced...
Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
WINNER OF THE NORDIC:DOX AWARD 2022 Denmark, Greenland / 2022 Our most basic understanding of the origins of life was recently turned upside down when Greenlandic scientist Minik Rosing discovered the first traces of life on Earth in a small fjord near Isua, Greenland. His discovery predated all previous evidence by over 300 million years. Life began in Greenland. At the same time, its melting ice masses are disintegrating day-by-day, and scientists around the world agree that it could drown our entire civilization if it continues. Director Ivalo Frank’s new film is a tribute to a vast,...
Teen Saturdays! is designed for teens interested in Latino culture, history, and community. This spring, high school students are invited to free monthly workshops to explore and learn about the natural world of Latin America and contribute thoughts on making the...
Landscapes are an appealing subject for drawings, but it can be difficult to know where to start. In this program we will learn how to select a landscape, create a sense of depth and volume, and use a variety of marks to capture a dynamic variety of textures.
Hunnewell Lecture Hall, 125 Arbor Way, Boston (Arnold Arboretum)
Nature journaling is all about expressing your curiosity and wonder through sketching, calligraphy, writing, or other forms of art-making. Tap into your creativity and let yourself be surprised by the diversity of forms on display in the winter landscape.
Graduate School of Design, Gund Hall Piper Auditorium
Tidal zones are liminal spaces that challenge the ecological, legal and financial thresholds of coastal areas. They appear, disappear, reappear, and constantly change in size and chemistry, while shaped by new human-made seasons of wetland draining and ocean pollution. Following CLIMAVORE, a framework that investigates ways of metabolizing climate breakdown, these littoral spaces are at the core of entanglements between risk and social security, profit margins and contamination struggles, geological processes and weather events; between what is used and what is refused. Thinking with...
Weld Hill Lecture Hall, 1300 Centre St., Boston (Arnold Arboretum)
This program has reached capacity---Join Aboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan, to learn how to transformation your own lawn. This primarily indoor class will cover how to remove your current turfgrass, select the right plants, plant your meadow, and keep it flourishing for years to come.
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Break out of the winter doldrums and let your inner scientist loose. Meet amateur and professional scientists who study and collect fossils, mushrooms, and meteorites. Talk with experts who build telescopes, track invasive species, and grow carnivorous plants. Try your hand at finding bugs or exploring sand. Craft a piece of art from polarized light. Watch a live ice sculpture demonstration in front of the museum. This popular annual event has something for everyone and is appropriate for children and adults of all ages. ...
Robert Verchick is a legal scholar in climate change and disaster policy who designed climate-resilience programs in the Obama administration. In this lecture, Verchick will explore how we can harness the power of government, science, and local wisdom to rescue the oceans from climate breakdown. Verchick has written more than 60 articles and four books, including the award-winning Facing Catastrophe: Environmental Action for a Post-Katrina World. His podcast, Connect the Dots, is in its seventh season. Contact events@radcliffe....
Explore the beauty and variety of plants using colored pencils. This course will focus on a diverse range of techniques for using colored pencils to capture flowers, leaves, fruits, and vegetables, from quick monochrome sketching to richly layered, full-color images.
Looking closely at nature can inspire a broad range of imaginative artwork, from abstraction and decorative work to illustration and cartooning. In this workshop, we will use a variety of examples from nature as inspiration, and then explore techniques for unleashing our creativity through the drawing process.
Online or at Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
The birds that populate the Arnold Arboretum rarely have to go far to find water. In the deserts of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, it's a different story, and the sandgrouse that lives in these arid environments has developed a fascinating adaptation to stay hydrated: these birds have a unique ability to absorb and hold water inside of their feathers. The chicks can't yet fly the long distance from their nests to the watering hole, so adult males make the long journey with the lifesaving water secreted away in their feathers. But how do their feathers hold water so efficiently? Dr...
Families need nature at all times of the year! We’ll go on a StoryWalk to learn how a little bird can bring back the Sun! Then we will go inside and make a paper model of an Eastern chickadee.
Bring your enthusiasm for the natural world and leave with a creative nature journal, inspired by the trees of the Arnold Arboretum. Nature journaling is all about expressing your curiosity and wonder through sketching, calligraphy, writing, or other forms of art-making. Tap into your creativity and let yourself be surprised by the diversity of forms on display in the winter landscape.
Join us for a winter foraging walk to learn what wild plants can be foraged and brewed into tea. Visit some of the Arboretum's tastiest winter plants, from sweet birch and sweet fern to sassafras and spicebush. You may even get to taste some of the teas yourself! Led by Manager of Adult Programming and Events Sarah Nechamen and Horticulturist Brendan Keegan.
Dusk in December is a perfect time to look and listen for Great Horned Owls, often heard calling throughout the Arboretum’s collections. Join Horticulturist Brendan Keegan and Zoo New England's Matthew Kamm to hear about the owls' breeding and nesting behavior, learn how to go owling ethically, and possibly hear and see a few owls as well.