A Timeline of Discovery, Art and Environment at
the Nevada Museum of Art
RENO,
Nev., July 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Long before
there were humans or even dinosaurs, there were ichthyosaurs —
colossal marine reptiles that swam through an ancient ocean in what
is known today as Nevada.
In a new exhibition on view, beginning Sept. 7, 2024, at the Nevada Museum of Art,
visitors will journey through Nevada's prehistoric past with spectacular,
never-before-seen fossils of these 250-million-year-old sea
reptiles.
Deep Time: Sea Dragons of Nevada is the largest gathering of giant
ichthyosaur fossils to be assembled under one roof. Spanning 9,000
square feet, the exhibition combines science with art, history, and
design to tell the story of the rise and fall of the ichthyosaur,
and its unique connection to Nevada.
The ichthyosaur, meaning "fish-lizard" in Greek, inhabited
prehistoric seas for 160 million years before extinction.
Ichthyosaur eyes measured nearly a foot in diameter, the largest of
any vertebrate animal. Certain species' body lengths exceed 65
feet, longer than a bowling lane. They are considered by some to be
the largest creatures to have ever lived on Earth.
In Deep Time: Sea Dragons of Nevada, visitors begin a time traveling
journey via a room-sized light installation, titled Swell,
by contemporary artist Anthony
McCall. In the main exhibit space, visitors encounter
displays representing Nevada
mountain ranges, discovering over 20 fossil specimens excavated
between 1868 and 2022. Anchoring the exhibition is a full-size
visualization of an ichthyosaur that reacts to human movement and
presence, giving visitors a chance to "swim" alongside the ancient
reptile.
Fossil specimens for Deep Time come from the collections
of the Natural History Museums of Los
Angeles County, with permission from the Bureau of Land
Management; University of California
Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley; Cincinnati Museum Center;
Harvard Museum of Comparative
Zoology; California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; Natural History Museum of
Utah; and the Nevada State Museum,
Las Vegas.
The exhibit also highlights the contributions of unsung woman
paleontologist Annie Alexander,
detailing many of her fossil discoveries in Nevada's outback. Additionally, the Museum is
publishing a children's storybook centered on Alexander's numerous
expeditions. This year-long exhibit builds anticipation for the
opening of the Charles and Stacie Mathewson Education and Research
Center. It will closely collaborate with the Museum's Center for
Art + Environment, an internationally recognized research center
promoting the practice, study, and awareness of creative
interactions between people and their environment.
Also on display are numerous examples of paleoart, showcasing
the collaboration between artists and scientists over the centuries
to help society visualize these ancient sea creatures. Accompanying
the paleoart are highlights from one of the nation's largest
collections of vintage dinosaur and prehistoric animal toys,
amassed by the late Jack Arata whose
passion for dinosaurs was ignited by a childhood visit to the
ichthyosaur fossil fields in Berlin, Nevada.
The exhibition is co-curated by Ann M.
Wolfe, the Museum's Chief Curator, along with lead
paleontologist Dr. Martin Sander. It
is designed by award-winning exhibition designer Nik Hafermaas of
Berlin, Germany.
See a full digital press kit with video of Dr. Sander's 2023
Nevada expedition
https://nevadaart.sharefile.com/public/share/web-s62819b47793645f88103bb987630f460
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SOURCE Nevada Museum of Art