Museum Nights hosts gallery talk and Butterfly Rainforest

July 7, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Student Government will host Museum Nights from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Harn Museum of Art in the UF Cultural Plaza.

Admission to the Butterfly Rainforst at the Florida Museum of Natural History will be free to students with their Gator 1 card from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the last admission at 7:30 pm. Visitors to the Florida Museum of Natural History will also enjoy music by guitarist John Rogers from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and free refreshments will be provided by The Swamp. The Florida Museum is hosting the exhibit “Quilting Natural Florida,” featuring contemporary quilts that portray Florida natural history themes.

Harn Museum educator Brandy Breslin will be giving a gallery talk entitled American Pop at the Harn Museum at 6 p.m. The Harn Museum is currently exhibiting “American Matrix: Contemporary Directions for the Harn Museum Collection, Part II,” which showcases works of contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein in the new Mary Ann Harn Cofrin Pavilion. Free refreshments will be provided by Aramark. The Camellia Court Cafe will also be open late serving Starbucks coffee and other refreshments and offering free wireless Internet access.

Museum Nights strives to increase student and community visitation at the UF Cultural Plaza, located near the intersection of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road. It serves as an entertainment alternative for Thursday nights in Gainesville and also supplies individuals who are too busy during the day with an opportunity to visit the museum in the evening.

Student Government has allotted more than $40,000 to increasing student awareness and appreciation of the arts and natural sciences through the Museum Nights program. Please see www.sg.ufl.edu for a complete summary of the schedule or call 352-392-1665 Ext. 415.