Harn Museum, Florida Museum host annual Earth Day celebration April 18

April 16, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Harn Museum of Art and Florida Museum of Natural History are joining together once again to celebrate Earth Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 18. The free event features crafts, painting demonstrations, live music, a dance performance, educational presentations and organic food.

The Harn Museum of Art is offering a number of programming opportunities, including an informative lecture at 11:30 a.m. about how to make your household energy efficient.

At 12:30 p.m., Tom Southall, curator of photography, will give a gallery talk about “Landscape Perspectives: Highlights from the Photography Collection,” discussing the beauty of the natural world and aspects of human interactions with the land.

Both museums are offering art opportunities for visitors. At the Florida Museum of Natural History, visitors may create CD clocks and fashion-recycled accessories, such as newspaper hats and paper-tube bracelets. Guest artist Peter Carolin will be plein-air painting outside the Harn Museum of Art as part of the museum’s Family Day. Visitors may paint with him, make jewelry with recycled-paper beads or create nature rubbings.

The afternoon will also feature artistic performances by two local groups. The Kanapaha Celtic Trio will engage visitors with a musical performance at 1:30 p.m., and dancers from the 5.6.7.8. Dance Studio will perform at 2 p.m.

Visitors also may participate in tours of the University of Florida Natural Area Teaching Laboratory, an outdoor space behind the museum dedicated to ecology education. Tours are available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will begin in the courtyard between the two museums.

Local environmental organizations also will present information at both museums on living a sustainable lifestyle and taking active steps to protect the environment. The Harn Museum and the Florida Museum of Natural History are partnering with other UF units, such as the Office of Sustainability and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, to provide environmental information to visitors.

Visitors may purchase organic food from the Jones Eastside Eatery at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Admission is free.

Visit http://www.harn.ufl.edu or http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu for more information about the Earth Day events.

The schedule is as follows:
Natural Area Teaching Laboratory Tours. Outside the museums, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Lecture by Drops and Watts representative. Harn Museum of Art, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Gallery Talk with Harn Museum of Art Curator of Photography Tom Southall. Harn Museum of Art, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Plein-air painting with guest artist Peter Carolin. Harn Museum of Art, 1 – 4 p.m.

Musical performance by Kanapaha Celtic Trio. Harn Museum of Art, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Dance performance by dancers from the 5.6.7.8. Dance Studio. Harn Museum of Art, 2 – 3 p.m.

Booth Participants:
Harn Museum of Art, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Alachua County Environmental Protection Department /
UF Office of Sustainability
Alachua County Public Works, Waste Alternatives
Friends of Payne’s Prairie

Florida Museum of Natural History, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Alachua Conservation Trust
Current Problems, Inc.
Drops and Watts
Florida Organic Growers
Lubee Bat Conservancy
Watershed Action Volunteers
WUFT’s “Living Green”
UF/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences biogas group