The American Museum of Natural History has opened a new exhibition, Monarch’s Journey, featuring the work of award-winning graphic novelist and environmentalist Peter Kuper and celebrating the remarkable annual migration of monarch butterflies from the northern U.S. and Canada to central Mexico.
Wrapping the walls near the Museum’s extensive butterfly research collection in the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, the exhibit explores the challenges monarchs face on their 3,000-mile flight through Kuper’s bold illustrations, accompanied by a video installation of monarchs in motion. By blending art, storytelling, and science, the exhibit immerses visitors in the world of these determined tiny travelers, as noted in the museum’s press release.
“Monarch’s Journey invites us to view one of nature’s most remarkable migrations through a fresh lens,” said Museum President Sean M. Decatur. “This exhibit brings together science and art to give visitors a vivid and memorable way to experience the monarch’s world and reflect on the importance of protecting the habitats that sustain our shared ecosystems.
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From the exhibit, visitors can look through a window into the Museum’s butterfly research collection, which holds more than 1.3 million butterfly specimens. This collection includes thousands of monarchs from around the world and is part of the Museum’s larger scientific collections of more than 30 million specimens and objects, which form an irreplaceable record of life on Earth and inform critical issues including wildlife conservation and the impacts of climate change.
The Museum store on the Gilder Center’s first floor will offer a unique collection of gifts celebrating monarchs and other beautiful insect species, including Kuper’s graphic novels and two numbered, signed limited-edition prints of his work. One print features an original drawing Kuper created exclusively for the Museum.
Photo Credit: Monarch's Journey Exhibition, Peter Kuper Art
