Mister Rogers, an astronomy-themed day & MORe lectures at neighborhood museum
A destination for the Gallatin Valley’s curious minds, the Museum of the Rockies is never in short supply of public events to accompany its many exhibits. Here’s a look at some upcoming happenings at your neighborhood museum.
On Saturday, April 13th, join MontanaPBS and ITVS for an Indie Lens Pop-Up screening of Morgan Neville’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor? at 1pm in Hager Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but please register in advance through the Museum website.
For over thirty years, Fred Rogers, an unassuming minister, puppeteer, writer and producer was beamed daily into homes across America. In his beloved television program, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about some of life’s weightiest issues, in a simple, direct fashion. Though he may be best known today as a soft-spoken, cardigan-wearing children’s television host, in reality, Fred Rogers’ career represents a sustained attempt to present a coherent, beneficent view about how we should best speak to children about important matters and how television could be used as a positive force in our society.
In Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom) looks back on the legacy of Fred Rogers, focusing on his radically kind ideas. While the nation changed around him, Fred Rogers stood firm in his beliefs about the importance of protecting childhood.
Astronomy & Aerospace Day is set for Sunday, April 14th from noon–3pm. All science lovers are welcome to spend a fun-filled day learning about what is going on in space and how it relates to us on the ground. With demonstrations from Montana Space Grant Consortium and activities for kids, you won’t want to miss this fun and informative afternoon! Events free for MSU students and youth ages 17 and younger. For adults, activities are included with museum admission.
On Wednesday, April 17th, the next edition of this season’s Science Inquiry Lecture Series, “Dinosaurs on the Cutting-Edge: Understanding Extinct Animals Thru Paleohis”, will begin at 7pm in Hager Auditorium. This presentation is open to the public.
How can the microscopic examination of fossilized specimens shed light on dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures? Ellen-Thérèse Lamm, the Museum of the Rockies’ Histology Lab Manager, will describe the “cutting-edge” thin-sectioning and microscopy techniques she uses, and how the work of the lab allows researchers, students, and investigators from around the world to make important discoveries about ancient life.
At each Science Inquiry Lecture, join MOR and the Gallatin Valley Friends of the Sciences to explore innovative science topics, their latest developments, and their relevance to society through speaker presentations followed by an engaging Q&A session.
MOR has supported the Extreme History Project Lecture Series since 2012 with the goal to encourage public understanding of the way our history has shaped our present. Speakers take a fresh look at interesting historical topics. “Cry to Heaven: Golden Eagles & Thunderbirds in the Bighorn Basin” with Bonnie Lawrence-Smith will take place Thursday, April 18th at 6pm. The lecture will be held in Hager Auditorium and is open to the public.
“Here in the Plains Basin of North America, we find some of the most exceptional rock art in the Americas,” says Lawrence-Smith, Curatorial Assistant of the Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. She explains that – like populations everywhere – the early peoples of the Bighorn Basin wove stories as explanations for the natural world around them. This presentation focuses on explanations of raptors and birds of prey consistently depicted in rock art and found in several sites on both public and private lands. She proposes there is a connection “between ancient eagle (Aquila crysataetos) nests, Native American eagle traps, and thunderbird representations at these sites.
For more information about these and other upcoming events, as well as the Museum’s exhibits, visit www.museumoftherockies.org. •
