Nocturnal Scene

I stepped into the darkness, at first drawn in by the familiar sense of breezy summer nights which I had begun to heartily long for. Stars hung in the bruised purple sky over a quiet wetland, and off to the right I could make out a bank of wild roses that eventually disappeared into dense, dark pine poised on higher land. The scene felt real enough--despite the stillness of the woods and water, lack of nocturnal murmurs, and visible margins of canvas.

Donna Post has been hard at work, utilizing just one of her many talents we've come to appreciate and rely upon at the Museum. Her immersive mural scene of a Northwoods night is the most recent of her works created for the Museum's annual exhibits. For years, Donna has painted backdrops for a variety of educational exhibits--from scenes portraying the whimsical phenology of native bees to a waterscape filled with fish, turtles, and birds. No matter the content, each scene comes to life with the cultivated talent of this local artist and dedicated volunteer. 

And what better to support our ambitious habitat diorama? A convincing backdrop is an important part of making this a successful project. Our aim is to shed light on the wildlife, plants, and even fungi that can be appreciated outside at night. In order to execute our plan, we will be incorporating a variety of taxidermy mounts from the collection--including large carnivores, small rodents, raptors, and waterbirds. While I and the rest of our exhibit team have a firm idea of which animals those will be, the rest of the public will have to wait to discover what's in our forest when Mysteries of the Night opens in May!