From the Vitruvian Man to his study of a woman’s hands, Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of the human body are among his most famous works. Lesser known are his wing-based flight inventions and drawings of horses in motion for sculptures and murals. As part of the current exhibition Da Vinci—The Genius, find out what can still be learned from these works as the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science focuses on da Vinci’s anatomical drawings during $5 First Friday March 2 from 5:30 – 9 p.m.
The Museum will join with Central New Mexico Community College instructors and students, Dr. Mamie Chan of ABQ Eye Care, Lakeshore Learning, and DaVita Medical Group to provide engaging activities for all ages to learn about anatomy. Tables will be set up throughout the Atrium, Naturalist Center and Da Vinci--The Genius for visitors to explore anatomy in many ways: compare your proportions to Vitruvian Man, touch an eyeball, and compare the skeleton wings of bats and birds to the Aliante Glider, just like Leonardo.
“Leonardo was not just a great artist – he was also a curious scientist who studied the structure of muscles and bones and made important discoveries about the anatomy of humans and animals,” said Ayesha Burdett, the museum’s Curator of Bioscience.
“Do you know how long your intestines are? Leonardo did, and you can too! Find out by visiting some of the hands-on activities at the Museum on the $5 First Friday in March,” added Deb Novak, Director of Education for the museum.
Da Vinci – The Genius demonstrates the full scope of Leonardo da Vinci’s remarkable genius as an inventor, artist, anatomist, sculptor, engineer, musician, and architect. Guests will enjoy many unique pieces including life-size machine inventions, entertaining animations of da Vinci’s most notable Renaissance works, and an eye-opening, in-depth analysis of his most famous piece, “Mona Lisa.” Visitors will be able to push, pull, crank, and interact with many of these exhibits for a hands-on understanding of the scientific principles behind them.
Admission to the da Vinci exhibition is discounted by $5 per person during the first Friday evenings through July.
The DynaTheater will be showing an episode of the Public Broadcasting Service Series Secrets of the Dead called Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science. Admission to this show will be free; however, donations are always appreciated. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and lasts one hour. The DynaTheater concession stand will be open at 6:15 p.m. and close when the show begins.
The Planetarium will present Fractal Friday at the usual times of 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. with the normal admission of adults $10, seniors $7, and children (3-12) $5. Shows typically sell out in advance, so get your tickets early on brownpapertickets.com.
The Museum Observatory will be open to the night sky March 2 from 7 – 9 p.m., weather permitting. The Nature Works store will be selling fascinating da Vinci merchandise and other unique gifts from 5:30 – 8 p.m. on this First Friday. The Hope Café will be open continuously from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. that day, so you can enjoy dinner while waiting for the museum to reopen (only the café entrance will be open from 5 – 5:30).