Campuses:
The Bell Museum of Natural History implements its mission to discover, document and understand nature and promote informed stewardship of our world through a collection of special and permanent exhibitions, including:
DIG IT! The Secrets of SoilOpen through July 28, 2013
Did you know there are more living creatures in a shovelful of soil than there are human beings on the planet? Learn all about soil, one of our planet's most important yet often-ignored components, in Dig It! The Secrets of Soil which tells the story of the world beneath our feet through interactive displays, video models, photography and more! The exhibit is toured by the Soil Science Society of America.
No Man is an Island, an installation by resident artist Sonja Peterson
Currently on display!
This installation is the creation of Bell Museum Spring 2013 Resident Artist Research Program artist Sonja Peterson. In her work, Peterson employs motifs of common agricultural plants and animals, underground roots, spider webs, and vine-like growths to examine the global matrix of agricultural, financial, and environmental systems.
Working in the mediums of traditional paper cutting, collage, and stencils, Peterson creates elaborate large-scale hanging papercuts that illustrate how the structural integrity of global systems lies in their interconnectivity: if elements disconnect, the entire system comes under threat of collapse. Also included in No Man is an Island are glass etchings and captivating small sculptures.
Diorama HallsOngoing, Part of the Bell Museum Permanent Exhibition Collection
The renowned Diorama Halls of the Bell Museum have been educating visitors for decades. From caribou to bald eagles and badgers to wolves—get a "slice of life" view of these incredible animals in their natural habitat settings. Many of our large dioramas depict actual locations in Minnesota.
Many dioramas are set against the work of well-known artist Francis Lee Jaques, a painter and illustrator best known for the distinctive style of his dioramas at the Bell Museum and American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Take a virtual look at the Dioramas
Touch and See Discovery RoomOngoing, Part of the Bell Museum Permanent Exhibition Collection
Visit the Touch and See Discovery Room—a place where you can find the answers to your questions about the natural world. Investigate wondrous objects, from a 10,000-year-old wooly mammoth tusk to a life-sized Kodiak bear, from an elephant skull to a living, moving snake.
Since its creation in 1968, the Touch and See Discovery room has been a favorite part of the Bell Museum for visitors of all ages.
Visit the exhibit page for the Touch and See Discovery Room
Under the Fig Leaf: Rainforest ResearchOngoing, Part of the Bell Museum Permanent Exhibition Collection
Explore the rainforest and learn about rainforest-related research being done by Bell scientists! Aerial walkways provide views from above the canopy in addition to ground-level observation offering an "in the forest" eye's view. Learn more...