Nature’s Blueprints
A new exhibition, Nature’s Blueprints: Biomimicry in Art and Design, is on display at the North Carolina Arboretum’s Baker Exhibit Center through May 12. Nature’s Blueprints explores how elements of nature like wings, spiderwebs and trout have inspired engineering feats like faster travel, safer bridges and more effective wind turbines, an approach called biomimicry. “As an institution we are constantly trying to educate our guests and members about the intricate relationship between people and plants,” says exhibits curator Ashlee Lanier. “An exhibit which details the complex nature of designs in nature and how they can be implemented seemed like a natural fit for our exhibits program.”
Biomimicry. Progeny. Photo by Alan Bur Johnson
The exhibition features artifacts, artworks, photography and interactive learning stations, all of which are included in the Arboretum parking fee. Nature’s Blueprints is an adaptation of the High Desert Museum’s Innovation Lab: Design Inspired by Nature, and is produced and toured by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. “Nature’s Blueprints is interactive and playful, full of opportunities for guests to be scientists and reveal new and fascinating information,” says Brian Postelle, communications and marketing manager for the Arboretum. “Part modern art, part laboratory, the exhibit shows off vivid colors, photos and touch stations to bring the science up close.”
The NC Arboretum also boasts a robust calendar of learning opportunities, including professional development, school programs, youth and family programs, and adult and continuing education classes. Arboretum members receive a 10 percent discount on all classes. Professional development programs are available for landscape architects and educators, and the NC Arboretum serves more than 26,000 youth annually with its programs for children and students. The March topics for Adult and Continuing Education are varied and diverse, with more than 20 classes in March including Salamander Diversity of the Southern Appalachians, Botany Basics and The Science of Eclipses.
The North Carolina Arboretum is located at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way in Asheville off of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 393. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., April through October, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., November through March. Admission is free. A standard $16 per vehicle parking fee is required for non-members. For more information, visit NCArboretum.org or call 828.665.2492.
