Auditorium Shows
The Auditorium, located on the first floor between the Lobby and North American Hall, features Naturalist Shows and the nature video series "The Secret World of the Garden."
Arctic Exploration Film Festival
Saturday, May 24, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Free and open to the public with museum admission
This film festival will present rare, historic motion picture film footage drawn from a number of film archives. Footage will feature Arctic explorers in action, Inuit working with explorers and involved in various pursuits, Arctic landscapes and wildlife, technological advancements in northern work, and sites and communities that have significance to the history of Arctic exploration.
Please note: the Academy is hosting North By Degree: An International Conference on Arctic Exploration, 1850-1940 on Thursday and Friday, May 22 and 23. The auditorim will be closed to the public on those days.
Naturalist Shows
Join our teacher-naturalists as they explore natural history in these informal and interactive presentations involving live animals and/or museum specimens. Shows run for 20 minutes and topics vary daily.
- 2:30 pm on Weekdays
- 11:00 am & 2:30 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays
Showtimes and location occasionally vary. Listen for announcements of location changes during your visit.
Nature Video Series: "The Secret World of Gardens"
This award-winning series explores the extraordinary life found in a common garden. Stunning macro-videography and time-lapse photography lets you get up-close and personal with insects, rodents, birds, plants, mushrooms and other inhabitants.
- 11:00 am, 11:45 am and 12:30 pm on Weekdays
- 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays
- Runtime is 22 minutes
- Appropriate for ages 3 to adult
May 2008: "Sap Sucking Hoppers"
Most people don't know they exist, but thousands of them call your backyard home. That is all part of the hopper plan. They are masters of disguise and even when you are looking right at them they can be hard to see. Some are dead ringers for thorns while others look like buds or leaves, but all of them have a secret story full of mystery and mayhem.
June 2008: "Life in a Vegetable Garden"
Explore how in the cutthroat world of the vegetable garden. From cutworms that descend under the cover of night hornworm caterpillars that brazenly gorge themselves in broad daylight, a vegetable garden is food for many creatures other than ourselves.
It's a miracle any fruit makes it to our tables. But plants are not defenseless. Secret stashes of poison, razor sharp edges, and a crackerjack communication system are just a few of their tricks.
July 2008: "Life in a Lawn "
Paradise is a well-tended lawn for the creatures making their homes in the lush, manicured grasses around your house.
"Life In A Lawn" takes you underground to see grubs destroying grass from the bottom up, moles moving earth mountains, and magical transformations. See a lawn growing before your eyes and get a sneak peak as skunks and raccoons use their smarts and dexterity to turn the tables on the bugs living in your front yard.
August 2008: "The Old Oak Tree "
Every 17 years a hoard of alien creatures emerge from underneath the old oak. With enormous red eyes and intricately lacey wings, they climb up the tree to mate, lay eggs, then die.
These cicadas are just one of the creatures that are drawn like magnets to oak trees; moths, caterpillars, wasps, bees and a whole host of fascinating characters make their home in oak trees.
Town Square
On selected evenings, the Auditorium is also the venue for the Academy's Town Square, a series of lectures, debates, workshops and forums on issues in science, sustainability and the environment. See Town Square for more information.