Adult Classes

Saturday April 12, 2014

9:30 am-12:00 pm

Over millions of years, birds have evolved a great diversity in size, shape, coloration and behavior, allowing them to exploit habitats all over the globe. Join us in discovering how birds are changing today in response to human impacts, such as climate change, habitat disruption, urbanization and disease. Learn how these impacts have affected bird species, and how birds have adapted through changes in behavior, ecology and genetics. Using the museum galleries and specimens from the university’s collections, Harvard doctoral student Allison Shultz will lead this program and share her current research into the evolution of House Finches in response to a novel disease.

Fee: Members: $35 /Nonmembers $40. Advance registration required.

Saturday April 26, 2014

9:30am-12:30pm

Learn to capture birds with pencil and paper in this hands-on workshop. Explore avian anatomy as it applies to drawing birds, step-by-step methods for developing your bird sketch, techniques for achieving greater accuracy and for capturing feather textures. Discuss tips for field sketching, particularly useful for birders and those interested in keeping field notes or nature journals. All skill levels are welcome.

Advance registration required. $40 Members /$45 Nonmembers

Saturday May 10

9:00am-11:00am

Mt. Auburn Cemetery

Explore an amazing variety of tree forms using pencil and paper in beautiful Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. We will focus on capturing the shapes and volume of trunks and branches, and techniques for drawing foliage. Taught by artist and educator, Erica Beade. All skill levels are welcome.

Advance registration required. $35 members/ $40 nonmembers

Saturday May 17, 2014

9:30 am-12:00 pm

Many members of the rose family bear delicious fruits, such as raspberries, pears and peaches, while others impress us with stunning flowers and sweet fragrances. Apples, one of the favorite members of the family, have a storied past that began thousands of years ago in Kazakhstan. Experience the diversity of this family as we carefully examine live specimens from the Arnold Arboretum and botanical replicas in the museum’s Glass Flowers gallery. See how scientists have traced the evolutionary history of apples as we explore the process of their domestication and learn about modern approaches to the genetic modification of organisms with Harvard Evolutionary Biologist Sarah Mathews.

Fee: Members: $35 /Nonmembers $40. Advance registration required.