HMNH Adult Classes

Saturday, February 29, 2020
9:30 AM-12:30 PM
Instructor: Erica Beade

Explore the beauty of butterflies and moths using preserved museum specimens. This three-hour workshop will introduce observational drawing techniques with pencil, and then dive into colored pencil techniques used to create a rich, vibrant image. All skill levels are welcome.

Fees: $58 members/ $65 nonmembers 
Advance registration required.

Saturday, March 21, 2020
9:30 AM-11:30 AM
Instructor: Erica Beade

Taught by a professional artist and long-term, casual mindfulness practitioner, this two-hour workshop will explore how sketching can be a practice for deepening mindful awareness of our surroundings, and how mindful awareness can enrich our sketching practice by helping us quiet inner voices. By observing and drawing natural objects from the museum’s collections, we will explore ways to focus our attention, learn to see more deeply, and record our observations more carefully.

Fees: $54 members/$60 nonmembers

Advance registration required.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

10:00 am–4:00 pm

Instructor: Mickey Alice Kwapis

Adults 18+

Learn about the fantastic history of taxidermy and then get hands-on with your very own taxidermy project! Using tanned hides, students will craft their own mannikin heads and bodies and learn how to set eyes, wire limbs, groom, pose, and more. This workshop specifically focuses on mounting and finishing techniques, but a skinning and tanning guide will be provided in order to supplement future projects students may choose to work on. At the conclusion of the workshop, students will keep their own small mammal mount. The mount will need to dry for a few weeks before it is ready for permanent display in your home.

This class starts promptly at 10:00 am and ends between 3:00 and 4:00 pm. Due to the time-sensitive nature of the taxidermy process, late students are asked to call ahead with an expected arrival time. A contact phone number will be provided after registration. We will accommodate late arrivals to the best of our ability, but late students are not guaranteed to finish their projects during the designated class time.

Fees: $225 members/$250 nonmembers

Sunday, March 29, 2020
10:00am–11:00am
Instructor: Mickey Alice Kwapis
For All Ages

Explore impressive insects from an evolutionary perspective with a hands-on look at an impressive species! Utilizing sustainably sourced Giant Purple Grasshoppers, students will learn about insect development and anatomy by preparing and preserving specimens of their own. Each student will get to keep a set of illustrated instructions, tools, and their own finished specimen to display at home. With newfound knowledge, students will also get to explore the museum’s arthropod gallery to take in all of the subtle nuances of Earth's invertebrate species.

This is a fun and engaging activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. Students under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone who can work with the child, at no additional charge. If chaperones wish to complete their own project, a second grasshopper must be purchased through a separate registration.

Fees: $45 members/ $50 nonmembers

Advance registration required.

Sunday, March 29, 2020
11:30am–12:30pm
Instructor: Mickey Alice Kwapis
For All Ages

Explore large tropical insects from an evolutionary perspective with a hands-on look at gargantuan species! Utilizing sustainably sourced Atlas beetles (5” + wingspan), students will learn about insect development and anatomy by preparing and preserving specimens of their own. Students will get to keep a set of illustrated instructions, tools, and their own finished specimen to display at home. With newfound knowledge, students will also get to explore the museum's arthropod gallery to take in all of the subtle nuances of Earth's invertebrate species.

This is a fun and engaging activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. Students under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone who can work with the child, at no additional charge. If chaperones wish to complete their own project, a second beetle must be purchased through a separate registration.

Fees: $45 members/ $50 nonmembers

Advance registration required.

Sunday, March 29, 2020
1:00pm–2:00pm
Instructor: Mickey Alice Kwapis
For All Ages

Explore the arthropod world from an evolutionary perspective with a hands-on look at a predatory arachnid: the Forest Scorpion! Utilizing sustainably sourced scorpions students will learn about arachnid development and anatomy by preparing and preserving specimens of their own. Students will get to keep a set of illustrated instructions, tools, and their finished specimen to display at home. With newfound knowledge, students will also be able to explore the museum’s arthropod gallery to discover the many subtle nuances of Earth's invertebrate species.

This is a fun and engaging activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. Students under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone who can work with the child, at no additional charge. If chaperones wish to complete their own project, a second scorpion must be purchased through a separate registration.

Fees: $45 members/ $50 nonmembers

Advance registration required.

Saturday, April 18, 25, May 2
9:30 AM–12:30 PM
Instructor: Erica Beade

Explore the beauty and variety of plant forms using pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil. This three-session course will introduce botanical drawing techniques through close observation and practice with contour, gesture, foreshortening, shading and color. All skill levels are welcome.

Fees: $180members/$198 nonmembers. 
Advance registration required.