The SEAD Gallery and Bookshop welcomes on September 19th, 2019, a new exhibit by the Texas A&M University Biodiversity and Research Collections titled Vitality: The Art and Science of an Ornithology Collection.
The Biodiversity and Research Collections (previously known as the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection) is sponsored by the Texas A&M Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. This collection is home to many different selections of “fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, parasites, and marine invertebrates.” Founders W. P. Taylor and Dr. William B. Davies introduced the Biodiversity and Teaching Collections in 1936. As one of the biggest university based natural history collections, the department houses over a million preserved specimens.
The purpose of the collections are to show the diverse range of species that are distributed throughout the wildlife of Texas and beyond while also being informative about the ecological and life history of the different species. The collections allow insights for the research that is done by those affiliated with Texas A&M University and other scientists worldwide. Additionally, it aids in the teaching of natural history, conservation and management of wildlife, in the university and in public schools.
The species housed as a part of the Biodiversity and Research Collections are primarily meant to document the fauna of Texas, the United States, Central and South America, and the Gulf of Mexico, but they come from all around the world. In addition to the specimens themselves, the collections have “associated historical documents, field notes, and original collector catalogs.”
These collections have become an invaluable resource for researchers in related fields, and have also become an information source available to the public with the hopes of raising awareness for Texas’s natural history. The goal of providing the public with these resources is to enable citizens to make well-informed decisions about how their actions affect the natural environment.
With the ever-growing collection, the Biodiversity and Research Collections has allowed the SEAD Gallery and Bookshop to showcase a portion of their specimens in an all new, interactive exhibit, Vitality: The Art and Science of an Ornithology Collection.
The opening reception for this exhibit will be September 19th 2019 from 6:30-9:30 pm. Please join us for hors d’oeuvres and refreshments.
Thank you to the Sterling Auto Group, Texas A&M Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, George Bush Presidential Library Museum, Trevor Lancon, and Mike Cook.
