GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History’s newest gallery exhibit uses 14 breathtaking photos of plants, animals, fossils and cultural heritage materials from the museum’s collections to inform visitors on the changing biodiversity of the Sunshine State.

Each image in “Florida: The State of Our Nature” was taken by museum photographer Kristen Grace and is accompanied by the object’s story. They cover themes like development, invasive species and extinction to illustrate the impact that collections, and the researchers studying them, can have on conservation.

The gallery showcases objects of species associated with Florida, like the pelt of a Florida panther and the skeleton of an invasive Burmese python, to educate people on the natural history of the state. Other images, like the caterpillars of the Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly, illustrate the impact scientists can have on endangered species. Some of the objects can also be found on display in the museum for guests to get a closer look.

The objects featured in the exhibit were taken from the book “All Things Beautiful: Wonders from the Collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History,” written by Heather Dewar and featuring more than 300 photographs of museum specimens and artifacts by Grace.

“Images can be extremely impactful in getting people’s attention and inspiring a desire to learn more about what they are seeing,” Grace said. “By photographing these important items from our permanent collections in a simple yet intimate manner, it forces one to consider many questions. The carefully crafted and informative captions that accompany the images, written by award-winning environmental journalist Heather Dewar, the author of the book, can further enlighten the viewer’s curiosity. And it is with the power of words and pictures that a catalyst for change can be created.”

The book will also be on display as part of “The State of Our Nature” for visitors to look through. It is available for purchase at the museum’s collectors shop and can also be ordered online at upf.com/book.asp?id=9798985935400.

 “It is an honor to work with Kristen and Heather to create visual access to rare and unusual museum specimens and objects,” said Florida Museum exhibit developer Tina Choe. “We hope to inspire visitors to connect more deeply to our natural world and in turn to better understand the need for continuing a library of life that can inform conservation strategies in a changing Florida landscape.”

This exhibit was originally developed for show at The Studios of Key West alongside the 2024 Key West Literary Seminar titled “Florida: The State We’re In” and was repurposed for display at the Florida Museum.

“Florida: The State of Our Nature” will be on display through spring 2025. For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhibits/state-of-nature.

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Writer: Nikhil Srinivasan, nsrinivasan@floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Sources: Tina Choe, tchoe@flmnh.ufl.edu; Kristen Grace, kgrace@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media Contact: Kaitlin Gardiner, kgardiner@floridamuseum.ufl.edu