The Everhart Museum will open ‘Ancient Microworlds’ on June 12, 2009. Applied science collides with the visual arts in ‘Ancient Microworlds’ as the high-tech practice of macro photography introduces viewers to a new way of appreciating fossils – magnified over 30 times their true size. The exhibit showcases the combined talents of Giraud Foster, a retired physician, archaeologist, and photographer and Norman Barker, a scientific photographer, and their desire to introduce people to the world of fossils as seen through the lens of a microscope. Theirs is an ancient world as artfully beautiful as it is scientifically engaging. Ancient Microworlds marries paleontology with photography to attain an intriguing exploration of past life. Foster and Barker, who collaborated on this 12-year project, demonstrate that fossils can dazzle the mind and the eye. Many of the fossils depicted here are older than dinosaurs and feature unique and aesthetically beautiful patterns, gemstones, and colors.
The exhibit is on loan courtesy of Ancient Microworlds and is complemented by the Everhart Museum’s collection of Carboniferous period fossils, found locally in regional anthracite coal mines, together with fossils from other eras and regions. Carboniferous fossils were created over 350 million years ago and feature the first plants, insects, and reptiles known on the planet.