November/December 2009

Exhibits & Related Programs
Special Events
Science and Culture
Family Programs

museum info: 612-624-7083
registration: 612-624-9050
www.bellmuseum.org

EXHIBITS & RELATED PROGRAMS

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
Through May 9, 2010
The grocery lists and dining tables of people around the globe are the subject of this provocative exhibit based on the national best selling book by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Alusio. Hungry Planet combines mesmerizing photos with hands-on displays that explore issues of food in the 21st century - what people eat and where it comes from, as well as how different cultures approach the growing and processing of food.

Drawn to Nature: Art Sale and Exhibition
November 15, 2009 through January 3, 2010
Free with museum admission
Minnesota is home to a wealth of artists who inspire us see nature in new ways - from meticulous studies of plants, to sweeping plein-air landscapes. During the holiday season, the museum will feature the work of some of Minnesota's finest nature artists. All the works will be available for purchase with part of the proceeds helping to support the Bell Museum's art program. Many of the artists will be on hand at the museum Thursday nights through December to discuss and demonstrate their technique.

The Anthropology of Table Manners
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 7 p.m.
Free with museum admission
William Beeman, University of Minnesota's Anthropology department chair, will take you through an exploration of the wonderful varieties of table etiquette throughout the world, and some of the reasons people are sensitive about the way food is consumed.

Exhibit Walkabout: People and Their Food
Thursday, November 12, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Join Tracey Deutsch, an assistant history professor whose interests include food acquisition, food shopping and the history of supermarkets and Susy Ziegler, an assistant professor of geography who studies the intersection of environmental variables and human activity, in an exploration of the issues that shape what humans grow and gather to eat.

Food Film Series: Black Gold
Thursday, November 12, 2009, 7 p.m.
Free
Coffee is the second most actively traded commodity in the world with $80 billion in retail sales. Tracing the path of the coffee consumed each day to the farmers who produce the beans, the film Black Gold A Film About Coffee and Trade asks us to "wake up and smell the coffee" and face the economic and social conditions under which coffee is produced. Members of the university's Agri-Food Reading Group, the sponsoring organization, will lead a brief discussion after each screening, and the museum's Hungry Planet exhibit will be open for self-guided tours. A complete list of films in the Hungry Planet series is available.

The World on a Plate
Thursday, December 3, 2009, 7 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Why is food so deeply intertwined with our beliefs, celebrations and rituals? What makes food so useful for metaphors, insults, and visual symbols? Join folklorist Peter Harle from the University of Minnesota Department of Anthropology for a playful exploration of food's often surprising roles in communication, culture and identity.

Exhibit Walkabout: Hungry Planet with a Pro
Thursday, December 10, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Jeffrey Pilcher is a university history professor with special interest in the history of food and in Mexico and the globalization of Mexican cuisine. His new book on tacos is expected out next year and follows books on food and the making of Mexican culture. Linda Brady is a professor of food science and nutrition with particular interest in microbes associated with what we eat and digest.

Food Film Series: Big Night
Thursday, December 10, 7 p.m.
Free
The film Big Night tells the story of two brothers running a small restaurant serving Italian cuisine in 1950s New Jersey. Members of the university's Agri-Food Reading Group, the sponsoring organization, will lead a brief discussion after each screening, and the museum's Hungry Planet exhibit will be open for self-guided tours. A complete list of the fall films in the Hungry Planet series is available.

Should I Stuff My Turkey and Other Holiday Food Safety Tips
Thursday, December 17, 2009, 7 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Join University Of Minnesota Extension food science educator Elena Yepiz for a bevy of holiday food tips and hands-on techniques such as how to calibrate a meat thermometer.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Locally Grown and Growing: An Evening with the Youth Farm and Market Project
Thursday, November 19, 2009, 7 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Established in 1995, Twin Cities-based Youth Farm and Market Project (YFMP) builds leadership skills among young people through planting, growing, preparing, and selling locally grown produce. Each year, more than 500 urban youth plant, tend and distribute more than 11,000 pounds of fresh produce harvested from nine urban garden sites in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Meet some of YFMP's youth farmers, learn what a day on an urban youth farm is like, and how to make use of your own summer herbs and produce.

Minnesota Ornithologists Union Annual Conference
Saturday, December 5, 2009, 9 a.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m.
$4 in advance; $5 at the door
The MOU's annual conference features brief reports on current research projects conducted by academics and wildlife professionals. Topics range from the exotic and mysterious birds of Costa Rica to the Bird Breeding survey and the Christmas bird count. These lively presentations will delight amateur bird enthusiasts and academics alike.

SCIENCE AND CULTURE

Café Scientifique: Feeding Africa
Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater
Tickets $5 - $12
University agronomy and plant genetics professor Paul Porter's bicycle trip across Africa last winter was cut short by injury. Next year, he'll try to complete what he started-to teach his students about the food, agricultural systems and cultures of Africa, and in turn, gain insights into the U.S. food system and economy. Hear Porter's personal tales and observations from the road.

Café Scientifique: Can Agriculture Deliver Food, Fiber and Fuel
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Bryan-Lake Bowl Theater
Tickets $5-$12
Nearly everyone has an opinion on agriculture's new contributions to our energy needs. Hear what your neighbors think as we discuss the issues with one of the country's leading scientists, Jason Hill, with the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. He'll reveal the myths and realities of producing food, fuel and fiber from our planet's finite resources.

CHILDREN AND FAMILY PROGRAMS

Nature Tots: Squirrels and their Nuts
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 10 a.m.
Free with museum admission
Two- and three-year-olds and their families will learn a squirrel song, explore the romping grounds of the museum's resident squirrels, search for squirrel nests using binoculars, unearth buried acorns (and hide them again) and make a "squirrely" craft with pine cones.

Gopher Nature Academy
Exclusively during 2009 Golden Gopher Football Home Games
November 7 and November 14, 10 a.m.
Registration required; $35 per child per game. Three game package is available for $90 per child; $60 per each additional child under the same registration.
Cheer on the Golden Gophers with your littlest boosters only blocks away at the kid-friendly Bell Museum of Natural History's Gopher Nature Academy. During every home game, the Bell Museum will offer high quality, science-focused learning and entertainment for Gopher fans ages 6 to 12. Each week, kids will learn a new nature craft, enjoy yummy snacks, go on cool tours of the museum's exhibits and learn about animal behavior through games and structured play. Better than a baby sitter, your kids will learn about the real Goldy Gopher, as well as Goldy's athletic rivals including the falcons, badgers, jackrabbits and bears.

Nature Tots: Winter Birds and What They Eat
Thursday, December 3, 2009, 10 a.m.
Free with museum admission
Two- and three-year-olds and their families will learn about the birds that choose to stay in Minnesota over the winter rather than migrate. Find out who they are, what do they eat and how to they stay warm. Make a pine cone bird feeder to take home and feed your birds. Finish off the program with a winter bird-inspired snack.

Nature Play: What Owls Eat
Saturday, December 12, 2009, 1 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Families will play detective and find out what owls eat by dissecting an owl pellet. Like other birds, owls cannot chew their food and small prey items are swallowed whole. Pellets, which come up and out after a big meal, often contain hints as to what the owl had for dinner the night before.

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Location: The Bell Museum is located at the corner of University Ave. & 17th Ave. SE in Minneapolis, on the University of Minnesota campus.

Children under 3 & U of M students/staff/faculty: free
Free admission for all visitors on Sundays

Program Registration Policy:
We accept payment for programs requiring advance registration by Visa, MasterCard and Discover. We can't reserve places without payment. Phone registrations require credit card payment. Send check or money order to the Bell Museum Registration Office, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104.

Museum Information: Call 612-624-7083.
Registration: Call 612-624-9050.

Receive discounts on programs by becoming a Bell Museum member.