2. A 3,500-Pound “Beehive”
Insects are the most diverse group of animals on the planet, says AMNH, encompassing more than a million species and representing over half of all known living organisms, accounting for well over 80% of animal life on earth. (Insects are classified as animals because they breathe oxygen, reproduce sexually, consume organic material, and move on their own.)
The Susan and Peter J. Solomon Family Insectarium introduces visitors to the extraordinary variety of the insect world through live insects (leaf-cutter ants hurrying along a skybridge carrying leaves!), large-scale models, interactive exhibits, observatory areas, and beautifully written explanations. The insectarium is both serious and fun, reassuring and frightening, serene and volatile.
The 8,000-pound resin model of a beehive, for example, is both educational and awe-inspiring. Sculpted by artist Karen Atta at her West 31st Street studio, the hive is composed of six honeycomb “lobes,” the smallest of which weighs 500 pounds. The largest is 3,500 pounds. The material is polyurethane resin, which is the lightest Atta could find. Hung from the ceiling, as if from a tree branch, the beehive is what organizer and designer Ralph Appelbaum calls “the grand story of the exhibit and a visual icon to the street.” The hive placement is one more example of the Gilder Center’s deference to its location on Columbus Avenue between 79th and 80th Streets.
Jeanne Gang especially admires the architectural and mathematical abilities of bees, on full display in the resin beehive. In tribute to their hymenopteran friends, Studio Gang has installed bee boxes in their Chicago offices.
The Insectarium is illustrated by magnificent insects beneath provocative phrases: Compete and Collaborate! Challenge Others! So Ancient, So Everywhere! And my favorite: What’s the deadliest animal on earth? The mosquito!