Visions of Nature.  Art, science and natural history museums

In an era of polarised opinion and a difficulty in determining the veracity of information, science museums play an important role as ‘honest brokers’ in both enabling and encouraging public debate around science. Surveys on both side of the Atlantic have demonstrated that museums are amongst the most trusted providers of information, but first they need audiences to discuss and debate with.

For the last few years, Oxford University Museum of Natural History has been operating an innovative series of exhibitions entitled Contemporary Science & Society. Each exhibition is an interdisciplinary investigation of an aspect of current science research and interweaves the scientific storytelling with related contemporary art that enhances the audience appeal. The exhibition is, however, only a starting point for a broader programme of events that range from lectures and debates to more informal science fairs, art interventions and comedy nights. Audiences for each exhibition range up to 245,000 and both qualitative and quantitative evaluation show that the content has had the ability to change people’s decision-making and behaviours.

The lecture will examine a variety of recent exhibitions, the range of issues that the exhibition series is seeking to address, and the role of a natural history museum in modern society.