In addition to the reliably amazing permanent exhibits at the MCZ, there is a hallway gallery space for special exhibits that rotates a handful of times each year. I was saddened to see the last exhibit, titled Head Gear, taken down - it was a phenomenal exploration of horns, antlers, and other bony noggin growths across the animal kingdom (including insects, birds, and fish)... heaps of stunning taxidermy and the most beautiful skulls... BUT, the new exhibit that has been quietly coming together all week - unveiled last night - does not dissapoint in the slightest. Mollusks: Shelled Masters of the Marine Realm takes visitors through a tour of the evolution, ecology, and diversity of this phylum of invertebrates that make up nearly a quarter of all known marine species. A sampler of snails, clams, oysters, octopus, and squid, it's a small but densely packed exhibit - and rounding out all the wild specimens collected in the field is a gorgeous case of glass mollusks, masterfully created by the renowned Rudolf and Leopold (father/son) Blaschka - the magicians behind Harvard's world-famous glass flowers.
All the specimens on display are surprisingly lovely, but my hats off to the HMNH's exhibit designers, who heightened the intensity of the experience through clever presentation, bold signage, and a magnificent use of color (the walls and all display cases are a delicious shade of deep peacock blue - the perfect compliment to an abundance of glossy tangerine and peachy-pink seashell shades - my photos reeeeeally don't do it justice). Much like the insects that held my attention yesterday, the broad array of simple, sweeping shapes in Mollusks was enough to keep me focused for hours this afternoon...