San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, part 2 (color and quakes)

If forced to choose, my favorite part of the California Academy of Sciences would be the Rainforest Dome—check out Part 1 of my visit—but there were many other fascinating exhibitions to enjoy, including Color of Life: Discover Nature’s Secret Language, designed by the museum’s Exhibits Studio and opened last year.

The exhibition uses bright, bold colors, beautiful photographs, and accessible writing to “reveal the significant roles color plays across a spectrum of species.”

Within the 8,000 square foot exhibition are immersive interactive experiences, including a musical color visualizer, designed by Tellart. Video screens respond to strings, plucked by visitors, with a show of images and videos related to that string’s color.

Another interactive experience, popular with kids, is the “Courtship Dance Stage.”

Throughout the exhibition are dioramas and many small interactives that allow you, for example, to see organisms under different types of lighting, or through the eyes of other animals.

Also 8,000 square feet in size, the older (circa-2012) exhibition, Earthquake: Life of a Dynamic Planet, explores the seismic science of Earth’s geologic transformations through installations such as the 25-foot-wide, walk-through model of Earth, and the immersive “Shake House.” Other areas focus on the diverse life forms that evolved and spread as Pangaea split up, and earthquake preparedness.

There are mini-exhibits throughout the museum, including a show of Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species series of silkscreen prints from 1983. In 2007 the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list; the other featured animals remain.

Other mini-exhibits focused on variation, in ladybugs and in humans.

Rounding out my visit, I strolled through the Human Odyssey exhibition, an exploration of the origins of humankind, and the African Hall, home to classic stuffed-animal dioramas (and, to be fair, live penguins).

I highly recommend this museum—beautifully designed, fascinating, and educational. I also recommend you consider picking up a City Pass if you plan to visit more than one museum. They are expensive in SF—said from DC, where the museums are mostly free.