Zoom In on Nature at Museum's Art Gallery

August 2, 2004
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jon Pishney or Maria Sadowski at (919) 733-7450, ext. 304 or 305.

RALEIGH - Take a closer look at nature with the photography of Melissa Harris and Juan Pons at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Art Gallery, from August 6 to September 26. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on August 6 from 6 to 8 pm.

Imagine being eye-to-eye with a grasshopper about to eat its lunch, or getting nose-to-beak with a tern on the beach. Attempting to eliminate the space between the lens and the viewer, Harris photographs insects while Pons focuses on native birds of North Carolina. Both artists play with scale and texture to examine the complexities of nature. They have a passion for capturing the emotions of their wildlife subjects.

“The scale of the impact transcends their size,” says Harris, who enjoys the effect of making her subjects larger than life. She has been following insects with her camera for almost two years, and sometimes tracks a single insect for hours in search of the perfect shot.

Photography is a relatively new venture for Harris, who is an architect by training. Native to the Triangle, Harris credits her interest in architecture to her father, a former architect at North Carolina State University. Harris received her undergraduate architecture degree at NC State and now uses her photographs to help teach architecture at the University of Michigan. Although Harris was educated in architecture, she has been recognized for her artistic work as well and has been included in juried exhibitions.

Pons, currently a resident of North Carolina, has been involved with photography since high school, and has been recording North Carolina’s birds for several years. Pons considers himself a nature enthusiast and often donates his images to wildlife preservation organizations. He enjoys the many colors of nature and the capabilities of digital photography, and preserves the natural beauty of his subjects through his unaltered digital images.

The Nature Art Gallery, inside the Museum Store, hosts new exhibitions predominantly by Southern artists six times a year. All exhibited art is for sale. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4:45 p.m.; and the first Friday of each month until 8 p.m. Admission is free. For a complete schedule of Nature Art Gallery exhibits, please visit www.naturalsciences.org or call the Museum Store at 919/733-7450, ext. 369.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.

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