- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Those who painted rocks at the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Saturday, Jan. 18 were not just rock artists. They were rock stars, painting creative, inspirational and seasonal illustrations.
A sign on the table, staffed by entomologist Ann Kao of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (2019 alumnus of UC Davis), urged: "Paint a Rock!" The directions:
- Please choose a rock
- Be creative, you can write a kind message on it
- You may keep it or hide it somewhere outside
And that they did. They selected a smooth river rock and made it their own. They painted everything from butterflies, ants, and spiders to rainbows, smiles and the sun. Indeed, some of the critters looked like new species of arthropods just waiting to be named.
The artists hid some of the rocks on the UC Davis campus. They are likely to wind up on the Facebook page, UC Davis Rocks, which encourages folks to paint rocks, hide them, and then post the images. The Bohart rocks will join other images on the Facebook page, including such resident rocks as "When All Else Fails, Hug the Dog" to "Take the Next Step" to "You Are Loved."
One talented rock artist at the Bohart Museum chose a Valentine's Day theme, painting two "Love Bugs”--a honey bee and a ladybug. The colorful rock now resides in the office of director Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at UC Davis. It's right next to her microscope where she will 'scope the real Apis mellifera and Coccinellidae species and other insects.
If you look on the Internet, you'll find some creative, inspirational and downright humorous rocks:
- "Life Is Short; Eat the Cupcake"
- "A Laugh Is a Smile that Bursts"
- "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"
- "Be a Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud"
- And this two-sided rock: On one side, a simple three-word request, "Turn Me Over," and on the other side, a 10-word admonishment: "You Just Took Orders from a Rock. Are You Stoned?"
Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, coordinated the open house, which showcased the research of six doctoral students: Charlotte Herbert Alberts, Yao Cai, Alexander Dedmon, Zachary Griebenow, Crystal Homicz and Ann Holmes. (See Bug Squad blog).
The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane and founded by noted entomologist Richard M. Bohart (1913-2007), houses a global collection of nearly eight million insect specimens; a live "petting zoo" that includes Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks and tarantulas; and a gift shop stocked with books, insect-themed t-shirts and sweatshirts, jewelry, insect-collecting equipment and insect-themed candy. The insect museum is open to the public Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., except on holidays. More information on the Bohart Museum is available on the website at http://bohart.ucdavis.edu or by contacting (530) 752-0493 or bmuseum@ucdavis.edu.
Hmmm....did we say the "Bohart Museum houses a global collection of nearly eight million insects specimens?" Correct that! Make that "a global collection of nearly eight million insect specimens and one local Love Bug rock."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis professor of entomology, the insect museum is named for noted entomologist Richard M. Bohart.
It rocks not "just because" of the excellent scientists, staff and volunteers--and the fact that it houses
- nearly eight million insect specimens
- the seventh largest insect collection in North America
- the California Insect Survey, a storehouse of the insect biodiversity
- a live "petting zoo," comprised of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, tarantulas and praying mantids; and
- a year-around gift shop, which is stocked with T-shirts, sweatshirts, books, jewelry, posters, insect-collecting equipment and insect-themed candy
No, it's not "just because" of all those attributes, accolades and accomplishments.
It rocks because of...well...rocks.
Last Saturday, as part of its open house, Bohart Museum officials invited the guests to paint rocks.
"Paint a rock with your favorite insect! These rocks can join the #UCDavisRocks that are hidden around campus and downtown. Once found, these rocks can then be re-hidden as a happy surprise for others to discover. Pictures of your #UCDavisRocks can be shared on the UC Davis Rocks Facebook page."
The Bohart Museum officials drew inspiration from Yolo Rocks and Solano Rocks, but a similar organization on campus, UC Davis Rocks, launched a related activity last spring. It is the brainchild of Kim Pearson and Martha Garrison of the College of Letters and Science.
Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, coordinated the open house. UC Davis student Isabelle Gilchrist, a second-year entomology major, staffed the crafts activity table, offering rocks, paint and suggestions.
The theme of the open house, “Crafty Insects,” spotlighted crafty or sneaky insects (more photos of that in another blog), but a huge part of this open house starred rocks.
Just like Donna Billick, the self-described "rock artist" who sculpted the ceramic-mosaic worker bee, "Miss Bee Haven," in the Department of Entomology and Nematology's Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, the Bohart artists rocked.
All of them!
(Editor's Note: The Bohart Museum's regular hours are from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. It is closed to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and on major holidays. Admission is free. More information on the Bohart Museum is available on the website or by contacting (530) 752-0493 or emailing bmuseum@ucdavis.edu
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