Take the Kids: Immerse yourself in Audubon's world with art museum's Audubon Experience
Fact: Only 200 complete sets of John James Audubon's The Birds of America exist in the world. And, in 1846, the state of North Carolina purchased one of the copies.
The set was transferred to the NC Museum of Art nearly 45 years ago. And, after a hiatus, the bound volumes are back on view at the N.C. Museum of Art, as of last weekend, with a new exhibit that will appeal to kids called The Audubon Experience. It's an immersive video room that surrounds the visitor with scenes from forests and jungles, mimicking what Audubon might have experienced in his travels throughout the world. It's on view until Sept. 15 and free to see.
I took my nine-year-old to check it out over the weekend. Let's just say that she wasn't really excited when I told her we would be looking at old pictures of birds. (That's the way she translated it.)
But then she walked into The Audubon Experience. The small room features animations of Audubon's drawings that are projected on three walls.
You can walk around, as a toddler did when we were there, bouncing from one scene to the next. Or you can sit on the stools in the center of the room, as a mom did with her baby, who seemed mesmerized by the pictures. Or, you can do a combination of both, like my daughter and I did, pointing to the different birds that emerged and matching the various chirps, clicks and hoots to the right images.
If you go, be sure to also head over to the actual Audubon exhibit, which is right next door to the video room. There, you can see some of the open volumes and also learn a bit more about Audubon in all-ages friendly two to three-minute videos.
It's a quick experience - no more than 15 or 20 minutes, probably. But on a visit to the museum or during a walk around the beautiful Museum Park, it's definitely worth your time.
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