Explore Exhibits Inter/Act Past Exhibits | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
The Inter/Act space showcases the discoveries and deep connections that students have made through the exploration of the Museum's collections and resources.
Ideas for Learning
Explore K-12 project ideas created by Roundtable education and community collaborations. Discover project-based lessons and activities that promote interdisciplinary learning through science, language arts, history, and the visual and performing arts.
Did You Know?
The Roundtable is a national award-winning education program!
In winning AAM’s 2009 EdCom Award, the Roundtable is recognized by the American Association of Museums as providing exemplary creativity and innovation in museum education programming.
Where Science Meets the Arts
“The arts provide a universal and engaging medium with which to explore natural and cultural history, and students all over L.A. have benefitted from this exceptional, award-winning program.”
—Adrienne Lee, Manager, Education & Arts Roundtable
Teachers Share Out!
"This was a genuine coming together of ideas, which I had never experienced before."
— Annie Lefkowitz, Teacher, Cienega Elementary School
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Ooops . . . Did You Miss These Exhibitions?
We're sorry you missed these student exhibitions in Inter/Act, but learn more about the Roundtable projects listed below in Project Ideas, and visit our photo galleries for additional inspiration.
2009 Exhibitions
Our L.A. Basin: A World of Wonder
August 8-November 15, 2009
In a collaboration with the Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits and environmentalist Jessica Hall, high school students from Pasadena High School's Visual Arts and Design Academy explored the ecological history of the Los Angeles Basin and created a site-specific sculptural installation for the Museum's Inter/Act Gallery space. The 16 sculptures in this exhibition addressed themes of water conservation, land use, and environmental responsibility. Learn more under Project Ideas.
STUCK 2
April 18-July 19, 2009
This exhibition followed the activities of first grade students from Kenneth L. Moffett Elementary School as they learned about the La Brea Tar Pits and Ice Age mammals through theater and dance. STUCK 2, a play about Ice Age mammals, was written by the students themselves and performed on March 13, 2009. This lively exhibition included video and photo documentation of field trips and dance and theatre workshops, classroom work, and student and parent reflections. It also included the stage backdrops that the students painted themselves, as well as their handmade costumes made from recylcled materialcs. Project collaborators included 24th Street Theatre and California Dance Institute, along with Education and Research & Collections staff from the Page and Natural History Museums. Learn more under Project Ideas.
Claiming Our Space
January 24-March 29, 2009
Fourth graders from Cienega Elementary School explored the question, "How is space claimed?" through an exploration of local and historial Los Angeles landmarks and Los Angeles-area land use. Museum field trips and the study of land use millions of years ago, plus the exploration of neighborhood landmarks and the significance of personal spaces culminated in the assembly of a 3-D neighborhood map that included the landmarks and significant spaces "claimed" by these young students. Project collaborators included 826LA, artist Jacqueline Dreager, the Los Angeles Public Library, and Education and curatorial staff from the Page and Natural History Museums. Learn more under Project Ideas.
2008 Exhibitions
Sonnets from Extinction
September 20, 2008-January 4, 2009
This exhibition featured over 70 Shakespearian sonnets written by 7th grade students from Kranz Intermediate School and inspired by the Ice Age fossils from the Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits. Students created sonnets — personal portraits — reflecting their life experiences and the imagined experiences of Ice Age mammals. Project collaborators included hip hop poet, A.K.Toney, and Education staff from the Page Museum.
[Photo gallery to come.]
STUCK!
August 16-September 12, 2009
STUCK! chronicled the activities of Moffett Elementary School 1st graders, as they learned about Ice Age mammals at the Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits and about the components and process of live theatre with 24th Street Theatre. Their learning culminated in a play called STUCK! performed by the students themselves. Included in the exhibition were student work and student reflections, field trip and classroom photos, parent and teacher reflections, and the performance of the play on video. STUCK! was a pilot project, which became the much more complex STUCK 2, in 2009.