This winter, Fernbank Museum invites guests to come eye-to-eyes with the hunting, burrowing and weaving world of spiders in the new special exhibit, “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination.” Featuring over 250 live and preserved spider specimens, this exhibit will leave audiences with a fascination for these incredible arachnids.
Guests will be able to explore a detailed display of spiders in all shapes and sizes — from the intimidatingly venomous Black Window to the famously large Huntsman — through a variety of curated displays that include using the latest in augmented reality technology to create a fully immersive experience. Visitors will be able to virtually journey through hundreds of scattering spiders along a glowing forest floor, bring an animated spider to “life,” compete in a mating dance-off with a Jumping Peacock Spider and more.
In addition to encountering live spiders, dioramas with taxidermy spiders, panels featuring real preservations and interactive components, guests will have the opportunity to use the complementary and free “Spiders Augmented Reality” app to watch spiders come to life by scanning markers found within the exhibit. Some of the spiders featured in the app include the Wolf Spider, Trapdoor Spider, Desert Blonde Tarantula and more.
“Spiders evoke a combination of curiosity and horror, fear and fascination alike. The “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” exhibit is extraordinary as it makes spiders accessible and appealing, while still presenting the most up-to-date research and understanding of their biology,” said Linda S. Rayor, Cornell University, scientific consultant, exhibit manager of live animals, and President of the American Arachnological Society. “There is no other exhibit on spiders which has ever captured the magic of spiders so well. With stunning displays, interesting displays using live and preserved? spiders, and charming games that illustrate how spiders live, this is an experience that will appeal to anyone who has wondered what spiders are doing.”
Developed by the Australian Museum, “Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” features seven themed sections audiences can use to build their knowledge of the arachnid animal classification. These themes include the spider family tree, diet and hunting, diversity of spiders from across the globe, spiders’ life cycles, their senses, and silk production and weaving.
“Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” is an exhibit that appeals to arachnologists of all ages who want to face their curious or fearful precognition and explore one of the most often misunderstood species on the planet. This exhibit will be included with General Admission at Fernbank from Feb. 10 – May 5, 2024. For more information, please visit https://fernbankmuseum.org/Spiders
“Spiders — From Fear to Fascination” was created by the Australian Museum. Sponsored locally in part by the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc.
