The Beaty Biodiversity Museum hosts several special exhibitions every year, from breath-taking wildlife photography to artistic explorations of the natural world, inspired by the specimens in our collections.
Fire Followers
January 30 – October 24, 2021, and online
Artist Megan Majewski and writer Sharon Roberts give voice to forests impacted by the BC wildfires.
Biodiversity is Life, Biodiversity is Our Life
September 30, 2017 – February 18, 2018
What is biodiversity and why is it so important? Explore these questions through this colourful and thought-provoking series of bilingual panels. In partnership with the Embassy of France in Canada, Vancouver, and presented by UNESCO.
Nature Vancouver Photography Competition 2017
May 7 - November 19, 2017
Every year, Nature Vancouver receives hundreds of entries in its annual members photography competition. Photographs are entered in one or more of five categories: Botany, Birds, Mammals, Entomology and Spiders, and Other Natural History. This exhibition featured the first, second, and third place winners in each category, as well as the best in show, for 2017. The Vancouver Natural History Society (Nature Vancouver) was founded in 1918 and is organized into a number of sections: Birding, Botany, Conservation, Geology, Marine Biology and Photography. The Birding, Botany and Marine Biology sections sponsor monthly meetings from January to April and September to December.
This exhibition was sponsored by ABC Photo. For further information contact: Ron Long
Ecosystems in Play
Exploring Biodiversity Through Gaming
September 17, 2016 – August 20, 2017
How can ecologists inspire children to learn about the natural world in a way that is fun and familiar? University of British Columbia geneticist and science educator, David Ng, accepted that challenge and created Phylo – a game that lets you collect, trade, and play with cards based on real-life organisms.
This exhibition lets you step inside the Phylo game and see how life within an ecosystem is connected, and how some environmental events can have damaging effects on life.
100 Years, 100 Treasures
May 28, 2016 - April 30, 2017
This exhibition was the conclusion of the BeatyTreasures.com election campaign. After months of speculation, the top ten treasures were revealed! To mark UBC's centennial year, the exhibition explored the history of the museum collections intertwined with the history of the university. Visitors heard what the experts have to say about the top specimens in a video installation, and got the chance to share their own favourite treasures in an interactive social media component.
Grahame Arnould: Turning Heads
November 17, 2016 - April 2, 2017
This exhibit highlighted the work of editorial cartoonist, Grahame Arnould. As an avid outdoorsman, Arnould’s work often focuses on biodiversity and threats to the environment. In the tradition of editorial cartooning, the works in this display attempted to raise awareness of these issues. Visitors could also get involved by writing their own caption for a funny gag cartoon.
From Meadows Woodlands Far and Near
March 10, 2016 – September 4, 2016
Featuring Brigitte Potter-Mael’s delicate watercolours and striking woodcuts, as well as Proverbial Botany, a collaborative piece with sound artist Andreas Kahre. The works are inspired by plants from the landscapes of Lone Valley, Germany and British Columbia.
Finding Place: Collecting Home Through Field Journal Art
April 8, 2016 - August 28, 2016
Finding Place explores the intersection of art and science through detailed botanical field journals and paintings. Plant ecologist and artist, Lyn Baldwin, captures her home province of British Columbia in great detail while searching for what it means to belong to a place and find stories of home.
Whale Dreams
September 30, 2015 - February 14, 2016
Dive into the underwater world of whales with Colleen McLaughlin Barlow’s breathtaking paintings and extraordinary crystal sculptures of whale bones.
shutterbug
March 11, 2015 - September 6, 2015
Take a closer look at local insect life in this exhibition of photographs by Ian Lane. Discover how one man’s pastime became his passion, and explore how his images have contributed to science.
Flathead En Plein Air
July 11, 2015 - October 12, 2015
Admire 13 original paintings from the Flathead – a region that has been described as one of the most ecologically important places on the planet.
34 Wonders of the World
May 22, 2015 - January 3, 2016
Explore 34 biodiversity hotspots around the world through stunning images.
Backyard Biodiversity
September 22, 2014 - February 15, 2015
Read, write, draw, and discover BC’s nature through the stories and illustrations. This interactive, hands-on exhibition features the work of the Children's Writers and Illustrators of BC.
The Herbarium Project
May 16, 2014 - August 24, 2014
Using specimens from the UBC Herbarium, Karen Yurkovich re-examines these taxonomically organized pieces of nature through their aesthetics, their symbolism, their mythologies, and their histories.
Wondrous
April 2, 2014 - July 27, 2014
Produced by a collection of artists for WWF-Canada and Science World British Columbia, Wondrous: The Forest and Sea of the Great Bear powerfully illustrates the relationship between the land and the ocean, forest and river, economy and ecology.
Remnants
January 31, 2014 - April 20, 2014
This series of portraits is Dana Cromie's reaction to the ongoing reduction by human activity of natural habitat. Cromie is the Artist in Residence, UBC Botanical Garden, 2012 - 2014.
Invisible Portraits
September 27, 2013 - January 5, 2014
Revealing the secret world of microbes through high-tech images of microbial life refashioned as metal sculpture, wood carvings, and large-scale portraiture by Kevin Carpenter, Erick James, and Patrick Keeling.
[a]drift
May 9, 2013 - August 25, 2013
Printmaker Edith Krause presents human-sized images of microscopic marine creatures to convey their ecological importance, reveal forms that are unfamiliar and fantastic, and make visible the invisible.
INVOKING VENUS, Feathers and Fashion
February 7, 2013 - May 5, 2013
An exhibition of photo-based images by Catherine Stewart and accessories from the clothing collections of Claus Jahnke and Ivan Sayers.
Sea/Life
November 15, 2012 - February 3, 2013
Sea/Life is a series of stunning photographs of ocean inhabitants by Canadian photographer David Ellingsen and features specimens from the Museum’s Fish Collection.
Wider Symmetries
August 30, 2012 - November 12, 2012
An exquisite series of watercolour paintings and sketches of birds by New Zealand-born artist Lex Alfred Hedley.
Anomaly
July 26, 2012 - August 26, 2012
A dynamic showcase of artwork created at the Anomaly computer graphic artist workshop and inspired by our museum collections.
Feast
May 17, 2012 - July 22, 2012
To eat or be eaten? Through stunning photographs, internationally acclaimed nature photographer Brad Hill presents an intimate look at animals feasting in the wild.
Interaction
March 6, 2012 - May 6, 2012
This photography exhibition celebrates the diverse interactions between organisms, the environment, and us.
IsoTYPE
October 22, 2011 - March 4, 2012
Bridging art and science, this series of 20 banners examines issues around biodiversity and sustainability through printmaking, drawing, painting, and digital imaging.
If you are interested in exhibiting your work at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, please Apply Now to fill out our Online Exhibition Proposal Form.
Documents of Collapse
Documents of Collapse Sculptures by Jude Griebel and drawings by Lorraine Simms Nov. 21, 2019 – Apr. 19, 2020
Next Spring
Katrina Vera Wong exhibits hybrid flowers (Frankenflora) made from various approaches.
Biophilia
Biophilia: A Dialogue of Nature, Art and Science created by Christopher Marley December 12, 2019 – August 23, 2020 Wonder
Closer
Step into the enchanting world of the often overlooked in this unique joint exhibition.
The Wild Creative
Examine biodiversity loss during the Anthropocene – the Age of Man – through compelling artworks.
Woven Woods
June 2 – November 4, 2018: Feel the deep-rooted connection between trees and their ecosystems through quilted wall hangings.
Skin & Bones
September 15, 2018 – August 13, 2019: Examine our complicated relationship with the animal world.
Life: As We’ve Known It
March 17 – August 19, 2018: Reflect on the beauty and fragility of life through intimate photographic portraits.
Life In Colour
September 16, 2017 – February 18, 2018: Drawings by Angela Gooliaff, colouring by you.