Fossil museum begins big project with 'Building Triceratops' exhibit

Tricities.com: Fossil museum begins big project with 'Building Triceratops' exhibit
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Employees and volunteers at the East Tennessee State University and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum and Visitor Center at the Gray Fossil Site will be building its upcoming exhibit – a life-size skeleton cast of a triceratops – from the ground up.

The fossil pieces have arrived, and beginning Jan. 15 visitors will be able to see portions of the constructed skeleton. Completion of the exhibit will take several weeks.

The museum staff describes this project as the ultimate jigsaw puzzle.

“When the majority of our previous exhibits were unveiled, they were completed, but this new one, called ‘Building Triceratops,’ is a work in progress and gives visitors a behind-the-scenes-look at what it takes to make an exhibit come together,” said Jessica Evans, the museum’s exhibits manager. “And, of course, seeing this life-size fossil will be amazing for people of all ages.”

The skull of the Triceratops horridus already has been on display at the museum as part of a partnership with the North Dakota Geological Survey, which is loaning the fossils to ETSU.Once the skeleton is mounted and has been on display at the Gray museum, it will be sent back to North Dakota.

Evans said the museum has been consulting with the paleobiology department at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, where the mount of a triceratops was recently reconstructed. Both the Smithsonian and the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum have loaned objects to be used in the “Building Triceratops” exhibition.

Also featured in the Niswonger Exhibit Hall will be “Dinosaur Art of Mark Musy.” This exhibition is a representation of an artist’s journey “from ideal to final creation,” featuring Musy’s hand-sculpted dinosaur models, as well as drawings and images of T-Rex, triceratops and other well-known dinosaurs. Evans said visitors will enjoy the detail and realism presented in the images.

For the first time, the museum will offer a two-for-one deal special from Jan. 15-March 31. All visitors who purchase admission to see the “Building Triceratops” exhibit during those dates will receive a free voucher to see the completed exhibit any time between April 1–May 15. In addition, educational programs for children pre-kindergarten through sixth grade will be offered on Saturdays throughout the duration of the exhibit. Detailed information on these classes is available at the museum’s online calendar.

“Building Triceratops” featuring “Dinosaur Art of Mark Musy” is sponsored locally by Dex. The ETSU and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum is open daily, including weekends, from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, call (866) 202-6223 or visit www.grayfossilmuseum.com.