Garvies Point Museum Presents Dinosaur Films in June

The Garvies Point Museum in Glen Cove is presenting a series of family-friendly films about dinosaurs the last week of June, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, as follows:

“T-Rex: The Ultimate Guide” (60 min.), June 24, 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.: Was T-Rex really a doting dad? A bird-like runner? A scavenger or a hunter? Mythologized by movies and museum displays, T-Rex is perhaps the most misunderstood creature in history. In this film, the latest scientific evidence and controversies are reviewed to reveal the world from T-Rex’s point of view, and ask whether the tyrant lizard king was really a tyrant.

“The Great Dinosaur Hunt” (47 min.), June 25, 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.: The “hunt” for dinosaur fossils is traced from the first accidental discovery in 18th-century France to contemporary fossil expeditions in Texas and Montana.

“Hunt for China’s Dinosaur” (50 min.), June 26, 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.: This film follows paleontologists as they search for the fossil remains of a bird-like dinosaur in the wilderness of China. How the dinosaur lived, what it ate and its migration patterns are explored.

“Dinosaur Hunters: Oviraptor” (60 min.), June 27, 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.: More than 80 million years ago, the Oviraptor, a strange bird-like dinosaur, walked the sandy banks of an oasis in what is now the Gobi Desert. This National Geographic film traces an expedition of scientists who uncover a treasure trove of Oviraptor fossils and shatter long-held myths about its behavior.

“Dinosaurs! A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time” (30 min.), June 28, 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.: Everyone in Philip’s science class has a great idea for a report — except Philip. That evening, he listens to a song playing on his boom box, providing him with the inspiration for his report: Dinosaurs. The next day at a museum, Philip discovers the astonishing 160-million-year history of these creatures and conveys that story in a fascinating mixed-media report.

Garvies Point Museum Features Films About Native American Women Artists, in July

During July weekends, the Garvies Point Museum and Preserve will feature four films about Native American artists, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi. All four films are shown at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Native American Artist: Ella Mae Blackbear, Cherokee Basket Maker (24 mins.), July 5 - 6: Filmed at the artist’s home in Oklahoma, the documentary follows Ella Mae Blackbear as she gathers native buckrush and plants for dyes, creates a graceful basket, and reminisces about the education in weaving she received from her mother. The history of Cherokee basketry is documented with examples from Tulsa’s Philbrook Art Center.

Native American Artist: Helen Hardin, Santa Clara Painter (29 mins.), July 12 - 13: This film reviews the abstract geometric work of this painter and printmaker, illustrating Hardin’s struggle to depict aspects of her native heritage. Hardin’s multi-layered paintings, created with a combination of brushes and drafting tools, reveal the crisp precision that characterizes her distinctive style.

Native American Artist: Grace Medicine Flower and Joseph Lone Wolf, Santa Clara Potters (29 mins.), July 19 - 20: This film examines the pottery of these two siblings, members of the renowned Tafoya family of Santa Clara Pueblo that revived and expanded the traditional forms and techniques of their pre-Colombian ancestors.

Native American Artist: Kiowa Cradleboard Maker: The Art and Tradition of Vanessa Jennings (30 mins.), July 26 - 27: This film examines the work of Vanessa Jennings, who continues the Native American tradition of honoring the birth of a child by creating cradleboards crafted from wood and rawhides, often covered with beadwork and other decorations.

Garvies Point Museum Presents New Exhibit Exploring "The Story of Crystals"

Visitors review the mineral collection at Garvies Point.

Did you ever wonder how crystals form? Why they are shaped geometrically and what they are made of? The Garvies Point Museum and Preserve answers those questions and more in its new exhibit about crystals, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

The exhibit includes items used in everyday life, along with the minerals that are mined in order to produce them, as well as gemstones and jewelry with the natural mineral types from which they are made.

A “mineral of the month” birthstone will be a regular feature of the exhibit. As part of the exhibit, museum geology curator George Allgaier has also assembled diagrams and photos of unique but lost geologic features throughout the U.S., such as Spirit Lake (no longer in existence) at Mount St. Helens.

“This is a beautiful and intriguing exhibit for both youngsters and adults,” says Kathryne Natale, curator of Garvies Point. “In particular, visitors can view the rough crystals and see how they metamorphose into the gemstones that are ultimately purchased by consumers.”