NEW YORK CITY – The exhibition “Urban Neighbors: Images of ” seeks to demonstrate that the five boroughs harbor an abundance of wild living creatures.
More than 220 rdf_Descriptions, dating from the mid-Seventeenth Century to the present, will be on view from October 11 through February 1 in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library.
The library will also present a related series of public programs starting October 29 and classes in the Celeste Bartos Education Center.
“Urban Neighbors” includes images of approximately 250 species, a highly selective cross-section of , represented in historic and contemporary illustrated books, photographs, hand colored engravings and lithographs, maps, and original art, as well as the occasional cartoon or magazine cover.
“The goals of the exhibition are to open the public’s eyes to what’s around them, and to emphasize the beautiful examples of illustrated natural history within our collections,” says the show curator Miriam T. Gross, natural history specialist in the general research division. The exhibition is drawn primarily from the library’s collections supplemented by select loans.
“Urban Neighbors” is organized in eight sections, based primarily on habitat: city streets and backyards, parks and green spaces, shore and wetlands. Insects and “Unwelcome Neighbors” are dealt with in separate sections as are several of the city’s historical animal residents and occasional visitors.
The library is offering a number of classes on researching topics related to “Urban Neighbors.” These will include “Researching Central Park: Legend, Legacy and Lore” and “Exploring the Natural History of New York”
The complementary website for “Urban Neighbors” (www.nypl.org/urbanneighbors) provides an overview of the exhibition and highlights selected images. It also includes resources, such as suggested reading, related links and programs, as well as an interactive sighting log, in which website visitors can record their observations of some of the featured in the site.
The Social Sciences Library is at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. For information, 212-869-8089 or www.nypl.org.
