Office of Exhibits Central

Milkweed Plant

Recently, modelmaker Danny Fielding and intern Jessica Western helped make the milkweed bugs at the National Museum of Natural History’s Insect Zoo feel a little more at home.  Danny and Jessica used their collective expertise to create faux milkweed plants for placement in the bug’s cages to simulate their natural habitat in the offseason when the real plants are unavailable. 

To create the lifelike plant models, they combined processes of molding and casting parts of real plants as well as direct build-up using steel, epoxy putty, cotton and glue, and other materials.

For example, Danny made plaster molds of real milkweed leaves, then vac-u-formed thin sheets of plastic onto the molds conforming the plastic to shape.  To create the milkweed flower he assembled clusters of buds individually from casts of real buds. Jessica built up tapered leaf stems from wire rolled with cotton batting and glue. Jessica also hand applied hundreds of “spines” one-by one to casts of pods. Plant stems were sculpted out of epoxy putty over a steel armature. Finally all the parts were arranged, assembled to shape, and airbrushed by Danny and hand-distressed by Jessica matching the colors and character of the real plants with incredible attention to detail.

The milkweed plant models are alternately on display (and covered with bugs!) at the Insect Zoo located in the National Museum of Natural History.

Modelmaker Danny Fielding examining his work

     A plaster mold, leaf stem, unpainted leaf, and painted leaf

 Jessica Western hand painting natural details on the milkweed plant

 The milkweed plant installed in NMNH's insect zoo

   A Milkweed bug enjoying it's new plant

The Way We Work

The traveling exhibit The Way We Work is in full swing at OEC. The exhibit was developed by Museums on Main Street and is based on a photo show done by the National Archives. Five copies will be produced and travel to small towns across the United States telling the story of how, why and where Americans work. The entire production process will require the help of every OEC department and include graphic design, exhibit detailing, large format printing, crating, model making, and much more.

Museums on Main Street employee Terri Cobb labeling graphic panels which make up the foundation of the show. 

Graphic panels awaiting lamination

Graphic specialist Theresa Dahlman executing the printing of graphic panels

 

Model maker Danny Fielding creating molds of hats which will become interactive element

 

 

 

 

Uncle Beazley: Time Laps Video

Check out these videos of the work done on Uncle Beazley thus far. 

-These videos were created and generously donated by Carolyn Thome, OEC model maker and film producer extraordinaire!

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Beazley Has Arrived

  
Last Wednesday OEC welcomed a life sized fiberglass triceratops to our place of work. This dino, Uncle Beazley, currently resides at the National Zoo but will be our guest for the next few weeks.
Uncle Beazley has been in need of periodic upkeep and repairs over the many years he’s belonged to SI, and the OEC model shop has been the primary provider of these services. Instead of just patching him up again and working outside as we have always done, we wanted to utilize the new space we have here at Pennsy Drive and do a more thorough refurbishing of this dear old fiberglass beast. With LOTS of coordination and support from transportation, horticulture, the Zoo and building services, we managed to bring him over to Pennsy last week.
After he was thoroughly power washed and cleaned, we brought him into the building, which was very tricky because at 27 feet long, 9 feet wide and 9 feet high, he is at the upper limits of size for moving him around and through the hallways! Now that he is in our shop we are patching holes and cracks and we will soon apply an entirely new coat of UV and weather resistant paint. We’ll refer to early photos of him to try to match what he originally looked like. We hope to have repairs done and Uncle Beazley ready for return to the Zoo by mid March. Carolyn Thome is the model maker responsible for doing this work; and many, many others have helped make this possible!