Cultural Feast – A Renaissance Condottieri Banquet…A Knight to Remember
Art, warfare, intrigue, and cuisine often melded during the Italian Renaissance. Places such as Milan and northern Italy were important centers for the manufacture of the exquisite armor worn by kings and nobles throughout Europe during battles. Artists including Leonardo da Vinci often designed fortifications and siege weaponry. And, mercenaries known as condottieri found fame and fortune as military leaders for Italian city-states, duchies, and kingdoms. Many of these condottieri, known for their luxurious lifestyles and elaborate banquets, are memorialized by monuments located in Venice, Florence, and other Italian cities, as well as in historical literary works and today’s popular culture.
Inspired by the condottieri, Chef Danny Trace of Osso & Kristalla and sister restaurant Potente has created a menu that captures the flavors and ingredients of the Italian places associated with their careers. Culinary historian Merrianne Timko will highlight some of the more interesting condottieri and the cuisine of their time.
Hosted at Osso & Kristalla/Potente.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018 – 7:00 PM
Tickets $115, Members $95
Advance ticket purchase is required by February 9. No refunds will be made 72 hours before the event, however tickets can be transferred to another individual. Please notify webmaster@hmns.org with your name, transaction number, and name of the guests using your tickets.
Lecture – Trilobites, the Fossil Record and Evolution by Richard Fortey
Plate 3 from “Système silurien du centre de la Bohême” Vol I Supplement II, 1852. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Trilobites were eyewitness to evolution. These shelled animals lived in the oceans over five hundred million years ago. As bewilderingly diverse then as the beetle is today, they survived in the arctic or the tropics, were spiky or smooth, as large as lobsters or small as fleas. And because they flourished for three hundred million years, they can be used to glimpse a less evolved world of ancient continents and vanished oceans.
Erudite and entertaining, Richard Fortey will pay exuberant homage to a fabulously singular species and introduce new findings from soft body fossil evidence.
This lecture is sponsored by Rice University’s Wiess School of Natural Science.
Thursday, February 15, 2018 – 6:30 PM
Members $12, Tickets $18
Girls Exploring Math And Science
Save the date for GEMS 2018! Join us Saturday, February 17, 2018.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council invite you to attend the annual Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS) event. The Museum will be filled with hands-on science and math for everyone to experience. Local professionals will be at the Museum to answer questions about their careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Join us on Saturday, February 17 2018 from 9am to 1pm to see STEM in action!
The GEMS event is included with admission to HMNS permanent exhibit halls. Interested in getting a discounted rate for your group? Book ahead through our field trips department at 713-639-4659.
NEW opportunities for organizations at GEMS 2018! This year, you have the opportunity to get your organization’s name on the back of the GEMS t-shirt.
And don’t forget to stop by Wortham Giant Screen Theater to view Dream Big 3D, a film about engineers pushing the limits of ingenuity and innovation in unexpected, imaginative and amazing ways.
It’s Time For Xploration Summer Camp Registration!
2018 Priority Member Registration begins on the following dates:
- Discoverer: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018
- Family Flex: Monday, Feb. 19, 2018
- Family Plus and Family: Monday, February 26, 2018
- General Public: Monday, March 19, 2018
Parent’s Guide to Xplorations Summer Camp is the basics of what you need to know! To help you prepare you and your camper for your first day of camp, we have compiled this basic list of answers to some frequently asked questions including information about lunches, before/after camp care, directions and what to expect on your first day.
Questions? Contact xplorations@hmns.org or call 713-639-4652.
