Bishop Museum Announces Public Program Around Its Newest Exhibition, Taxonomy: Our Lives Depend On It

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum announces seven months of public programs complementing its newest exhibition, Taxonomy: Our Lives Depend On It. The events and activities provide select behind-the-scenes access to the Museum's Natural Science collections, as well as opportunities for the public to engage and work with its scientists and researchers.

"Bishop Museum's kuleana includes caring for more than 22 million biological specimens from across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, as well as scholarly research and scientific expeditions that span more than 130 years," said Taylour Chang, Bishop Museum director of public programs and community engagement. "While Taxonomy provides an introduction to one aspect of our researchers' important work, its corresponding public programs invite the community to dive deeper by taking part in hands-on activities with our staff, as well as participate in behind-the-scenes tours of some of our Natural Science collections, many of which are not usually accessible to the public."

The public programs will run from August 2022 through February 2023, with each month featuring a different area of Bishop Museum's Natural Sciences department. Updates to each month's events and activities will be posted at BishopMuseum.org/Taxonomy, as well as on the Museum's social media channels @BishopMuseum.

• August | Entomology (insects)
• September | Botany (plants)
• October | Ichthyology (fish)
• November | Invertebrate Zoology (animals with no backbones)
• December | Malacology (mollusks)
• January | Vertebrate Zoology (animals with backbones)
• February | Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity (genetic samples of plants and animals)

August's Taxonomy-related Public Programs

Beetles, Butterflies, Spiders, Centipedes, and more! Join Bishop Museum for three behind-the-scenes tours to explore different facets of the Museum's vast Entomology collection, long considered one of the world's largest. Bishop Museum's Entomology collection holds 14 million specimens and serves as an important resource for the study of endangered, threatened, and extinct species, as well as the principal U.S.-based entomological resource for documentation of biological diversity and ecosystem studies in the Asian and Pacific regions. Note: The "Beetles" behind-the-scenes tours on Aug. 4 have been completed.

• Aug. 13, 2022; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. HST | EventEntomology: Behind the Scenes | Butterflies!Participants are asked to meet in the Gulab & Indru Watumull Atrium in the Hawaiian Hall ComplexSpecial $15 and below admission; Bishop Museum Members receive a discount. Please see event page for details.Butterflies!Experience Bishop Museum's remarkable collection of butterflies and moths. Pacific butterflies include some of the world's most famous, recognizable, and even mysterious species!
• Aug. 20, 2022; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. HST | EventEntomology: Behind the Scenes | Spiders, Centipedes, and Strange Surprises!Participants are asked to meet in the Gulab & Indru Watumull Atrium in the Hawaiian Hall ComplexSpecial $15 and below admission; Bishop Museum Members receive a discount. Please see event page for details.Spiders, Centipedes, and Strange Surprises!Get up and close to a diverse collection of creepy crawlers! This tour of the Museum's Entomology collection will highlight not only the centipedes, spiders, and scorpions that you know and (perhaps) love, but also stranger creatures you'll be introduced to for the first time.

September's Taxonomy-related Public Programs

• Sept. 3, 2022; 8 a.m.-Noon HST | Event
• Sept. 17, 2022; 8 a.m.-Noon HST | Event
• Sept. 24, 2022; 8 a.m.-Noon HST | EventGet Your Hands Dirty With Native Hawaiian PlantsSpecial $15 registration fee includes Museum admission for the day, and Museum-provided lunch. Bishop Museum Members receive $5 off; please see event pages for details.Join Bishop Museum in growing and sustaining its living curated collection of Native Hawaiian plants. Participate in three hands-on workshops that represent a snapshot of the Museum's ongoing work in preserving Hawaiʻi's ecosystems. By learning directly from Museum botanists, participants will deepen their knowledge of native plants, be better able to recognize invasive species, and learn how to archive herbarium specimens.Each Saturday has rotations of three workshops that participants can join:
  • Plant in the Native Hawaiian Garden
  • Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt
  • Archive Plant Specimens

Capacity for the Taxonomy-related public programs is limited, so guests are encouraged to register early. Updates to the programs can be found on the exhibition's webpage, BishopMuseum.org/Taxonomy.

Members of the media are invited to cover any of the public programs; due to their limited capacity, please RSVP with Lance Aquino via the contact information above.

Upon arrival at the Museum, please check in at the Security Desk to exchange a form of identification for a Bishop Museum Media Badge.

Bishop Museum Admission, Parking, and Hours

Timed General Admissions can be booked on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at BishopMuseum.org/Tickets. Tickets for Bishop Museum After Hours events can be purchased via this same webpage.

The safety and health of our visitors and employees remain our highest priorities. Face masks are optional but strongly encouraged. Learn more on our Health & Safety page.

General Admission

| | Weekdays | Weekends | |------------------------|----------|----------| | Adults: | $26.95 | $28.95 | | Seniors (65+): | $23.95 | $25.95 | | Youth (4–17): | $18.95 | $20.95 | | Children (3 and under):| Free | Free |

Hawaiʻi Residents, Hawaiʻi College Students, and Military with ID

| Adults: | $14.95 | | Seniors (65+): | $12.95 | | Youth (4-17): | $10.95 | | Children (3 and under): | Free |

Children age 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Bishop Museum Annual Membership levels include free general admission and parking for 12 months. Learn more at BishopMuseum.org/Membership.

J. Watumull Planetarium tickets can be purchased at the Box Office after admission to the Museum; shows are free for Bishop Museum Members, but must be obtained at the Box Office in person on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parking Rates

Daytime Rate: 6 a.m.–5 p.m. $5.00 Evening Rate: 5 p.m.–10 p.m. $3.00

Hours

Open every day from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving and on Christmas Day.

Bishop Museum Café by Highway Inn offers a limited menu of bowls, sandwiches, and snacks from 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. daily. Bishop Museum Members receive a 10% discount with their membership card.