For immediate release.

Summer Brings a Labyrinth of Learning to Fernbank Museum

New Special Exhibit, “A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature,” Opens June 8

ATLANTA, GA May 1, 2024—This summer, Fernbank Museum invites guests to embark on a journey to discover the mathematical patterns that surround us in nature and how they are used in other ways. Opening June 8, 2024, “A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature” tells the story of patterns found in every aspect of our world — from the veins of a leaf to the internal structures that form large buildings — and more.

“A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature” is an interactive and immersive exhibit that highlights four separate types of patterns found in the world: Spirals, Voronoi patterns, Fractals and the Golden Ratio. The crown jewel of this exhibit is a 1,700 sq. ft mirror maze which reflects fractal patterns — a phenomenon created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop.

This exhibit opens with an immersive theater presentation displaying footage of nature, the human body, and even art and architecture, superimposed with graphics demonstrating the mathematical patterns beneath these familiar scenes. From there, guests enter the impressive mirror maze for an immersive experience that demonstrates the fractal pattern often found in nature. This maze features motion-activated elements that flash on the mirrors themselves, for a truly interactive venture.

From here, “A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature” opens to a variety of hands-on and digital interactives, from a two-way mirror superimposition that demonstrates patterns on your body to a station that allows guests to compose a piece of music to explore symmetry. Guests will also be able to draw patterns on a digital screen, observe fractals creating a computer-generated landscape and more. The exhibit also features an array of artifacts — Bighorn sheep antlers, honeycomb and an aluminum anthill casting — that demonstrate real examples of patterns in objects from the natural world. Humans have been using nature's patterns to design modern innovations for years; computer animation, architecture, musical composition and more are influenced by mathematical patterns commonly found in nature. For example, the same pattern that’s found in the foam on your latte can create the structure that supports an Olympic stadium!

“By showcasing that fascinating numerical patterns are all around us, we hope kids and adults alike discover not only how math and other STEM elements are present in our daily lives but also how these natural occurrences can inspire exciting innovations in art, science and more,” says Dr. Olivia Castellini, Sr. Exhibit Strategist, Museum of Science + Industry, Chicago.

“A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature” is open June 8 – Sept. 2, 2024.  This exhibit will be included with General Admission at Fernbank Museum. For more information, please visit https://fernbankmuseum.org

“A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature” is designed and developed by the Museum of Science + Industry, Chicago. Local support provided by the Isdell Family Foundation. Additional support provided by the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation.

Related Programming 

Fernbank will host "Patterns at Play," a family-friendly Discovery Day to celebrate the grand opening of “A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature” from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, 2024. "Patterns at Play" is sponsored by Novelis.  

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Tickets 

Exhibits, films and Discovery Days are included with daytime general admission and with CityPASS. General admission tickets include three floors of exhibits in the natural history museum, choice of one giant screen film, and 75-acres of nature explorations in Fernbank Forest and WildWoods. Fernbank After Dark and some other special after-hours events are available at a separate ticket price and may include access to special exhibits. Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road NE in Atlanta, minutes from midtown Atlanta and downtown Decatur.  

For more information, visit FernbankMuseum.org. General admission tickets include a film in the Giant Screen Theater. Tickets are $25.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors, $23.95 for children ages 3-12, free for children ages 2 and younger, and free for Fernbank Members. These prices are for tickets purchased online at FernbankMuseum.org. Tickets not purchased in advance are offered, if available, at a higher price at the Box Office. More information is available at FernbankMuseum.org. 

Media Inquiries

Jena Allison, Communications Manager     
Jena.Allison@FernbankMuseum.org    
404.929.6381     

About Fernbank    

Fernbank is one of the most popular and iconic cultural destinations in Atlanta. Known as Atlanta's Science and Nature Experience, Fernbank invites guests to discover a World of Wow through an expansive natural history museum, 4-story giant screen theater, and 75-acres of nature adventures in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest. One of the oldest not-for-profit conservation organizations in the country, Fernbank was founded in 1939 to preserve Fernbank Forest, the largest urban, old growth, Piedmont forest in the United States. The museum and giant screen theater opened as "a school in the woods for nature studies" on Oct. 5, 1992, and is today known for its giant dinosaurs, hands-on STEAM* programming, immersive experiences, and year-round nature exploration. Visit fernbankmuseum.org for more information and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok.   

*Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.