Adult Forum: Don Luce

We are pleased to welcome Don Luce, retired curator at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum to forum this Sunday, speaking on the topic, “A Natural Curiosity: A History of the Bell Museum.”

From its humble beginnings as a one-room cabinet of scientific specimens, the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum has grown to be an important cultural institution with a new public museum on the St Paul Campus. In this illustrated talk, Luce will trace the museum’s evolution, and highlight a sample of its remarkable history of programs and accomplishments. As both a scientific research center and nexus for public education about the environment, the museum has made innovations in a diverse range of activities from the creation of wildlife habitat dioramas, to the development of radio-tracking for wildlife biology research. What has tied the many aspects of the museum together, is a passionate desire to make new discoveries about the natural world, and a commitment to build informed support for its preservation.

Don Luce is retired Curator of Exhibits at the Bell Museum. During his 43-year career he developed most of the museum’s temporary exhibitions and expanded the museum’s art collection. He is an authority on the history of dioramas and the work of artist Francis Lee Jaques. He was a key member of the design team that developed the museum’s new galleries. He is a co-author of the book A Natural Curiosity: The Story of the Bell Museum, published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2022.

Forum takes place in Fellowship Hall at 9:00 am. There will be coffee and treats!