particular attention to the problems 
faced by black performers. It includes 
interviews with tap-dancers, a tour of a 
modern studio, and segments of virtuoso 
performances, some from early films. 
Programs in the People Center will be 
about “Polar Peoples” on Saturday and 
“Archeology” on Sunday. Gallery 77 
features “Portraits” on Saturday and 
films about “Social Issues” on Sunday. 
Films in the Education Hall will focus 
on “Spiritual Worlds” on Saturday, and 
“China” on Sunday. The Living Maya, 
in four one-hour segments, will be shown 
both days in the Hall of Mexico and 
Central America. Made by anthropolo- 
gist Hubert Smith, The Living Maya is 
the Festival’s only video production. 
Margaret Mead was an educator and 
a humanist as well as a scientist. She felt 
strongly that anthropology, the study of 
humankind, should be understood by all 
people, not just by professionals; that 
people should learn about other ways of 
life so they could better comprehend 
their own; and that vanishing cultures 
should be recorded on film. Although 
she was a skillful and prolific writer, she 
thought that some of the best anthropo- 
logical studies had been made with the 
camera and that film was perhaps the 
most direct and effective way to portray 
a people. In 1977, two years before her 
death, she fulfilled a long-standing wish 
by establishing the first [Margaret Mead 
Film Festival. Now the Museum is con- 
tinuing this tradition. 
For more information and a complete 
schedule of the 1981 Margaret Mead 
Film Festival, write to the Department 
of Education, American Mbseurn of 
Natural History, Central Park West at 
79th Street, New York, NY 10024 or 
call (212) 873-1070. 
Douglas J. Preston 
Art of the Rain Forest 
A major exhibition, African Arts of the 
Suriname Rain Forest , will open on 
Wednesday, October 28, in Gallery 3. 
Made up of 359 objects from the daily life 
of the Maroons, the exhibition shows how 
artistic expression is one of the fundamen- 
tal elements of what has been called the 
most African of all Afro-American cul- 
tures. 
The ancestors of the present-day Ma- 
roons were African plantation slaves who, 
during the late seventeenth and eighteenth 
centuries, escaped into remote regions of 
northeastern South America and estab- 
lished independent societies that are still 
flourishing today. 
Maroon art has been previously thought 
by scholars to consist almost exclusively of 
woodcarving, and this exhibition will intro- 
duce for the first time a number of arts 
virtually unknown outside of Maroon vil- 
lages, including textiles, basketry, jewelry, 
and a large number of calabash bowls. The 
exhibition will be open through January 
24, 1982. 
Seventeenth-Century Suriname Insects 
An unusual exhibit in the Library Gal- 
lery is devoted to the work of Maria Sibylla 
Merian (1647-1717). In the late 1600s, 
Merian, the daughter of a Swiss engraver, 
gave up her life in Europe and voyaged to 
Suriname, where she painted watercolors 
of insects and flora. On display will be 
seventeenth- and eighteenth-century folios 
with hand-colored engravings of her work 
and fine reproductions of her watercolors, 
many of which were bought by Catherine 
the Great of Russia and remain in that 
country. The exhibit will open October 1. 
Fall Lecture Series 
Museum scientists and other well-known 
authorities will give courses in a variety of 
subjects including anthropology, archeol- 
ogy, art, and the natural sciences. Each 
course consists of three to eight programs 
of lectures, films, slides, or laboratory in- 
struction. This is a fine opportunity for 
adults of an inquiring turn of mind to learn 
more about any of the seventeen topics 
offered, including Asian dancing, Tibetan 
culture, American archeology, and alter- 
natives to sociobiology. The lecture series 
opens the third week in October, and 
prices range from $20 to $85. Contact the 
Department of Education at (212) 873- 
7507 for details and registration materials. 
The Politics of Creation 
Fundamental creationism, thought to 
have become obsolete with the Scopes 
“monkey trial,” seems to have had a resur- 
gence. Quotes by eminent scientists and 
scientific theories have been misconstrued 
to support the position of the group known 
as scientific creationists. 
On Wednesday, October 28, at 7:30 
p.m., noted scientist and Natural History 
columnist Stephen Jay Gould will present 
a slide-illustrated lecture exploring the cur- 
rent theories of evolution within the scien- 
tific community. He will then focus on how 
the creationists are distorting scientific 
principles to achieve their own ends. 
Tickets for the lecture will be $2.00 for 
members, $4.00 for nonmembers. For 
ticket availability please call (212) 873- 
1327. 
The Parade of Life 
David Attenborough, who has recently 
completed the filming of a thirteen-part 
series “Life on Earth” (to be shown early 
next year on PBS) will present a special 
preview at the Museum on Sunday, Octo- 
ber 25, at noon and 3:00 p.m. Using ex- 
cerpts from the series, he will tell of his 
adventures during the filming in such 
places as the Comoro Islands, the Galapa- 
gos, and the Great Barrier Reef. The series 
traces the evolution of life from the first 
one-celled inhabitants of the primordial 
oceans through the more complex forms to 
Homo sapiens. The lecture will be free for 
members and $2.00 for nonmembers. For 
ticket availability please call (212) 873- 
1327. 
Workshops for Young People 
The Department of Education is offer- 
ing five stimulating weekend courses for 
children this fall: “Photographing New 
York,” “Exploring with the Microscope,” 
“The World of Dinosaurs,” “Reptiles and 
Amphibians,” and “Human Origins.” All 
will be taught by recognized scientists and 
educators and are specially geared for chil- 
dren of grades 4 through 7. The workshops 
start the weekend of October 24; tuition is 
from $14 to $20. Call the Department of 
Education at (212) 873-7507 for more in- 
formation. 
Planetarium Sky Shows 
“Night of the Hunter,” an exploration of 
the constellation Orion, will be shown 
through November 23. “Stars of the Sea- 
son,” an introduction to astronomy and the 
fall sky, will be shown Wednesdays at 7:30 
p.m., and, beginning October 3, Saturdays 
at 1 1 :00 a.m. The show covers several ex- 
citing topics, including the changing sea- 
sons, meteors, and the constellations and 
bright planets that will be visible this au- 
tumn. For schedules and prices, call the 
Hayden Planetarium at (212) 873-8828. 
Laserium 
The Hayden Planetarium will be featur- 
ing two Laserium programs: “Light 
Years,” which combines laser art with 
songs from twenty-five years of rock-and- 
roll, and “Rock Alive,” which uses the 
music of seventeen modern groups, includ- 
ing Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Yes. 
The Laserium shows will run on Wednes- 
day, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 
evenings. Call the Planetarium at (212) 
724-8700 for more information and admis- 
sion prices. 
Guided Tours 
The Museum offers free tours, led by 
Museum volunteers, to give visitors an 
inside glimpse of the history of the Mu- 
seum and to provide an introduction to its 
vast collections. Visitors may join the 
“Museum Highlights Tour” at the second 
floor Information Desk. Inquire at the 
desk on the day of your visit for specific 
times. 
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