NSLMology: The Science of Sporting Art

Apr 12, 2019 - Sep 15, 2019

This Spring, NSLM melds art with science to create NSLMology: The Science of Sporting Art, an exhibition for explorers of all ages! Visitors are invited to experience scientific principles within three centuries of paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and hands-on activities. Get up close and personal with the physics of locomotion and identify meteorological patterns, ecology, the science of colors, and even chemistry.

Locomotion: Horses gallop faster than human eyes can comprehend. How was this mystery of motion solved?

Weather: Wind, water cycles, and cloud types are all on display for scientific inquiry.

Ecology: What plants and animals do we find in the wild, and what do they eat to survive?

Color theory: How do artists mix colors to show temperature and mood?

Chemistry: How many states of matter are used to create bronze sculptures? What elements make up the alloy bronze?

Enjoy highlights from the National Sporting Library & Museum’s permanent collection in an entirely fresh way as a self-guided experience or contact us to book a group tour.

A.L. Jewell and Co., Waltham, Mass., c. 1860
A Horse, with Left Front Leg Raised
copper weathervane
18 x 20 inches
Bequest of Paul Mellon, 1999

Attrbuted to John Ross, Sr. (fl.1729-1738)                                             
A Hare Hunting Scene, 18th c.                                                             
oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 60 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches                                           
Gift of Gerald Parsky, 2008

Ogden Minton Pleissner (American, 1905-1983)
The Covey Rise, 1960
watercolor on paper
16 3/4 x 28 inches
Gift of Private Collection, 2018

John Bucknell Russell (Scottish, 1820-1893)                                         
The Day's Catch, 1865                                                                       
oil on canvas, 21 1/4 x 29 1/4 inches                                                             
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Greenan, 2011