By Eric Harris
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| Natural History Museum of Los Angeles unveils NHM Commons, its newest wing, featuring Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur in Los Angeles, California on November 13, 2024. All pictures by Eric Harris / TTDILA. |
On Saturday, November 17, 2024, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County unveiled its newest wing to the public. NHM Commons, though referred to as a new museum wing, functions more as a welcome center and community hub than a typical museum expansion. Notably, the galleries (except for ticketed shows) are free and open to the public. Designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners, NHM Commons encompasses 75,000 square feet of renovated space and new construction, including a lobby, café, local-inspired museum shop, theater, theater gallery, and welcome center gallery. The opening exhibits feature two large-scale permanent displays: Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur, a one-of-a-kind, green-hued dinosaur skeleton, and Barbara Carrasco’s 1981 landmark mural L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective, as well as two smaller exhibits, and two ticketed shows in the new multi-purpose theater.
Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur
The crown jewel of NHM Commons is Gnatalie (the “g” is silent) the Green Dinosaur—a stunning, 75-foot-long, green-colored fossil of a newly discovered diplodocus-like sauropod. Measuring about the length of two-and-a-half school buses (or for Canadians, roughly nine large moose lined nose-to-tail), Gnatalie’s adventure began in 2007 when NHMLAC’s Dinosaur Institute researchers unearthed her in Southeast Utah. Since then, she’s been meticulously cleaned, transported to LA, had some “work” done, and even changed her name (inspired by the pesky gnats that swarmed the excavation team). Despite a few missing pieces, she is 80% dinosaur and is the most complete sauropod mount on the west coast. Her striking green bones owe their color to the mineral celadonite (sel-AD-uh-nite) which filled them during the fossilization process. Today, Gnatalie stands as the only green-colored dinosaur skeleton (technically a composite mount of multiple specimens) ever displayed on Earth.
As the face of NHM Commons, Gnatalie is prominently featured on Natural History Museum branding and merchandise, including plush dinosaurs, festive Christmas Tree ornaments and cards, home décor, mugs, candles, apparel, and more.
L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective
Complimenting the very long Gnatalie is Chicana artist Barbara Carrasco’s equally long mural L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective. This 80-foot long portrayal of L.A. history unfolds through a series of 51 vignettes woven into the hair of la Reina de los Ángeles (the Queen of Angels), a reference to El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula, the original Spanish name for Los Angles. The mural was commissioned by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in 1981 for the city of Los Angeles’ bicentennial. However, the work was rejected because the Community Redevelopment Agency deemed Carrasco’s portrayal of 14 vignettes to be problematic or controversial, such as the Battle of Dominguez Ranch / the Battle of the Old Woman’s Gun, the Chinese Massacre of 1871, the Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the Sleepy Lagoon murder, and The Zoot Suit Riots. Individual vignettes illustrate some of the significant events and figures in LA history that have shaped the city of Los Angeles including the arrival of the Spanish, the construction of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the Treaty of Cahuenga, the citrus industry (circa 1900), the Hollywood Sign, the 1932 Olympic Games, the opening of Union Station, and a vision of the future as envisioned by the artist in 1981.
An example of one the 14 controversial vignettes is the scene “Whitewashing History” which depicts the whitewashing of Marxist Mexican artist and political agitator David Alfaro Siqueiros’ 1932 Los Angeles mural América Tropical: Oprimida y Destrozada por los Imperialismos (Tropical America: Oppressed and Destroyed by Imperialism). This vignette portrays the crucifixion of an indigenous man to a double cross under an eagle, symbolizing American imperialism. Siqueiros, one of the most famous Mexican muralists, would later be known for leading a failed 1940 assassination attempt on exiled Russian/Soviet politician Leon Trotsky.
Other Exhibitions and shows
In addition to its main attractions, NHM Common features two supplementary exhibits: Collective Knowledge from our Changing World and Doing Science Better Together. The exhibit Collective Knowledge from our Changing World showcases unique specimens, such as a 28-million-year-old Olympic Whale fossil skull "type specimen," along with twelve large-scale photographs of notable artifacts from the Natural History Museum's collection of 35 million objects, captured by Craig Cutler and Scott Bremmer.
Doing Science Better Together features NHM community science initiatives, such as NHM BioSCAN, the world's largest urban biodiversity study, GeckoWatch, an invasive non-native gecko monitoring program, SLIME (Sails and Slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments) catalogue program, and others. More than 50 previously unknown species, including 30 new species of flies from urban Los Angeles, have been identified through these and other NHM community science projects.
NHM Commons also introduces two ticketed shows: T. REX 3D and Ocean Encounters. Narrated by Sam Neill, renowned actor from Jurassic Park, T. REX 3D is a family-friendly film that vividly portrays the life of NHM's Thomas the T. Rex and his Cretaceous companions. Ocean Encounters features a live-performance puppet show with life-size representations of prehistoric and contemporary sea creatures, all modeled after specimens at NHM. This show builds upon the successful decade-long run of NHM’s Dinosaur Encounter puppet show (currently on hiatus until 2025) and promises to captivate children.
Final Thoughts
The NHM Commons project signifies a notable advancement towards integrating the Natural History Museum with its surrounding environment. According to architect Frederick Fisher, NHM Commons was conceptualized as a new "front porch" facing the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum side of the building. This design facilitates the flow of Exposition Park into the museum, enhancing accessibility and fostering a welcoming atmosphere. While a rear entrance may appear redundant at present, it will become increasingly relevant in the near future by offering seamless transitions between the museum, the under-construction Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and the greater Exposition Park area.
Plan Your Visit
Location
Hours
9:30am–5pm
Closed the first Tuesday of every month.
Also closed on Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
General Admission
Seniors $14
Students $14
Children $7
Children 2 and under Free
T.REX 3D $10
Dinosaur Encounters $10
Ocean Encounters $10
L.A. County Residents get free Museum admission from 3-5 pm Monday through Friday.
Parking
3724 Bill Robertson Ln, Los Angeles, CA 90037
$20
Blue Structure Parking Lot
700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037
$20 before 5 PM, $24 after 5 PM
Contact
[email protected]
(213) 763-3466
Gallery
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| Commons Marketplace at NHM Commons features Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur-themed merchandise and gifts. |
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| Selection of Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur and other Natural History Museum of Los Angeles-themed merchandise at NHM Commons, including festive dinosaur Christmas Tree ornaments and cards. |
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| Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga (left), President and Director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and architect Fred Fisher (right), Founding Principal of Frederick Fisher and Partners, discuss key design elements of the newly unveiled NHM Commons at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. |
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| Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur's skull and neck. |
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| ABC7's Sophie Flay captures the excitement of the new NHM Commons as she records a sneak peek on location at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. |
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| Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur's skull. |
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| Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur's skull. |
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| Detail of one of Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur's leg bones. |
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| Detail of one of Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur's vertebrae. |
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| View of Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur's hindquarters |
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| A display case showcases the original fossilized backbone of Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur, which is not included in the skeleton mount due to its twisted form. |
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| Detail of the censored scene “After Internment” from Barbara Carrasco’s L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective, depicting the internment of over 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. |
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| An installation view of the exhibit Collective Knowledge from Our Changing World at NHM Commons, showcasing unique specimens and large-scale photographs of notable artifacts from the Natural History Museum's extensive collection. |
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| Three large-scale photographs from the exhibit Collective Knowledge from Our Changing World at NHM Commons. |
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| Large-scale photograph of a jar filled with Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes from the exhibit Collective Knowledge from Our Changing World at NHM Commons. |
