The Nature of Color

Our world is awash with color. Explore the world of color in this immersive traveling exhibition.
The Nature of Color reveals the many roles of color in the natural world, across human cultures, and in our personal lives.
Explore the science of color, how colors make us feel, the history of color production, and how plants and animals use color to help them survive and reproduce.
Key Questions
- What is color?
- How do plants and animals use color?
- How do colors trigger emotions and ideas?
- How is color produced?
Highlights
This fun, family-friendly exhibition includes models, cultural objects, and interactive exhibits that invite visitors to play and experiment with color.
Explore the physics of color in an immersive entrance that alternates between two kinds of lighting: one with color, and one without.
© AMNH/R. Mickens
© AMNH/R. Mickens
The white walls of this shadow theater appear colorless, but the light shining on them is a mixture of red, blue, and green light. When some of these colors are blocked, the remaining colors are revealed, filling in shadows with color.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
© AMNH/D. Finnin
Larger-than-life models reveal why some organisms come in eye-catching colors while others blend into the background.
© AMNH/R. Mickens
© AMNH/R. Mickens
Explore how colors can influence how you feel while playing a video interactive on kiosks or from mobile devices.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
© AMNH/D. Finnin
Learn how people have searched for pigments to make their lives more colorful and try your hand at virtually dyeing indigo fabric at interactive stations.
© AMNH/R. Mickens
© AMNH/R. Mickens
Find out how colors can create shared identity and see some of the many uses of red throughout human history, from cave art to college sports.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
© AMNH/D. Finnin
Paint without the mess just by moving in a floor-to-ceiling color play interactive.
© AMNH/R. Mickens
© AMNH/R. Mickens
Arrange mirrors and play with filters to create light art by splitting light beams into different colors and directions.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
© AMNH/D. Finnin
The exhibition features an installation of portraits by Brazilian photographer Angélica Dass, whose work showcases the diversity of human skin tones to challenge socially constructed racial categories and celebrate the beauty of humans from around the world.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
© AMNH/D. Finnin
Request More Information
Contact us to request availability for hosting this traveling exhibition.
The Nature of Color is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).