Book spurs ongoing exhibit of unusual treasures stored away in Harvard museum

An invisible treasury.

At any given time, there are as many or more artifacts stored behind the scenes than are on public view in the nation's museums. Seldom do those not employed there or conducting research have the opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes.

In 2003, artist and author Mark Sloan, director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, enjoyed just such a privilege in the company of writer Nancy Pick.

The result was their 2004 book, "The Rarest of the Rare: Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History." Now, in composing a new exhibit based on the volume, Sloan reveals anew a sampling of this vast compendium: some 21 million specimens -- animal, vegetable and mineral -- from every nook and cranny of Planet Earth.

The ongoing exhibit runs through Jan. 7, weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

With an estimated 300 images, Sloan's book was conceived as a vehicle for "show and tell," showcasing specimens that highlighted the magnitude and range of what was harbored in the fastnesses of the museum. Sloan also was keen to have compelling histories to accompany his images.

"That was the idea behind it, nothing more elaborate than what grade school students do when they do show and tell," he says. "We were interested in shining light into some obscure corners, to bring things out that had not seen the light of day in some time, or things that people visiting the museum would not ordinarily have the chance to see."

Sloan captured such oddities as the morpho butterfly, which sounds rather like a Marvel Comics superhero -- male on the left side and female on the right, doubtless leading to some directional debates -- and the planet's most massive egg, 180 times the size of a chicken egg. Other specimens were even more exotic or, alternately, intriguingly prosaic. Though comprehensive and wide-ranging, the exhibit is in some ways a distillation of the book, albeit with the inclusion of some images that did not work in the book's format.

"Harvard owns the copyright to all the images I shot," says Sloan. "I was willing to do that because I was given access to 21 million specimens, which to someone like me is pretty remarkable. In the contract, I retained the right to exhibit photos in a fine arts context. I could sell the fine arts prints if I wanted to, but haven't. It's been a great relationship with Harvard, through which I met Nancy. She had been doing some freelance writing for them, and we had many interests in common."

Sloan has said that one of the principal intersections of art and science, and what they most embody, is exploration. Harvard's museum was a worthy subject in that regard, to say the least.

"It is a cumulative type of knowledge I'm going for, which is what I tried to accomplish with the photos in the exhibit. When I photograph a butterfly that is both male and female, I also photograph the log book used to collect butterflies and write about them. Whenever possible, I tried to use maps of diagrams or other accoutrements of the scientific enterprise that were related directly to the specimen itself, creating this wonderful conversation between diagrammatic information and this remarkable specimen."

Sloan's long-standing interest in the sciences and the "cross-pollination of ideas" is reflected in his undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies.

"It is about how we know the world through using science. It is a layering. Many of the most successful images in the book and exhibit are those where there is that layering of scientific information and image."

In preparation for the exhibit, Sloan, apart from having some prints reproduced, matted and framed, dispatched appropriate text from the book to the National Academy of Sciences, which edited it down slightly.

"When you see the exhibit, it is not exactly the same, but it is an accurate reflection of the book," says Sloan. "And it is absolutely a feather in my cap. I am totally, completely honored to be showing in that environment."

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.