A madcap menagerie unleashed

Question: What do you get when you mash up a whale with a lion or an elephant and a rooster?

Answer: You get “Mash-Up Menagerie,” a unique interactive exhibit at Long Island Children’s Museum.

“Summer sports are well represented on Long Island,” says Aimee Terzulli, Director of Education and Visitor Experience at the museum, “but we find that families are looking for more creative experiences.”

“Mash-Up Menagerie” an artist-led exhibition, fits that need. As visitors enter they are confronted with the “frames” of fantastical hybrid animals and are challenged to help finish these creatures using their imagination and design ingenuity. Vistors add layers every day, painting scales, using yarn to create barnacles and so on. The exhibit, in residence through Sept. 1, changes daily with visitor participation.
“Kids don’t have enough time to dream any more,” says 57-year-old Scott Larrabee, the museum’s artist-in-residence and “Mash-Up Menagerie”creator.
“When I was a kid I played in the backyard and in the woods. I’d make things out of scraps of wood and other garbage. Now with all the technology and scheduling I feel like free time is lost. I wanted to create a space where kids can daydream a little.”
Terzulli adds, “We were struck by parents saying their kids need a digital detox. They want their kids to spend more creative time in the museum.”
All the exhibit components have a playful interactive element and playfulness. Imaginations can run wild as families walk through the mouth of a whion (whale + lion), slide down an ellaster (elephant + rooster) and manipulate the legs and eyes of an octamoose (octopus + moose). It’s a fantastical, magical world in which visitors have a personal stake by contributing to the collaborative project.
“Seeing the expressions of the kids and parents, is really precious,” says Larrabee.
While the hybrid creatures, of course aren’t real, each originates from animals found in nature and children are encouraged to think about what these creatures might need to survive in their environments. Should their coloring be neon-bright or camouflage? Will their hides be soft or scaly?
The exhibit’s “mash-up” nature is further reflected in the combination of imaginative and realistic activities that enhance the installation.
A schedule of themed “Creature Feature” programming, led by Larrabee and the museum’s staff, enables visitors to learn about the distinct characteristics of the animals. Different days focus on different themes, including Skulls and Teeth, Skin and Scales, Paws and Claws, Fur and Feathers and yes, even Scat and Poop.
These activities encourage participants to gather information as scientists in an artistic way. In Fur and Feathers, kids explore the protective aspects of animal coverings and what can be learned by coloring and texture. Everyone is encouraged to create their own fur and feather patterns. In Paws and Claws you’ll track down animals by examining paw prints and comparing differences in size, width and toes.
“This exhibit is the perfect blend of art and science colliding,” says Terzulli. “You have to be thoughtful of how you put the things together.”
Families are encouraged to return throughout the summer to add new elements to the installation and observe the changes.
“When kids go to an art class they might finish one or two projects,” says Terzulli. “We want them to understand the evolution of an art project can be a longer process.”
The museum is creating a time-lapse video so that when the exhibit ends, visitors can see how it all came together.
Larrabee, who’s been involved with LICM for nearly 15 years, has a background window display and designs for stores, galleries and studios. He says creating exhibits for museum brings a special joy. “One of the magical things at the museum is that you can see people using the exhibits.”
In fact, “Mash-Up Menagerie” is the first of what the staff intends to be a series of” Maker” exhibits that encourage people to get back to the art of making things. The long-term plan is to ultimately set up a permanent Makers space within the museum.

Mash-up Menagerie
When: Now through Sept. 1. Open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., through July and Aug. $14 adults and children, $13 seniors, free to museum members and children under 1 year old. View the LICM events calendar at www.licm.org for additional information or call (516) 224-5800.
Where: Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City.