Life size Dragon Exhibit
I am beyond excited for the opportunity we have been given to do some amazing large, no HUGE projects for the Dragon Research Collaborative!
In 2019 we completed construction of the first of two life size Dragon Exhibits for the Dragon Research Collaborative. We’re starting with a 5 Foot dragon head and mural for the exhibit. I worked with David Husser another local artist who created the backdrop forest/dragon body mural and my husband who did the many things he does. We posted regular updates on the construction process on Facebook and Youtube build videos.
In January of 2020 we completed construction of full size (over 30 Foot!) dragon which is a based on the first dragon ever depicted, Tiamat. David Husser provide an awesome paint job on the dragon and my husband designed/welded the frame. This Dragon will start its journey premiering at the Olin Gallery at Roanoke College “Origins of Dragons” Exhibit in January of 2020 until March 22, 2020. Checkout our picture gallery and build video gallery on this project.
The 37ft Dragon as well as the Dragon Head and Mural will be seen next at the Virginia Museum of Natural History’s Dragon Festival from Oct. 15-16 2021.
Please visit our dedicated page to find out more info about this part of the project as well as where it’s traveling to next.
Ryan Barber, deputy director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History said. “When you think about it, dragons have been a myth shared by countless societies throughout the world for centuries. How did people at opposite ends of the world, with no contact with one another, all conceive the idea of the dragon?”
Where you can see the dragons
Olin Hall Galleries – Roanoke College (Virginia)
Showing until March 22nd 2020
Virginia Museum of Natural History (Dragon Festival)
Oct 15-16 2021
The Science behind Dragons
The Lepidodendron, although not technically a tree, is often called the “scale tree”. As you can see above, the fossils show off the pattern of the leaves on the plant.
The Dragon Research Collaborative started as a research project aimed at finding a link between the ancient Lepidodendron plants and the lore of dragons. Since then, the DRC has grown to include a number of professors, students, alums, and community partners. The DRC’s original aim, a scientific approach to dragon lore, now stands as an example of a successful undergraduate transdisciplinary project that uses dragons as the hook to research across diverse disciplines: plant biology, history, literature, computer sciences, business, environmental science, and more.
More info at dragonrc.net