Dig It!: The Secrets of Soil

Picture it: you as a young child, digging holes in your backyard, sifting through grass and dirt and worms to achieve whatever goal your creative imagination conjured up. In those tiny piles of dirt that you built, it probably never occurred to your young mind that there were more living creatures in any one pile of dirt than there are humans on this earth. From the obvious critters like slugs and snails, to the tiny microbes like heterotrophs and autotrophs, there's lots of goodies down in that soil.

Don't get freaked out yet... All those living organisms, and more, are thoroughly explained at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC). The MAC, as it's so lovingly called, has an amazing interactive exhibit created by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. 4,000 square feet display the intricate systems of the soil, and how this overlooked ecosystem supports nearly every life form on earth. In addition, viewers of the exhibit will have the chance to learn about how soil corresponds with nutrition, global food production, climate change, and even animation for multi-media (who knew?).

The MAC will be showing off this exhibit until September 22, so dig deep and get dirty! For more information visit the MAC personally, or call 509.456.3931. Take a virtual tour, or find out about the Teen Interpreters helping out for the summer!

ArtFest 2012

It's back, ladies and gents! The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC)'s 27th annual ArtFest began at noon on Friday, June 1, and continues through 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 3. This three-day summer event features over 160 art booths and artists, delicious food, awesome music, and loads of creative fun. A Make-It-Art tent is set-up to engage children in some hands-on activities, and for those adults that harbor a taste for fine wine, you can relax at the beer and wine garden.

Coeur d'Alene Park will be boasting all the craftiness this year--about two blocks from the MAC in Spokane's historical Browne's Addition. There's no cost to attend this festival, so there's no reason not show up, grab a bite to eat, and take a glance or two at the different artwork displayed throughout the grounds.

For more information contact 509.456.3931, email artfest@northwestmuseum.org, or www.northwestmuseum.org.