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Text by Heather Dewar, Photographs by Kristen B. Grace, Edited by Beverly Sensbach and Design by Hollis H. Wooley

Lead Designer

Florida Museum of Natural History In-House Graphics Department

Design Company

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shops/collectors/all-things-beautiful/

Profile Website

Project Website

Florida Museum of Natural History Director's Office

Client

The Florida Museum of Natural History is a non-profit organization and Florida's official natural history museum. Its main facilities are located on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Design Team

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fe1ca11us181cdg/AllThingsBeautiful.mp4?dl=0

Video (direct link)

Created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its designation as the state museum, All Things Beautiful was conceived as both a fine art photography book and an exploration of the collections and history of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. Photography, book design, and project coordination were done by museum staff, with assistance from a freelance writer who conducted research and interviews and wrote the text. The book is being marketed to museum visitors, members, volunteers and other supporters and is used as a stewardship and cultivation asset by the University of Florida and Florida Museum advancement.

Lushly illustrated with over 300 color plates, this volume is a celebration of the beauty of natural history collections and the work of faculty curators dedicated to understanding and conserving our natural world. All Things Beautiful reveals some of the remarkable animals, plants, fossils and cultural heritage materials that make up the 40 million+ collections of the Florida Museum. With 10 chapters exploring diverse themes including the collector’s impulse, fields of adventure, remembering the lost and saving the imperiled, this book captures the vast scope of the museum’s efforts to document and discover all forms of life on Earth. Extraordinary color, form, pattern and texture are revealed in the stunning photography of photographer Kristen Grace. Focusing on rare, beautiful and fascinating highlights from the collections, these images, along with their compelling stories, will inspire those who love nature, science, museums and the thrill of discovery.

This entry is distinctive in that the publication was created in-house; photography, graphic design and editorial oversight were accomplished with existing staff resources, with text contributed by freelancer Heather Dewar, who worked closely with the museum team. The goal of the project was to create a publication that would inspire curiosity and wonder, utilizing a high resolution art photography approach to capture the unique aspects of natural history specimens, engaging audiences with high quality visuals while interweaving the images with both the history of the museum and university and the larger story of conservation of biological and cultural heritage and resources. 

Large scale, full-bleed photos of over 170 museum specimens and objects were taken by resident photographer Kristen B. Grace. Ms. Grace worked closely with museum curators and collection managers to photograph specimens and objects of great diversity, size and scale using clean backgrounds in a studio setting, limiting perspective but focusing on each specimen’s or object’s unique features and beauty.

Author Heather Dewar conducted hundreds of hours of research as well as interviews with over 50 faculty curators and collection managers and university donors to the collections. Senior graphic designer Hollis Wooley did the entire design and layout of the book, including the creation of solarized images based on select photos for the chapter openings and book cover. We believe the resulting publication engages a wide audience with the university’s special collections, emphasizing the impact of the museum’s research, teaching and outreach and encouraging current and future donors to support the institution.

Gold Winner in Book Design for Graphic Design