John Gurche is an artist whose award-winning work in paleontology brings scientific accuracy and a high degree of realism to reconstruct the face of our human ancestors, dinosaurs and other ancient life. He will appear at the Bruce Museum twice during the weekend of April 9 and 10 to discuss his facial reconstructions for the new hominid species Homo naledi, recently discovered in South Africa. Gurche’s painted and sculptural paleo-art has appeared on the covers of National Geographic, Discover and Natural History magazines and been featured at the Smithsonian, Field Museum and American Museum of Natural History as well as in television documentaries.
In his lecture on Saturday, April 9, Gurche will tell the story of Homo naledi’s discovery and analysis, with special focus on the anatomical clues he used to work out details of H. naledi’s appearance. The 2016 Marianne Smith Memorial Lecture includes a reception with light refreshments at 6:30 p.m., followed by the lecture at 7. The event is free for museum members and $15 non-members.
On April 10, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., he will lead “Facing the Human Past” Family Workshop for ages six and up, sharing the story of how he studies hominid fossils and recreates faces above the skeletal structure. This child-friendly, hands-on program encourages family members to build their own reconstruction of an early human over a cast of a 300,000 year-old skull from the species Homo heidelbergensis found in Zimbabwe. John Gurche will help guide the sculpting. No sculpting experience or scientific training is necessary. The event is $7 for museum members and $15 for non-members.
Both events require registration on the Bruce Museum page of Eventbrite.com. For more information, see brucemuseum.org.
