DESMA Event Three
Abi Altick
June 3, 2019
UCLA Meteorite
Gallery
For my final event for this class,
on June 3rd, 2019, I visited the UCLA Meteorite Gallery in the
Geology building on campus. This meteorite gallery helped me gain further insight
about the intertwining of the two subjects art and science. I was able to
expand my knowledge on art and science, and I could directly relate this
gallery to Week Nine’s topic of space and art.
To begin, it was important for me
to understand exactly what a meteorite is. According to the gallery, the meteor
terminology poster defined a meteorite as a “fragment of a meteoroid or
asteroid that survives passage through the atmosphere and hits the ground.” While
meteorites are definitely an incredible scientific discovery, they can also be
used an art form in museums and galleries. These beautiful discoveries not only
showcase impressive scientific knowledge, but they also are extremely pleasing
to the eye. For example, the gallery included a display of various different
meteorites coming in all different shapes, sizes, and textures.
If I am being honest, the main
reason I chose to visit this gallery was because of its close proximity.
However, I was definitely more impressed than I expected to be. I had no idea
that anything like this existed in the geology building; it definitely made me
wonder about all the other cool exhibits that I am missing out on at UCLA. All
in all, the UCLA meteorite gallery was extremely captivating yet informative
due to the detailed descriptions of each meteorite on display. I would
definitely recommend this gallery to any UCLA student looking to explore more
about our amazing campus!
