Wild Ideas

Join us on the lawn for some blanket birding! Please drop in throughout the event and join members of the Durham Feminist Bird Club in a guided and accessible format for birding. Binoculars will be provided for those who need them and all ages are welcome. We will be set up in the Ellipse at the Museum of Art where there is an accessible paved path from the parking area. Please let us know if you or a member of your party needs extra accommodations or considerations. Pre-registration is not required. | All ages welcome.

Join members of the Raleigh Astronomy Club for this special day-time astronomical program! Have you ever wanted to be able to see the surface of the sun? While this isn't an everyday occurrence, join us in the Ellipse in the art park to safely observe the sun using specialized telescopes and tools with the help of our wonderful members! Pre-registration is not required. | All ages welcome.

Join Raptor Insights for a presentation on the history of raptor conservation, raptor conservation today, and what conservation efforts in the future might look like. Our animal ambassadors, including Lizzie the peregrine falcon, Bruno the red tailed hawk, and Lou Lou the spectacled owl, will teach our audience about what raptors/birds of prey are and why their conservation is so important. You will leave the program with a better idea of how you as an individual can assist in conservation efforts for birds of prey. Pre-registration not required. | All ages welcome.

Have you visited Wild Ideas in the past and fallen in love with the poster? Have you ever wished that you could show everyone how you are a Force for Nature on an upcycled piece of cloth? Well today is your lucky day! Bring an old t-shirt, tote bad, or mystery cloth to Super G's Live Screen Printing station and have the special experience of screen printing your very own take home piece. We will be printing art from this year's Wild Idea's poster by Kristen Solecki onto recycled clothes! Pre-registration is not required. | All ages welcome.

Experience adapted cycling firsthand and see trail riding from a new perspective. You will have the opportunity to ride one of NC Adapted Sports' Bowhead Rogue Handcycles or recumbent trikes. The interaction of three wheels on the trail gives you different tactile experience than trail riding. NCAS will train you on the basics and then we will go explore the park's greenway with a different view. Pre-registration is required, CLICK HERE. | For ages 12+

Join us for a Drag Nature Story Hour! An artist will use the art of storytelling to bring nature stories to life before doing some interactive activities and crafts. Drag Story Hour celebrates imagination, self-expression, and the fluidity of gender at every age. Through glamorous, playful, and proudly queer role models, it creates joyful spaces that reflect the diversity of the world we live in. This story hour invites people of all ages to see gender expressed in bold and creative ways - and to imagine a world where everyone is free to be their authentic self. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Learn about biomimicry by exploring various local organisms' adaptations and strategies, then brainstorm applications for human design. We'll start with familiar organisms and some of the unexpected adaptations they have developed. Then, we will observe organisms in the NCMA Art Park and discuss the biology/strategies they use to survive! As a group, we will ideate how humans could emulate these biological strategies in a human design. Finally, you will have the chance to choose your own organism and create a design ideas based on its adaptations! Preregistration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Build your understanding of the immense diversity and interconnections in the living world while we practice ways to build strong networks with each other and the plants and environment around us. The facilitator will share information about queer ecology and example organisms (including ones we encounter), lead sensory mindfulness and observation activities, and invite individual reflection and small and large group conversations. This program will involve some moving around locations and is adaptable to the group's interests and abilities. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | For ages 16+

Trees are our neighbors, so let's get to know them better. Join TLC Trail Guide, Margot Lester, for this all-ages activity to learn more about trees by making close observations about what we notice. Participants work in teams or solo, taking notes on observations about the tree and the space around it. You'll take rubbings of leaves, bark, and/or roots, then make up names for your species based on our observations before looking them up on iNaturalist. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Join TLC's Director of Conservation, East, Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, for a hike exploring the museum's ongoing stream restoration project. Learn about the science of stream restoration and the network of TLC conservation projects that protect our local watershed. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

The Women of the Triangle Hiking Club (WOTTHC) invite you to join them for a short hike through the Art Park trails. Get to know WOTTHC and discover a thriving community where like-minded women come together to explore the great outdoors. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Ramble with Rachel on this edible plant exploration. This hike will start with a short walk through the NCMA Edible Forest and some ground outside of the Edible Forest. We will learn about ~15-30 different edible plants and herbs that grow in our landscape, and have the chance to examine some up close. With each plant that we discuss, you'll learn what the name of the plant is, where you can most likely find this plant, and how to use it in your diet. We'll also talk about healthy and conscious foraging habits and give folks the confidence they need to be able to identify new plants they have learned! Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Create Make N' Takes with The Scrap Exchange! Create whatever your heart desires - with reuse material from The Scrap Exchange. We will have a station set up with 8-10 large barrels of reuse material for reuse art crafting during our program time of 12 - 2 PM. Come to learn how you can turn everyday household recyclables into unique projects. Pre-registration is not required. | All ages welcome.

Join Trail Mommas for an interactive nature journaling hike! Customize your own journal made from recycled materials before heading out for a hike to practice nature journaling in the NCMA Art Park. Learn about nature journaling as a tool for reflection and connection while getting to know Trail Mommas - a community dedicated to inspiring families to embrace the wonders of nature. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | For ages 5+

Join the Walnut Creek Wetland Center for this workshop in history, stories, and art and create your own take home memory. "Urban archaeology" is the practice y which we learn about how people lived by the record of their trash. The waterways of southeast Raleigh are home to a unique assemblage of historic waste, with some pieces being dated to over a 100 years ago. Join the Walnut Creek Wetland Center in discussion about the past, examine our curated collection of salvaged historic glass pieces, and make a "memory mosaic" by embedding historic finds into plaster to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | For ages 13+

Experience adapted cycling firsthand and see trail riding from a new perspective. You will have the opportunity to ride one of NC Adapted Sports' Bowhead Rogue Handcycles or recumbent trikes. The interaction of three wheels on the trail gives you different tactile experience than trail riding. NCAS will train you on the basics and then we will go explore the park's greenway with a different view. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | For ages 12+

The BLK Hiking Club invites you to join them on a hike exploring the trails within the NC Museum of Art. Participants should note that on this one hour program, we will stay on paved trails, but there are some significant hills. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Learn about biomimicry by exploring various local organisms' adaptations and strategies, then brainstorm applications for human design. We'll start with familiar organisms and some of the unexpected adaptations they have developed. Then, we will observe organisms in the NCMA Art Park and discuss the biology/strategies they use to survive! As a group, we will ideate how humans could emulate these biological strategies in a human design. Finally, you will have the chance to choose your own organism and create a design ideas based on its adaptations! Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Join TLC Trail Guide and NCMNS Collaborative Science Specialist, Julie Hall, on a meander around the Art Park to learn how to ID local plant species! Julie will teach you how to make observations about the nature around you and how to utilize citizen science mobile apps like iNaturalist to help you identify plant species. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.

Join author Dominique Daye Hunter for a reading of her children's book Hasi Čhigǫ:yǫ,, and learn about language revitalization and biocultural restoration in our communities. Her book follows a young bear cub learning about berries with guidance from Mother Bear, Mother Moon, and Plant relatives and introduces Yesá:sahį (Tutelo-Saponi) language and Indigenous wisdom, fostering curiosity, resilience, and care for self and community. This story and sharing is perfect for families exploring culture, nature, and connection together. Pre-registration required, CLICK HERE. | All ages welcome.