AMNH Origami Holiday Tree Lighting Set for 11/19

An annual American Museum of Natural History tradition, the delightfully decorated Origami Holiday Tree welcomes visitors to the Museum throughout the holiday season, November 19, 2012–January 6, 2013

The theme of this year's 13-foot tree is Museum Collections, with ornaments inspired by current exhibitions Spiders Alive!, Creatures of Light: Nature's Bioluminescence, and the upcoming 2013 exhibition Whales: Giants of the Deep.

The Origami Holiday Tree will display models folded by local, national, and international origami artists. Expect to see a pod of whales, a cluster of spiders, a barrel of monkeys, a flight of butterflies, a flock of birds, a school of fish, a large herd of dinosaurs, and more. Past themes have included "Fantastic Creatures: Mythic and Real," "Under the Sea," and "Origami Safari."

Volunteers began folding in July to complete the 500 creations that will be featured on this year's tree. During the holiday season, volunteers will be on hand to teach visitors of all ages the art of origami paper folding.

The Origami Tree is located in the Grand Gallery.