'Giants, Dragons & Unicorns' on Display at Kean University

Family-friendly exhibition connects science and legend

Giants, Dragons & Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures, an exhibition that traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world’s most exciting mythic creatures, has come to Kean University to inspire and delight.

An opening reception – free and open to the public – will be held in the Liberty Hall Academic Center (LHAC) Gallery on Thursday, October 19 at 5:30 p.m.

Organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Giants, Dragons & Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures features unique cultural objects highlighting the surprising similarities and differences in the ways people around the world envision and depict mythic creatures. The exhibition includes models and cast fossils of prehistoric animals to investigate how they could have – through misidentification, speculation, fear or imagination – inspired the development of several legendary creatures.

“Hosting this fun, interactive, educational exhibition at Kean is a wonderful opportunity for the Galleries to connect with the community through story-telling,” said Lynette Zimmerman, Ed.D., executive director of the Liberty Hall Academic Center and the Galleries at Kean.

Visitors will discover how narwhal tusks were believed to be magical remnants of unicorn horns, how dinosaur fossils may have been mistaken for the remains of griffins, and how tales of sea monsters may simply have been fisherman’s tales of real creatures such as the oarfish and giant squid.

Exhibition highlights include a stunning vibrant sculpture of the African water spirit Mami Wata; a “life-size” model of a European unicorn; and a dramatic model of a kraken, whose tentacles appear to rise out of the floor as if surfacing from the sea. 

Visitors are invited to participate in activities like rearranging scale models of mammoth bones to look like a giant human skeleton. In an engaging digital interactive display, visitors can build their own dragon and watch as it comes alive in a virtual environment. The exhibition also includes several video interviews with experts in various fields discussing the significance of mythic creatures and their possible real-life counterparts. 

“Giants, Dragons & Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures is an engaging exhibit that delivers a great experience for our community and continues to position Kean University as a cultural hub in the region,” Zimmerman said.

Giants, Dragons & Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures will be on display through Sunday, February 25, 2024 in the Liberty Hall Academic Center Gallery, 1003 Morris Avenue, Building 2, Union, New Jersey.  Visit galleries.kean.edu for more information.