The Witte Museum is hosting a crawling exhibition from Sept. 28 through Jan. 5: “Spiders: From Fear to Fasciation.” This fascinating exhibition is presented by Mary West and Richard Traylor, funded by H-E-B and the Mary Pat and Michael Bolner Exhibition Endowment Fund. This three-month-long exhibition is open to all ages and is located in the Gunn Gallery of the Museum; just follow the spider-designed steps to the exhibit.
Upon entering the exhibition, visitors are greeted by virtual spiders crawling on the floor as if they are enveloped in the forest with them. The exhibition is filled with 3D sculptures, interactive games, educational videos and many Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. The main attraction, however, is live spiders on display; the exhibition showcases 250 species of spiders, with a small number being live specimens. Visitors can observe the spiders in their enclosures catered to their natural habitats or learn about different species and their environment via interactive displays.
The first interactive display people encounter in the exhibition are the itty bitty spiders on the floor. Past those, are the many displays meant to engage the viewer. One of the displays is powered by a magnifying glass, where visitors can view tiny or large spiders up close. Beyond that, there are screens where people learn about many different spider species, dance with a spider or listen to all the sounds of the different spiders.
There are more than five live spiders on display that guests can safely view up close. Many of these spiders are in enclosed cases. The exhibition also hosts other many-legged insects like centipedes and scorpions.
The exhibition provides an AR experience through designed coasters with digital spiders on them and coloring pages that are and “brought to life” right before the viewer’s eyes. This cutting-edge technology enhances the viewer’s experience by bringing this crawling exhibition to life.
This fun and captivating exhibition can be enjoyed by all ages; it is exciting, insightful and the perfect weekend adventure in San Antonio. It offers something for everyone from young children to students doing research or even spider experts. For those looking to overcome their arachnophobia or indulge their fascination with spiders, visit the “Spiders: From Fear to Fasciation” exhibition at the Witte Museum.
