MARION — A recently completed mural located on the Marion Natural History Museum’s second floor mezzanine celebrates one of the oldest organizations in the area, and one of the first few natural history museums in the United States.

The sweeping mural greets visitors as they head up the staircases toward the second-floor foyer and museum entrance. 

Painted by local artists Erin Taylor and Karen Alves, the mural features the Bird Island Lighthouse and the island’s annual avian visitors, roseate terns, both of which are featured in the museum’s logo. The sweeping mural greets visitors as they head up the staircases toward the second-floor foyer and museum entrance. 

Materials and labor were donated by Design Principles, Inc. in honor of the principal partner’s parents, Patricia and Gilbert Alves.

The mural puts into motion improvements to the museum’s exhibit space that will be implemented over the next two years, several of which will be in time for the Museum’s 150th anniversary celebration this coming summer. 

Other improvements include new signage, re-envisioned displays, and enhanced stations for the museum’s virtual reality equipment and microscopes. 

Within the next few months, a photo mural depicting a life-sized North Atlantic right whale will transform the interior of the museum thanks to the generosity of Michael and Hannah Moore. The photo taken by Dr. Michael Moore, author, veterinarian, and Senior Scientist at WHOI in Woods Hole, and Director of the WHOI Marine Mammal Center shows a rare view of a right whale skim feeding.

Located at 8 Spring St., the building was donated to the Town of Marion by Marion’s famed matriarch Elizabeth Taber on September 27, 1872 for the sole use as a library and a natural history museum. She also donated the museum’s display cases and some artifacts that are still part of the museum’s collection.

The museum welcomes visitors, volunteers and new members and is seeking sponsors, donors, and partner organizations, especially in preparation for the museum’s 150th Anniversary and ongoing improvements to the exhibit space. 

A range of skills are needed at the museum, from cleaning and organizing to carpentry and electrical to printing and Lego building. Anyone interested should reach out via the museum website at marionmuseum.org/contact or email volunteer@marionmuseum.org.