June 7, 2005

The man responsible for the disarticulation of Carnegie Museum of Natural History's dinosaurs to give his first public talk
Lecture, admission, and parking part of Citizens Bank free day

Pittsburgh … It's not your typical talk.

Phil Fraley, the man responsible for the disarticulation (taking apart), cleaning, and remounting of Carnegie Museum of Natural History's dinosaurs as part of the Dinosaurs in Their Time project, will make his first public talks on Saturday, June 18 at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in the Museum of Art Theater. His lectures, along with admission to Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History and parking are free that day courtesy of Citizens Bank.

Fraley has more than 20 years of experience producing natural history museum exhibits, including projects at the Field Museum in Chicago, and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York. He is best known for his work with "Sue," the largest, most complete, and best preserved T. rex fossil ever discovered.

During his talks, Fraley will discuss the painstaking process of taking apart Carnegie Museum of Natural History's famous fossils, his work on "Sue" and the renovation of the AMNH's Fossil Hall, the largest fossil exhibit renovation project in the history of vertebrate paleontology. A question and answer period will follow.

The theme for June 18's Not Your Typical Day at Carnegie Museums in Oakland is Take a New Look at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. Children 12 and younger will receive a free construction hat when they enter the museum and a complimentary scavenger hunt map that encourages their exploration of the museums, while supplies last. Children who complete the hunt will be rewarded with a construction-themed activity book. This will be the fifth time Citizens has provided free admission and parking to the museums since 2001, when the partnership began. Since then, more than 5,600 people have enjoyed the museums at no charge.

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