Following report full of photographs was produced by Dr. Eriko N. Bond, noted art critic and book author in New York City, as told by Takeshi Yamada. Photographs of the actual event took place and scanned images associated with the event featured in this article were provided by Takeshi Yamada’s Museum of World Wonders supervised by Takeshi Yamada.

Takeshi Yamada’s

MUSEUM OF WORLD WONDERS:

Rare and Extinct Marine Creatures

An exhibition at Long Island University

Brooklyn, New York

July, 2006

Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus (1 University Plaza, Brooklyn, NY  11201) was established in 1926.  The Brooklyn Campus, one of the fastest growing, most ethnically-diverse campuses in the metropolitan area, is located in the heart of revitalized downtown Brooklyn, New York, and offers over 195 academic programs.

An Exhibition of Takeshi Yamada’s MUSEUM OF WORLD WONDERS was held at the Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus during July 16 and 18, 2006 on the occasion of the New York State Marine Education Association Annual Conference. About 350 educators, marine biologists, and scientists, most were from the north east and south east coastlines, attended. This conference was truly a big educational event with participants attended from all over the world such as Japan, France, Australia, Samoa, South Africa, and Brazil.

Background

Takeshi Yamada is internationally active educator, author, and visual artist. As a cultural liaison to Japanese horseshoe crab organizations, Yamada is also an advisory board of director of prestigious Ecological Research & Development Group, Inc. (horseshoe crab conservation organization) and Delaware Horseshoe Crab Research Institute. Yamada wrote two books about the horseshoe crab, and his research on the mythology of the horseshoe crab in Japan (this creature is believed to be a reincarnation of samurai warrior who died at a major battle) shed the new light on this remarkable creature in western academic and scientific field. With this in mind, Yamada has created a series of samurai warrior masks on the back of the carapaces of the horseshoe crabs collected at the Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn, New York. Yamada also created a series of taxidermy artworks of monstrous giant 4-feet long prehistoric horseshoe crabs by using the body parts of today’s giant Atlantic horseshoe crabs inspired by the fossil records, which was also never being done before in the scientific field. Yamada created over 300 artworks inspired by the horseshoe crab, and had over three dozens of exhibitions. Yamada’s marine life sculptures, paintings, taxidermy artworks, and gaffs were exhibited at major cultural and educational institutions such as Salt Marsh Nature Center, Orchard Beach Nature Center, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Maryland Institute College of Art, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Exhibition, Arsenal Gallery (New York City Department of Parks and Recreation), Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition Gallery, TCG Gallery, Evonne Davis Gallery, Holland Tunnel Gallery, Coney Island Museum, Museum of World Oddities, and many commercial fine art galleries.

For more info, see www.horsesheocrab.org

Yamada’s one of taxidermy artworks simulating prehistoric giant horseshoe crab, entitled Limulus phoenix. (30x12x5 inch. Acrylic, horseshoe crabs, bones, plaster, polymer, 2003)

This year, Yamada was invited by the New York Aquarium to be the part of the New York State Marine Education Association Annual Conference as an educator & artist to entertain and inspire attendees with his Museum of World Wonders. Yamada specifically prepared and created variety of monstrous sea creatures for this art exhibition.    

Exhibition: July 16 – 18, 2006

Takeshi Yamada’s Museum of World wonders on exhibit at the exhibition hall of Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.  The photograph here shows a variety of monsters and marvels on display. Prehistoric giant horseshoe crabs, sea rabbit, Canadian hairy trout, 3 giant killer clams, Giant killer snail, a dozen of canned animals, 2 Warrior’s ceremonial masks on the horseshoe crabs, American flag on the horseshoe crab, artifact of Dreamland fire 1911: Museum of World Wonders and etc. Most of these monstrous animals contain body parts of creatures collected by Yamada for years.

Yamada has been creating taxidermy artworks and gaffs professionally since 1985 for many clients and companies, including major big name companies such as Six Flags amusement park and Museum of World Oddities.  Yamada believes art, science, education and art/entertainment have to work together to enhance the human experience and quality of life. Yamada believes the visual powers and spiritual magic of the circus sideshows, and he has been using them as divine tools to inspire people at established mainstream educational/cultural institutions such as academic classrooms, international educational conferences, internet communities, commercial galleries, nature centers, and museums etc.

Takeshi Yamada featured in page 33 of the brochure of the New York State’s National Marine Education Association Annual Conference (2006)

Front cover of the 91-page long brochure  Back cover of the brochure

The logo of the Museum of World Wonders featured in the back cover of the brochure. The red border here simulates the traditional circus sideshow banner. A photograph of Yamada’s six-fingered hand was featured here.

A promotional poster of the art exhibition (featuring the photograph of the Sea Rabbit at Coney Island Beach) was designed by Yamada, and distributed to attendees on the occasion. The poster also features the website of Sideshow World, which is the most comprehensive and respected website of its kind. For more information about the Sea Rabbit, please go to Yamada’s website page http://sideshowworld.com/TYSeaRabbit.html.

Free Items and Hand-outs

Brochures of Ecological Research & Development Group, Inc. were handed out to promote people’s awareness of the importance of the Atlantic horseshoe crab.  

On the occasion of the New York state’s effort to eradicate the truly monstrous deadly devil-like beast called Asian Longhorned Beetle, which already cost billions of dollars in damages (the Long Lsland University is also in the “ALB Quarantine Zone” set up by the New York State), Yamada also distributed wide range of educational materials for people. (Yamada also created a gaff of ALB.) The item distributed are color booklets, color brochures, color key chains, color buttons, color bookmarks, temporary color tattoos, color flyers, color plastic bags, color plastic cards, etc. They were provided by United Stated Department of Agriculture, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and etc. 

Also, variety of colorful postcards and flyers of numerous galleries which shows Yamada’s artworks in the next few months in New York City such as Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition and Sideshow Gallery were handed out.

The overview of the exhibition hall at Long Island University with over 40 exhibition booths by major wildlife conservation organizations across the world. This is one of the largest events of its kind in the world. 

Auction: July 18, 2006

Silent auction and live auction were held during 6:30pm and 8pm of July 18, at the exhibition hall. This auction was held during the major dinner reception (followed by a dance party with a live band) at the large hall where the exhibition was held. Several dozens of items, mostly marine subject (from a large aquarium tanks to a tiny jewelry), were donated for this event by participants. This benefit auction was for raising money for scholarship money for small wildlife conservation organizations to participate the future NMEA conferences.

Yamada donated three dimensional museum quality artwork entitled “Coney Island Brand Canned Animal: Giant Lion Fish” for the silent auction. It was a digital drawing with color photo printing with state of the art 7-color inks on paper, mounted on a 15 oz. can. This is one of his over 70 varieties of artworks simulating canned food and consumer culture in today’s society.

NOTE: If you are interested in learning more about conservation of sea creatures and/or become a member of National Marine Educators Association, please go to the website http://www.marine-ed.org/. 

END

Copy right by Takeshi Yamada, Museum of World Wonders, 2006

Special thanks to Merryl Kafka (New York Aquarium), Lisa Breslof (American Museum of Natural History), and Long Island University. Also special thanks to Dr. Eriko N. Bond, Diane M. Taros, and Paula Brooks.