The Museum’s Origami Tree opens to visitors today—come get into the holiday spirit! The theme of this year’s 13-ft (4-m) tree is Proboscideans on Parade, featuring garlands and origami models inspired by the new exhibition The Secret World of Elephants. It’s adorned with more than 1,000 origami models, including wooly mammoths and iconic Museum exhibits like the Blue Whale and Tyrannosaurus rex.
Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the tree is delightfully decorated with hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists.
Photo: Alvaro Keding / © AMNH
Take a guess: what year do you think this image was taken? It’s a throwback of the Museum’s annual Origami Holiday Tree, which made its first appearance in 1972 and has been a tradition ever since. In fact, many of the origami models are used year after year! The 2018 theme, "Oceans of Origami," features models inspired by the Museum’s special exhibition Unseen Oceans. Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the tree is delightfully decorated with more than 800 hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists. Visit the Museum’s Grand Gallery this season to see the origami up close. Photo: © AMNH
Visit the American Museum of Natural History this holiday season to see one of New York’s most beloved displays, the Origami Holiday Tree—an annual tradition for more than forty years. Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the tree is delightfully decorated with more than 800 hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists.
OPENS TODAY: Visit the Museum this holiday season to see one of New York’s most beloved displays, the Origami Holiday Tree—an annual tradition for more than forty years. Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the tree is delightfully decorated with more than 800 hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists.
This Sunday, May 22, come to the Museum to celebrate origami and learn the art of paper folding! Members of OrigamiUSA will be on hand in the Museum's Grand Gallery to teach visitors how to fold paper models, and a selection of expert models by origami artists will be on display.
This event is free with Museum admission! Learn more.
AMNH/D.Finnin
This weekend at the Museum: MicroRangers, Antarctic Ice, and Origami Classes!
Have you been planning on taking a trip to the American Museum of Natural History? Here are 3 events that make this weekend the perfect time for a visit:
MicroRangers is a new mobile game at the Museum that shrinks you down to microscopic size and sends you into exhibits to combat threats to biodiversity. Join the MicroRangers Competition at the Museum on April 17th to win prizes including toys, games, and a chance to win a Night at the Museum sleepover!
Share the beauty and wonder of folding paper! Highly skilled teachers from OrigamiUSA will lead "Special Folding Fun Sessions" at the Museum, with up to 10 classes throughout the day on all folding levels, including a family class! Learn to fold animals, stars, action models, and much more.
Take a deep dive into Antarctic waters to explore a hidden world beneath the ice. This immersive dome experience, located in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, showcases a surprising and visually stunning array of marine life that flourishes on, around, and underneath the Antarctic ice.
Last chance! The Museum’s Origami Holiday Tree is on view through January 10. Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the tree is delightfully decorated with more than 800 hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists.
Check out this Origami Titanosaur! The Museum’s beloved Origami Holiday Tree, covered in over 800 models, is on view through January 10, 2016.
Time for an Origami REMIX! Feeling inspired by the Museum's Origami Holiday Tree? Learn to fold a whale, and get started on your own origami collection.
Sugarplum fairies? More like dinosaurs! Get in the holiday spirit while learning to fold this origami sauropod.
Visit the American Museum of Natural History this holiday season to see one of New York’s most beloved displays, the Origami Holiday Tree—an annual tradition for more than forty years. Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the tree is delightfully decorated with more than 800 hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists.
The theme of this year's tree is Mighty and Microscopic Life. Creatures tremendous and tiny decorate this year’s tree, taking inspiration from temporary exhibitions and permanent displays at the Museum. Included are models of microbes featured in The Secret World Inside You, the tenacious tardigrades of Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species, and the Museum’s newest icon, the Titanosaur, which will be unveiled January 2016 in the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Orientation Center on the 4th floor.
AMNH/R.Mickens
A sensational sauropod from the 2015 Origami Holiday Tree, on view now at the Museum!
Feeling inspired to add some origami to your tree? Take a look at our Pinterest board for magnificent models and how-to videos.
A close-up of the Museum's Origami Holiday Tree! The theme of this year's tree is Mighty and Microscopic Life. Creatures tremendous and tiny decorate the tree, taking inspiration from temporary exhibitions and permanent displays at the Museum.
Learn all about the making of the Museum's Origami Tree.
This Weekend at the Museum!
There is so much to see and do this weekend at the Museum. In addition to the recently reopened Hayden Planetarium Space Show, Dark Universe, the new exhibition, The Secret World Inside You, and the imminently closing Life at the Limits, there are many special events and activities for visitors to enjoy.
On Saturday, December 5, kids are invited to the Museum’s Discovery Room to meet Susan Perkins. As a graduate student, Susan Perkins got bitten by the “parasite bug” and has since been fascinated by the tiny creatures that call the bodies of other animals home. Her work with parasites makes her a perfect co-curator of the new exhibition, The Secret World Inside You, where visitors will learn how the microbes native to our bodies keep us healthy and happy. Sessions at 2:15 pm, 3:00 pm, and 3:45 pm, free for Members or with Museum Admission. Learn more.
On Saturday, December 5, Explore the birds of Central Park with Museum naturalist Noah Burg. Young explorers will begin their adventure by learning the tools and skills of observation using Museum specimens. Then we will head out to Central Park to identify the many bird species and habitats in our own backyard. Binoculars and bird guides are included. This program is recommended for families with children ages 4-10. Learn more about times and pricing.
Whales, dolphins, and sea turtles navigate the world’s oceans using their flippers and fins. Crabs scurry, while octopuses use jet propulsion. Locomotion is essential to escape predators, hunt for food, and find mates. On December 6 from 11 am - 4 pm, discover more about marine animals in motion with performances, live animals, and presentations from marine biologists, including Fabien Cousteau, who will talk about observing great whites from his shark-shaped submarine! Free for Members or with Museum Admission. Learn more.
On Sunday, December 6, share the beauty and wonder of folding paper! Highly skilled teachers from OrigamiUSA will lead "Special Folding Fun Sessions" at the Museum, with up to 10 classes throughout the day on all folding levels, including a family class! Learn to fold animals, stars, action models, and much more. Learn more about times and pricing.
Celebrate World Origami Day
Today is World Origami Day! At the American Museum of Natural History, we celebrate this ancient art form with our annual Origami Holiday Tree, origami classes, and much more. Want to get involved? Become an origami volunteer at the Museum or just watch these origami videos!