Odum's Debut of Sunken Treasure: The Art and Science of Coral Reefs

by Christa May, GMNH Student Association President

On October 18, 2024, Dr. James W. Porter and the Georgia Museum of Natural History amazed Odum with their display of tropical corals and their history. Originally, they were held in the UGA Special Collections Museum alongside rare books describing their oddity. While the books were the objects of focus, the corals provided evidence of how naturalists have captured their beauty. Now, UGA students and faculty can see their oddity up close in the Odum lobby.

My name is Christa May, and I was a Georgia Museum of Natural History intern and Dr. Porter’s assistant to the Russell Special Collections debut. I visited Odum on the display’s opening morning and experienced its full energy. I saw each specimen and artful illustration in a new light, one that only the school of Ecology could give. The Natural History Museum did a phenomenal job displaying the corals that I was so lucky to prepare in 2023. I believe the corals have found a beautiful temporary home in Odum and I am so glad my fellow Ecology lovers can see their beauty as they unwind in the best building on campus. The following is my review of Sunken Treasure: The Art and Science of Coral Reefs, Odum Style:

The first thing that caught my eye was the show stopping display cabinet across from the couches. I entered Odum through the side doors yet still the cabinet was the first thing I saw. I remembered there were people there but I put recognizing their faces on pause because I wanted to see that cabinet up close. Once I stood in front of it, my mouth dropped in amazement. The lights from the cabinet had turned the pale coral specimens into gleaming porcelain like figures. They were so beautiful that they almost looked fake. The whirl coral, Leptoseris yabei, reminded me of an airy curtain floating on ocean wind. The light highlighted all the intricate ripples in every part of the coral “leaf”.

Right next to the whirl coral, on the bottom left of the cabinet was Bombs Away!, a special mini-exhibit I developed for the Special Collections Ocean Initiative event. It featured deformed corals that had been affected by atomic bomb testing, leaving them with cancerous growths. A giant grin spread across my face and I became so giddy. My little exhibit, which I never thought I would see outside the Special Collections Library, was in my home college. It was a testament to how welcoming and appreciative the Georgia Museum of Natural History is. They help their interns succeed and celebrate them long after their time as an intern is over. It was amazing to see my work on display.

The rest of the cabinet included other corals including Georgia corals like Oculina diffusa and Diploria labyrinthiformis. Another feature were the naturalists of the past who helped the world recognize corals not as undersea plants, but as complex animals who have mastered symbiosis. Elizabeth Blackwell, in particular, drew wonderful art showing corals in their natural habitat. Despite rampant sexism in her field, she outshined her peers in her depictions and I am glad that this display recognizes her worth.

The cabinet is not the only item showcasing corals. All across the lobby, historical artworks and modern pictures of corals are upon the walls. The artworks were so meticulous. There was so much attention to detail and when juxtaposed to its coral model, it was scarily accurate. If not for the fact that these drawings were completed before the 1850s, I would have thought they were pictures.

 The pieces that were pictures were photographed by Dr. Porter, and featured huge reefs in both Jamaica and Florida. I can certainly say that some of these reefs, for example the Acropora palmata next to the courtyard, are now dead. Unfortunately, future generations may never get to see huge, healthy coral like the ones displayed in the photos. These pictures preserve a natural  history that we as a society should aspire to go back to. I believe seeing these corals on the walls every day will inspire students to work hard to be better people we want to see.

Having Sunken Treasures moved into Odum was a fabulous idea that I am so glad was enacted. Everyday as I walk into Odum, I look at it, even if just for a second. It combines the curiosity of the previous veteran naturalists with a new, modern view of how we observe and study corals. Within the exhibit, one can see how the past influenced the present. We can follow the work of preceding scientists and make the connections to what we know now. Now, we must take their jobs. We must use our knowledge and technology to help corals so future scholars may also marvel at their beauty and complexities.

Sunken Treasures will be on display and open to the public until June 20th, 2025.