The LIC Museum of Natural History was founded in 2007, and will open it's doors to the public in May 2008. The Museum's mission is to be a resource to public, featuring a world-class collection of objects, specimens, and displays. In addition, a major mission of the museum is to provide education about the region, specifically Queens, through a series of exhibits about regional history, geology, and industry. The building originally housed a 150-year-old event hall and social club in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. Acquired in 2006, the building has been fully renovated. or rather... The LIC Museum of Natural History is an group art show curated by Texas Firehouse artist Jeff Thompson. Featuring work by eight artists, all pieces appear initially to be specimens of a natural history museum. Upon closer inspection, however, they are clearly works of art that span sculpture, painting, video, and sound. Rather than a dry critique of museums or the classification of objects within them, the LIC Museum of Natural History is part elaborate joke, part real entity. At what point can a collection become a museum and what are the museum's limitations. In a culture so focused on the DIY mentality where institutions like micronations are being formed by a single person, why can't museums be built the same way? FEATURING ARTWORK BY Karim Bendahmane Tim Dowse Tianna Kennedy and Tarikh Korula Amy Longenecker George Scheer and Stephanie Sherman Alina Tensor Jeff Thompson as well as specimens from the permanent collection PERFORMANCES BY Twisty Cat and Slow/Dynamite Late-night DJ's Matt Radune and Jeremy Campbell