From China to Nottingham: The making of Dinosaurs of China

‘Dinosaurs of China: Ground Shakers to Feathered Flyers’ was an exhibition of Chinese dinosaur fossils and casts that provided visitors with a unique opportunity to explore the scientific evidence that connects large, scaly ground-shaking dinosaurs to their feathered relatives – modern birds. The main exhibition at the Nottingham Natural History Museum, Wollaton Hall, included original holotype specimens of feathered dinosaurs and the tallest dinosaur skeleton ever displayed in the UK. A smaller satellite exhibition at Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University of Nottingham, focussed on palaeo-art. During its four-month duration from July to October 2017, the exhibition at Wollaton Hall received 115,000 visitors, while Lakeside Arts received 30,000 visitors. The exhibition was the outcome of a multi-partnership between the University of Nottingham, Nottingham City Council, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, and the Longhao Institute of Geology and Paleontology Inner Mongolia. The project provides a case study for collaboration between subject specialisms as varied as architecture, palaeontology, history, and theatre.