Shell Museum Lectures Continue With Designing, Opening Mote Aquarium

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

The 2026 Season Lecture Series presented by the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium continues with Designing and Opening the New Mote Science Education Aquarium, led by Evan Barniskis, Associate Vice President of Mote Aquarium.

The presentation will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the museum, 3075 Sanibel Captiva Rd., Sanibel.

This talk presents an insider’s view of one of the most important additions in decades to marine science education in Florida – the design and construction of the newly opened, $130 million Mote Marine Laboratory’s Science Education Aquarium in Sarasota.

Learn how this cutting-edge facility blends world-class architecture with Mote’s 70-year legacy of marine research, scientific innovation, and aquarium expertise, and how it transfers and translates marine science into interactive, dynamic exhibits that advance ocean conservation, public engagement, and sustainability.

The cost to attend the lecture is $10 per person; museum members are free. Registration is required and includes a choice of wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverage, and light snacks. Register here, where you can also view a free archive of previously recorded online lectures.

The 2026 Season Lecture Series is supported by the Sam and Francis Bailey Clean Water Education Center, Joan and Don Sherman, and Leslie Fleischner.

About the Museum: The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium is a natural history museum and aquarium, and the only museum in the United States devoted primarily to shells and mollusks. Its mission is to educate and inspire an understanding of mollusks, their shells, and their habitats using exceptional experiences, collections, and science. Permanent exhibitions on view include the Great Hall of Shells, which displays highlights of the museum’s collection of more than 600,000 shells, as well as the Living Gallery of Aquariums and over 60 species of marine life. For more information, please visit ShellMuseum.org or call (239) 395-2233