Dear Teacher,

Welcome to Turbulent Landscapes. This Web site was created in conjunction with an exhibition that is currently traveling around the United States (see "The Tour" ). It was designed by artists working with scientists and exhibit developers at the Exploratorium, San Francisco's museum of art, science, and human perception.

This section contains information that may be of particular use to teachers. You'll find three activities you can do with your class, in-depth information on the concept of complexity , and a "field guide" that can give you a place to start if you and your students want to look more closely at the natural patterns around you. The exhibition's content is deeply rooted in the belief that human beings are good "noticers"; that we are natural inquirers about the world around us.

Feel free to explore the site more fully. There are a number of resources and points of information here that might be of interest to you. Click on "The Exhibition" to see the artworks in Turbulent Landscapes and meet the artists who created them. After your tour through the exhibition, go "Behind the Scenes" to discover the organizing concepts around which the exhibition was designed, and the people who made it happen.

Links to the Exploratorium's Institute for Inquiry (K-5) and the Teacher Institute (6-12) can give you lots more classroom activities to try, as well as information about the Exploratorium's philosophy of learning and its teacher development programs. Links to additional related Web sites can give you a wide range of new information and connections. We hope you enjoy your visit!