The Natural History Museum will celebrate Dinosaur Hall’s 10th anniversary as part of its fall programming. (photo courtesy of NHM)

After a year of closure, the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park is introducing a new slate of exhibitions, installations and public programs for the whole family.

The new season will include a celebration of the Dinosaur Hall’s 10th anniversary, jewelry designer Robert Procop’s work and an exhibit focused on the work of Dr. Jane Goodall.

Through Nov. 29, view a rare female species of a Pacific footballfish, which was discovered in May 2021 at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach. The fish, which typically is found thousands of feet underwater now resides in the museum’s ichthyology collection and is one of only 30 female species available for study.

The museum’s season Spider Pavilion will offer a glimpse into the life of spiders until Dec. 5. Visitors can stroll through the open-air pavilion to see hundreds of orb weavers and their webs. The exhibit includes an array of species, from tarantulas to jumping spiders.

While dinosaurs dominated land during the Mesozoic Era, marine reptiles like a giant ichthyosaur, nicknamed Jim 2, ruled the sea. On display through January, the specimen is the largest organism ever found from the Middle Triassic Period at 17 meters long. Excavated from the Nevada mountains, visitors can view the cone-shaped teeth and narrow snout of the ocean predator’s complete 2-meter skull up close. Tom and Bonda Young, founders of the Great Basin Brewing Co., helped fund the seven years of work it took to dig up Jim 2 and prepare it in NHM’s Dino Lab.

From Nov. 7 through April 17, the museum will present the west coast premiere of “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall,” which is organized by National Geographic in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute.

It will explore Goodall’s career, surveying the primatologist’s work from her early field research in Gombe, Tanzania, to her current community-centered work. The exhibition features experiential activities and immersive displays, including a replica of her research tent, and an immersive projection of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park.

“Becoming Jane” made its debut at the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C. Major support in Los Angeles provided by the Annenberg Foundation, with additional support from Bank of America and Visionary Women.

From Dec. 8 through Feb. 20, “Brilliance: The Art and Science of Rare Jewels” will display more than 100 necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and unmounted gems.

The exhibition explores how rare gems and minerals are used in a variety of fields, from jewelry design to scientific research in geology, chemistry and physics.

Drawn primarily from the works of master jewelry designer Robert Procop, the show includes examples of colored fancy diamonds, such as the largest green diamond in the world and one of the world’s largest pink diamonds.

In addition to learning about how gems are used to make jewels, visitors will also discover how scientists use these exceptional stones to learn about Earth processes, and in turn, gain a better understanding of how the planet works.