A collection of panda fine art and crafts will be on view in the Springfield Science Museum from November 9, 2008-January 4, 2009, in the special exhibition A Passion for Pandas.

The collection is on loan from Longmeadow resident Larry Starr. The Giant Panda is one of the world’s most adored and protected rare animals. The exhibit showcases a selection of photographs, watercolors, cloisonné, wood carvings, hand-painted silk, porcelain and glass pieces and more. Featured artists include Eric Carle, Walter Lantz, Cris Hoy, Tom Laury, John Seerey-Lester, Robert Bateman, Lucy Wang, Julieta Jones and Jiang, the father of the Yunnan School. 

The exhibit also explores the plight of the Giant Panda, a highly threatened endangered species native to the mountains of central China. Today, there are only about 1,600 pandas left in the world.