The Insect Asylum on Chicago's Northwest Side brings nature closer to visitors
CHICAGO (CBS) – A one-of-a-kind nonprofit on Chicago's Northwest Side aims to help creepy, crawly critters.
The founder wants to create more green space in Chicago for her tiny, winged friends. CBS 2 was invited to be a fly on the wall at a very unusual museum.
Visitors must have heard the buzz about all there was to see at the Avondale museum.
"I remember when we first opened, there was days that I would go sitting on the couch waiting for people to come in," said museum founder Nina Salem. "And now, we can't go more than 15 minutes without the door opening and closing."
Taxidermy began as a childhood passion for Salem, even though she was told it was "inappropriate." But she didn't listen to the adults.
Her collection grew and grew. Her now two-year-old museum on Milwaukee Avenue includes bones, butterflies and bears.
"I'm actually autistic, so animal education, animal arts has always been a hyper-focus of mine," Salem said.
She strongly believes in hands-on learning.
Petting Hazel, a real, live possum, is usually a crowd favorite. Another draw is the more than 5,000 insects on display, which leads to the name of the funky place: The Insect Asylum.
The animals on display are clues about the ruckus in the museum's basement, where artists carve giant cicadas out of plaster. Consider it a homage to an often-underappreciated insect.
"These animals are going down into our soil," Salem said. "They're churning it. They're creating oxygen and air. When they decease, they are adding nutrients to our soil. They've been a monumental food source."
More than 1,000 of the sculptures were headed out the door to raise funds for the next phase of The Insect Asylum: an accessible rooftop garden. It will be yet another way to bring customers up close and personal with nature.
"If we don't get people to have a deep appreciation for the environment, how are they going to protect it?" Salem said. "If you don't know what it is that you're fighting for, how are you supposed to whole-heartedly fight for it?"
The Insect Asylum offers all sorts of unusual classes like owl pellet dissection, bettle pinning and mouse taxidermy. The one-of-a-kind museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays.
To learn more about The Insect Asylum, visit TheInsectAsylum.com.
