Tiffin University’s Diane Kidd Gallery to Host “Frozen in Time” Plastination Exhibit

From November 7, 2022 to February 10, 2023, Tiffin University’s Diane Kidd Gallery will feature work from the University of Toledo’s (UT) plastination laboratory entitled, “Frozen in Time.” The show’s reception will be Friday, November 18 and will begin with a presentation by Dr. Carlos Baptista, Founder of the UT Laboratory of Plastination from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public.

The “Frozen in Time” specimens on display are part of a permanent collection of anatomical and pathological specimens from the Liberato DiDio and Peter Goldblatt Interactive Museum of Anatomy and Pathology. Each year, thousands of community members come to the University of Toledo to visit the museum’s exhibition and UT’s Gross Anatomy Lab.

The science of plastination involves the use of polymers – silicone, polyester and epoxy – to replace water and fat to preserve biological tissue. Once plastinated, the tissue is stable and able to be displayed without deterioration. The exhibitions include dissection projects performed by students and faculty at the University of Toledo’s College of Medicine.

The Laboratory of Plastination, co-directed by Dr. Carlos Baptista and Dr. William Frank, was founded in 1987 as a multidisciplinary effort between the Departments of Anatomy, Pathology, Radiology and Dentistry of the former Medical College of Ohio. The central mission of the laboratory is to provide plastinated specimens to facilitate the education of healthcare students at the University of Toledo, as well as all of UT’s undergraduates and K-12 students both from Toledo and surrounding areas.

Specimens prepared at the Laboratory of Plastination have been displayed in museums across the United States, Europe and China. As early as 1993, UT’s lab had created a series of plastinated cross-sections of brain specimens and loaned them to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The cross-sections were part of the highly acclaimed exhibit, “Imaging: The Tools of Science.” This exhibit, which has been viewed by over 10 million visitors, was sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and was recognized with a coveted award from the American Association of Museums, a national accrediting organization.

The exhibit, “Frozen in Time,” is possible because of the generosity and selfless acts of several individuals who donated their bodies to the University of Toledo Body Donation Program. Their selflessness enhances the education of new generations of physicians, healthcare professionals and the general public.

For more information about this exhibition, email Joseph Van Kerkhove at vankerkhovejm@tiffin.edu.