Fantastic Fauna features factitious concoctions by Dr. Beauvais Lyons, professor of art and Director of the Hokes Archives at the University of Tennessee. Part archaeologist, part scientist, part satirist, part artistic visionary, Lyons is the force behind an incredible world of fantastic artifacts, drawings, and objects that record the mythical visions through which he builds his own fantastical narrative of unnatural history. Intriguing examples of interspecies hybrids are preserved as astonishing specimens of taxidermy and meticulously rendered lithographs. These only hint at the unexpected riches preserved in a collection that owes as much to P.T. Barnum as John James Audubon. His one-person exhibitions have been presented at over 80 galleries and museums across the United States. Featuring a special performance by NC Opera in anticipation of their upcoming production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”