TIFTON — Jeweled beetles, interactive displays with dancing bugs and taste-testing flavored crickets were just a few of the experiences available at the newest exhibit by the Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage.

“The Art in Bugs/Bugs in the Arts” opened Sunday, Jan 27. The show was a combination of international and local photographers, collections of insect inspired clothing, jewelry books and more as well as collections of Georgia insects.  The show promised visitors would be able to “discover the beauty and influence of bugs in art, literature, dance, fashion, music, film and architecture.”

The idea was conceived by Dr. Bret Wagenhorst. He said he was looking to connect the active science and art communities in Tifton.

 “So many people are building walls nowadays, this is meant to build a bridge,” he said.

“I want people to not automatically swat a bug or spray a bug or squish a bug when they see it, I want them to appreciate that there is a beauty in bugs, there is a purpose to bugs.”

Wagenhorst also saw the show connecting art, science and religion.

“Science wants to quantify things and determine how things move, but when you look at some of these beautiful bugs and the variety, you have to think about bigger questions, creation, things like that.”

It was important to him, and the museum, to show a range of work. Large posters throughout the display highlighted how insects have influenced the arts. Utilizing QR codes, the museum provided links to websites and videos of dancing, music and fashion clips inspired by insects. The library provided a selection of books, like “The Very Hungry Catepillar” by Eric Carle and “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, to illustrate how bugs have influenced literature.

“If you pay attention, to the text and the pictures, you get that mix of science and arts so clearly.” said Syd Blackmarr, board member for the museum. “I have people that say to me, ‘That bug really scares me’ and I say, ‘Have you looked carefully at the patterns, the colors?’”

Along the back of the museum, there were light refreshments and snacks, shaped like butterflies and lady bugs. Next to it was a different kind of snack table. Manned by Ellen and Dan Corrie, they educated guests on the nutritional and ecological value of growing and eating bugs.

Ground up grasshoppers were baked into banana bread. Meal worms were tossed in cayenne and buffalo wing flavoring. Grasshoppers, minus their spindly legs, came covered in sriracha, taco seasoning and sea salt. A diagram on the table charted how many grams of protein 100 gallons of water would produce in beef, chicken, corn, soy and crickets. Crickets generate 71 grams of protein per 100 gallons of water, the most out of all five, while beef only produced 6 grams.

From looking to tasting, the exhibit was intended to educate and share an appreciation for insects. Mary Alice Applegate created a tour to study the patterns of the insects as though they were art, noting the patterns and contrasting colors. Bret Wagenhorst gathered the scientific captions and passed them along to Christine Tibbetts to make them accessible to all audiences, including children. From mounting the photographs to creating the posters, Blackmarr said the entire production was created by a village.

The exhibit will be up until Feb. 17. The Tifton Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday it is open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.