2026 CHANGEMAKER
SPEAKER SERIES
2026 Changemaker Speaker Series
The Changemaker Speaker Series returns to the Blackhawk Museum with a powerhouse lineup of National Geographic explorers, photographers, and storytellers who are redefining how we see the world. From the bones of ancient giants buried beneath the Sahara to the rituals that help people thrive past 100, from face-to-face encounters with the planet’s most feared predators to a sweeping visual love letter to America, this is a season you don’t want to miss.
Grab the full series package and secure your seat for all four evenings of adventure, discovery, and inspiration. This is a specially priced ticket package, granting access to all four shows for the price of three. The price for the package is $120 for General Admission, and $75 for Museum Members.
Astonishing Dinosaurs
with Paul Sereno
They call him the “Indiana Jones of Paleontology” and he’s earned every bit of it.
Dr. Paul Sereno leads The Fossil Lab at the University of Chicago and has spent decades chasing lost worlds across the globe, from the Andes to the plains of Asia to the deepest reaches of the African continent. Born and raised in Naperville, Illinois, Sereno studied art and biology at Northern Illinois University before earning his doctorate at Columbia University, where he cut his teeth researching dinosaur fossils across Asia. Since joining the University of Chicago in 1987, his fieldwork has taken him to some of the most remote and punishing landscapes on Earth.
His latest expedition may be his most staggering yet. Featured in the August 2025 issue of National Geographic, Sereno’s team uncovered 55 tons of fossils buried beneath the Sahara including a Spinosaurus skull, previously unknown sauropod species, and massive crocodile-like predators. Together, these discoveries reveal an ancient ecosystem of almost unimaginable scale, a lost world teeming with giants.
In Astonishing Dinosaurs, Sereno brings the full force of that adventure to the stage. Part science, part expedition thriller, this show drops you into the heat and sand of one of history’s boldest fossil hunts. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to pull a 100-million-year-old skull from the earth, this is your night.
America at 250
with Stephen Wilkes
Few photographers have documented the American experience quite like Stephen Wilkes.
Over the course of a remarkable five-decade career, Wilkes has captured some of the nation’s most defining moments, from cultural milestones and historic tragedies to sweeping landscapes and everyday scenes that reveal the spirit of the country itself. His work has appeared in National Geographic, TIME, Vanity Fair, and countless major publications, earning international acclaim for its scale, artistry, and emotional depth.
Now, as America approaches its 250th anniversary, Wilkes brings those experiences together in a powerful visual retrospective. America at 250 is a sweeping celebration of the people, places, and moments that have shaped the nation across generations. Through stunning imagery and firsthand stories from behind the lens, Wilkes reflects on resilience, innovation, division, unity, and the enduring character of America itself.
Blending photography, storytelling, and history, this presentation offers audiences a rare opportunity to see America through the eyes of one of its great visual chroniclers. Timely, emotional, and visually unforgettable, America at 250 invites audiences to reflect not only on where the country has been, but where it may be headed next.
Among Wild Predators
with Casey Anderson
Most people run from grizzly bears. Casey Anderson adopted one.
An Emmy-nominated filmmaker, adventurer, and National Geographic explorer, Anderson has spent more than three decades traveling the world and capturing nature’s most powerful and elusive creatures through the camera lens. Born and raised in Montana, he grew up exploring the vast wilderness that was his backyard. By eighteen, he was already guiding professional wildlife filmmakers into remote locations to track and film animals most people will never see in the wild.
At twenty-six, Anderson took a leap that would change his life, and his mission, forever. He adopted an orphaned baby grizzly bear, a decision that led him to co-found the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing grizzly bears from inhumane situations. As a television personality, Anderson has been featured on Nat Geo WILD, BBC, PBS, the Travel Channel, and the Discovery Channel, and has been a regular contributor to Conan and Oprah. Through it all, he has made it his mission to bring his love of the wild into the hearts of people everywhere, instilling a drive to conserve the untamed and untouched places that are disappearing.
He makes his home in Paradise Valley in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem with his wife, two daughters, and son — right where the wild things are.
In Among Wild Predators, Anderson delivers a visually stunning, emotionally charged journey into the world of grizzlies, mountain lions, tigers, and more. Through breathtaking encounters and deeply personal stories, he dismantles the myths that surround these animals, revealing them not as monsters to be feared, but as mirrors of our own courage, empathy, and will to survive. This is a show that will change the way you see the natural world.
The Blue Zones
with David McLain
What if the secret to living longer has already been discovered?
For more than two decades, photographer and filmmaker David McLain has traveled the globe alongside bestselling author Dan Buettner documenting the world’s Blue Zones, rare communities where people routinely live vibrant, healthy lives well beyond 100. From the mountains of Sardinia to the islands of Okinawa, McLain has captured the daily rituals, traditions, and human connections that shape some of the longest-lived cultures on Earth.
A National Geographic photographer and acclaimed visual storyteller, McLain has spent his career documenting humanity in some of the world’s most fascinating places. His work has appeared in major publications worldwide, and his imagery helped introduce the Blue Zones phenomenon to millions through National Geographic and The Blue Zones Kitchen.
In The Blue Zones: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity, McLain combines breathtaking photography, personal stories, and scientific insight to explore what these extraordinary communities can teach us about health, happiness, and aging well. More than a lecture, this is a journey across continents and cultures in search of a better way to live.