The Aquarium of the Pacific’s new Pacific Visions wing opened Thursday for media to take a sneak peek of the completed $53-million expansion. The major addition encourages visitors to explore their impact on the ocean, integrating art and science to inspire visitors to think about solutions to major environmental issues. A theater, art gallery, outdoor pavilion, culmination gallery and live animal exhibits make up the anticipated addition.

Aquarium president and CEO Jerry Schubel said during introductory remarks that the expansion “isn’t just about feeling good, this is about the ecosystems that make life possible on this planet.”

The main draw of the two-story, 29,000-square-foot space is the huge Honda Pacific Visions Theater, which boasts multisensory effects during showings (think Disneyland’s Honey I Shrunk the Audience! but more along the lines of Honey, We’re Destroying the Planet and maybe there’s something we can do about that). Another highlight includes the first and only public display of the delta smelt fish, subject of a long-running commerce versus conservation battle. Native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the aquarium now has an exhibit of about 500 of the tiny, translucent species facing extinction.

There’s also the art gallery, an “underwater” excursion with mesmerizing Infinity Coral portholes, hanging glass sculptures of plankton and touch walls, inviting viewers to get a feel for some of the ocean’s most interesting sea creatures; and, after the screening, a culmination room, using even more integrative technology to engage viewers in sustainable solution making.

Pacific Visions will open to the public on Friday, May 24. For more info, visit the website here.

The new Pacific Visions wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Photos courtesy of Aquarium of the Pacific / Pacific Visions / EHDD / Clark Construction / Photography by Tom Bonne.
The new Pacific Vision wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Photo Courtesy Tom Bonner.
The new Honda Theater in the Pacific Visions wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Photo Courtesy Tom Bonner.
The new Honda Theater in the Pacific Visions wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Photo Courtesy Tom Bonner.
The culmination gallery of the new Pacific Visions wing at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Photo Courtesy Tom Bonner.
Delta smelt schooling. Photo courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Yellowtail schooling. Photo courtesy of Ken Kurtis.

Check out the Twitter thread below for more photos and video from the media preview:

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].