Spineless Wonders: Invertebrates as Inspiration September 8 - December 18, 2009
Exhibit Information
There is grandeur in this view of life ... that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. -Charles Darwin, from On the Origin of Species
Spineless Wonders: Invertebrates as Inspiration celebrates the diversity of species for the 2009 bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species. Paintings, prints, sculpture, poetry, video, sound, and work in clay, metal, fiber, glass, wood, and stone by 56 artists from around the country will all be part of the multi-dimensional exhibition. A poetry chapbook will accompany the exhibit, featuring poets who express a passion and curiosity about the invertebrate world.
Invertebrates make up a vast group of species that includes worms, insects and their larva, spiders, jellyfish,shellfish such as crabs and shrimp, squid, and more — 97% of all animal species are invertebrates. In his lifetime, Darwin was as well known for his authoritative studies of barnacles and earthworms as he was for his theory of evolution. Artists in the exhibit include Joseph Scheer, aka “Mothman,” internationally recognized for his awe-inspiring large format photographs of moths; entomologist Steven R. Kutcher (supervisor for the movie Arachnophobia, and consultant for Jurassic Park and Spiderman) who works with insects to create paintings by insects; and world-renowned origami master Robert Lang who specializes in arthropods. The exhibition will also feature Catherine Chalmers’s Safari, a 7-minute visually stunning video http://www.catherinechalmers.com/videos.cfm following a cockroach’s view of jungle life. From softball sized dust mites and a “skeleton”of a praying mantis to giant bronze flatworms and fashionable handbags with squids — Spineless Wonders is an awe-inspiring view of how artists see and interpret the invertebrate world.
School and group tours are available free of charge. For Spineless Wonders, we are partnering with Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary, a local 357 acre wildlife preserve (with an interest in invertebrate ecology as part of their focus on habitat), the Auburn Public Library, and the Lewiston Public Library to promote the exhibit and help with related programming. For information on school tours, contact Robyn Holman, or 753-6554.
