Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Endless forms most beautiful...

There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers,
having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one;
and 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, On the Origin of Species, 1859

Image: Joseph Scheer, Hyalophora cecropia

Finding beauty in all of nature, even the most humble of earth's creatures, is the the theme of a new exhibit at the Atrium Art Gallery at University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College. The opening reception for Spineless Wonders: Invertebrates as Inspiration is Friday, September 11, 6 pm - 8 pm. The exhibit, which runs through December 18th, is open to the public and free of charge. See below for more information:

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, and work in clay, metal, fiber, glass, wood, and stone are all part of the multi-dimensional exhibition. 56 artists from across the country are taking part. A poetry chapbook entitled The Lowly, Exalted and Other Poems accompanies the exhibit, featuring work by poets who express a passion and curiosity about the invertebrate world.

For the exhibition, the Atrium Art Gallery is partnering with The Stanton Bird Club, offering programs with a focus on invertebrate ecology, the Auburn Public Library, and the Lewiston Public Library, who will be offering programs for adults and children on the fascinating world of invertebrates.

Spineless Wonders continues a curatorial approach to exhibits that combines art and science in keeping with the interdisciplinary focus of the curriculum at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College. Previous exhibits on birds, forests, threatened and endangered plants and animals, - and upcoming in 2010, vernal pools, - highlight the bond between the two disciplines and the powerful ability visual artists, poets, and audio artists have to make these connections.

The Atrium Art Gallery is located at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street, in Lewiston. For more information you may call 753-6500, or visit www.usm.maine.edu/lac/art. School and group tours of the exhibit are available free of charge. For more information contact Robyn Holman, 753-6554, holman@usm.maine.edu. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 8-8; Friday, 8-4:30; Saturday, 9-3; closed holidays.

Source (image and excerpts): www.usm.maine.edu/lac/art

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