Invertebrates as Striking Art Forms
September 22, 2009
A 5-foot praying mantis by Wes Fleming
The exhibit, “Spineless Wonders: Invertebrates as Inspiration,” featuring over a hundred works by 56 artists from around the country is on display now through December 18 at the Atrium Art Gallery at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College.
The exhibition 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. 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.
Invertebrates are animals without a spine, making up about 97% of all animal species. This vast group includes worms, insects and their larva, spiders, jellyfish, shellfish such as crabs and shrimp, sponges, and more. In his lifetime, Darwin was as well known for his authoritative studies of barnacles and earthworms as he was for finches and his theory of evolution.
Artists in the exhibit include Joseph Scheer, also known as “Mothman,” internationally recognized for his awe-inspiring large format photographs of moths; Liz Saintsing, fashion world entrepreneur whose handbags and gloves are screenprinted with squid, ants, and jellyfish; world-renowned origami master Robert Lang who specializes in arthropods (insects, spiders, and others); and Ohio artist Amy Youngs whose work in the exhibit, “Digestive Table,” has a built in redworm composting receptacle for table scraps and a webcam to watch the action. The exhibition features Catherine Chalmers’s Safari, a 7-minute visually stunning video following a cockroach’s view of jungle life.
The exhibit is not only about invertebrates, but by invertebrates. Entomologist Steven R. Kutcher works with insects by painting their feet with non-toxic paint and having them create their “masterpieces.” Kutcher is also a well-known as an insect and spider expert for the movie industry and has been a consultant and supervisor for over 80 feature films including Arachnophobia, Jurassic Park, and Spiderman.
From hydras made of knitted wire and hydras made of shredded tires, to a 5 foot praying mantis with a bicycle seat for a head, Spineless Wonders is an awe-inspiring view of how artists see and interpret the invertebrate world.
The exhibition continues through December 18 and is open to the public free of charge. The Atrium Art Gallery is located at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street, in Lewiston. For more information contact 753-6500, online at www.usm.maine.edu/lac/art. 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.
