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VIDEO: 'Form from Form: Art from Discovery,' a Darwin-Inspired Art Exhibit
Other Contact Phone: (513) 558-4450
Throughout 2009, the University of Cincinnati celebrated the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth (February 12, 1809) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of “On the Origin of Species” (November 24, 1859). “Form from Form: Art from Discovery,” a Darwin-inspired art exhibition being held in the Philip M. Meyers, Jr. Memorial Gallery at the University of Cincinnati, features the new creations of seven noted living artists (all doing new Darwin-inspired works) and the late January Marx Knoop. "Form from Form" received such rave reviews that by request, the original exhibit has been extended to Dec. 11, 2009. (Exhibit hours are Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.)
The genesis of "Form from Form" came from curator Mary Heider and her admiration for the work of artist Jan Knoop. Knoop(who died in 2006) was a well-known, much-exhibited and beloved Cincinnati artist who was a close friend to many in Cincinnati. Her art series “Metamorphosis” is in the theme of Darwin’s “transmutation” (which means “species change”).
The invitational postcard featured one of Jan Knoop's panels.
“Exhibiting Jan’s artistic legacy in this show honoring Darwin’s evolution legacy seemed to me a important tribute to an artist and to the arts in general,” says Mary Heider, assistant dean emerita of medical education in UC’s College of Medicine and curator of the exhibit. “Also, Jan Knoop was a friend of Ann Meyers, wife of Philip M. Meyers, Jr., for whom the gallery is named.”
Philip Meyers’ sister, Lynne Meyers Gordon, whose donation led to establishment of the gallery, attended the opening reception on Oct. 29, 2009, in addition to Ann Meyers.
Assistant Dean Emerita Mary Heider curated the exhibit.
“With the help of Christopher Knoop, Jan’s husband, we have invited her many close friends to the exhibition opening,” Heider adds.
In his essay for the exhibit catalogue entitled, “Aesthetics and Evolution: A Paleontologist’s Perspective,” UC Professor of Geology Carlton Brett wrote, “Charles Darwin was no artist. His 700-page magnum opus — ‘On the Origin of Species,’ published 150 years ago — has just a single figure, a rather simple branching line diagram depicting a pattern of evolutionary divergence. Yet this figure is an icon of the classic metaphor: the depiction of evolutionary genealogies as profusely branching trees. Despite its sparse illustration, Darwin’s great work was built upon and inspired many aesthetic metaphors.”
Seven living Cincinnati artists created new works inspired by Darwin:
'Death Toll' contains a file for each day of the year, with sketches of birds who died in Hamilton County.
Anthony Becker installed his file of bird drawings done in his year of collecting, recording the month and Cincinnati road site where each bird, hit by an automobile, perished. He poses questions about bird mortality and species change.
Ana England explores the morphology of insect sensing in her ceramic antennas. She notes that Darwin viewed morphology as the “very soul’ of natural selection.
Gary Gaffney uses collage to explore the creationism/evolution controversy giving consideration to the roles myth and theory hold in our understanding of the universe.
'Jurassic Ark' is the creation of Stephen Geddes, along with 'Darwin in Paradise.'
The intersection of morphology and time intrigue Stephen Geddes who finds that in his mind the evolutionary process speeds up, not unlike the photographic images of the forerunners of motion pictures, Edweard Muybridge or Etienne-Jules Marey. Geddes’ sculpture captures this imagery.
Presenting figurative raku clay sculpture, Rhonda Gushee questions future species change touched by environmental conditions and explores hybrids that may emerge.
Lisa Merida-Paytes offers both individual sculpture and an installation from her Spine Series. In clay and mixed media, she captures the frailty of life and the animal spirit touched by the forces of natural selection, including man.
Towhey's 'Essences of the Man' is a multilayered look at Darwin.
Thomas Towhey honors Darwin in his painting of the naturalist’s “essences,” a tribute to Darwin’s complexities, genius and underlying nonconformity.
“It is the artist’s imagination that enables us to visualize ancient worlds and throughout the history of paleontology, evolutionary biology and geology, artists — many of them also scientists — have breathed life into ancient organisms and their ecosystems and witnessed their evolution,” concludes Carl Brett in his essay. (The essay is printed in full in the catalogue, which will be available at the exhibit.)
About the Exhibit’s Curator
Mary Heider holds a long interest in the commonalities of science/scientist and art/artist. She sees the naturalist Darwin and artists sharing similar approaches to their work. Both observe, question, collect, experiment and record. Both move from the small detail to the big concept. Darwin posed explanations that generated new concepts and theory. Artists form new thoughts and relationships, often going beyond to interpret what is hidden. As Darwin studied variations in natural forms, so do artists strive to explore change, e.g., “the repetitive series of multiples” that provides alternative perspectives on forms, including those in nature.
What: “Form from Form: Art from Discovery” A Darwin-inspired art exhibition featuring Anthony Becker, Ana England, Gary Gaffney, Stephen Geddes, Rhonda Gushee, January Marx Knoop, Lisa Merida-Paytes and Thomas Towhey.
Where: Philip M. Meyers, Jr. Memorial Gallery, UC Uptown Campus, Steger Student Life Center.
When: Oct. 29–Dec. 11, 2009, with an opening reception held on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Exhibit hours: Monday–Friday, noon to 5 p.m.
Closed Nov. 11 for Veterans' Day; closed Nov. 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving.
Free and open to the public. Cash donations gladly accepted.
For more information, call 513-558-4450 or visit the Darwin Sesquicentennial Web site.
Map
DAAP Associate Dean Anton Harfman and artist Ana England
About the Exhibit
The exhibit presents work by eight artists who explore the nature of form, Darwin’s concepts about nature or Darwin the naturalist. Prior to her death in 2006, Cincinnati artist January Marx Knoop created a body of work using natural forms that evolve. Knoop’s “Metamorphosis” is a series of ink paintings generated by a repeated “bleed” that evolves into a new painting. The last of the 100 images is a “bleed” waiting for the next change. As Darwin found species changing into new species, Knoop’s naturalistic images “morph” into new fantastical, intriguing creatures. The exhibit presents her 2004 CD-ROM “Metamorphosis” containing fifty images. Additional ink paintings from the series are also displayed. Some of the artwork is available for purchase.
About UC’s Year of Darwin 2009 — Evolution: Evidence & ImpactThroughout our year-long celebration of the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the sesquicentennial of the On the Origin of Species, we hope to communicate the many contemporary applications of
- Darwin’s theory of evolution by common descent,
- the breadth of Darwin’s research and its ramifications,
- the truth of Darwin’s work as a cornerstone of modern science and
- the multiple applications of evolutionary theory throughout UC research.
