All Creatures Great and Small

Creating images of animals is as old as art itself; from the earliest cave paintings to today’s cutting-edge installation art, artists have created thousands of ways to depict our furred and feathered friends.  Whether animals are portrayed as companions, entertainers, specimens, prey or beasts of burden they continue they continue to inspire depiction in a wide variety of media.

In an age when we rarely engage nature first-hand while simultaneously longing for a utopian world devoid of human intervention, many contemporary artists have chosen to use animals in their work as metaphor or messenger.  Earlier artists such as John James Audubon (1785-1851) undertook the daunting scientific experiment of document the birds of North American creating books and portfolios detailing each species in their nature habitat.

Animals also are great props for humor and personification. . Helen Altman is inspired by Important relationships with individual animals.  David Bates, Mark Messersmith and Melissa Miller present nature embellished and embed their artwork with complex messages and references to concern for dwindling natural habitats.

This exhibition explores the many ways in which animals fascinate and frighten us with their grace, humor, strength and mystery through art. The artists and the animals that are part of this exhibition challenge us to examine our involvement in the lives of animals in the wild, at home, at play and at work.  They also remind us to be mindful of the animal kingdom and the planet we all share.

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