Small Wonders: Insects in Focus
Showcases the Instersection of Art & Nature
In the air, water, and even under foot, insects inhabit every domain of our daily lives, performing essential functions that balance our fragile ecosystem on earth. By using cutting-edge technology and custom methods, artist Bob Sober created Small Wonders: Insects in Focus, an exhibition of breathtaking beauty that allows viewers to see this hidden world like they’ve never seen it before. The special exhibit will open September 1, 2022 at the Ella Sharp Museum to inspire, in an artistic way, our natural curiosity of better understanding nature’s form, function and diversity.
Insects have been on earth 350 million years, while sharing the planet with humans for only the past 2 million years. Hundreds of thousands of insect species have been documented (scientists believe 30 million may exist), far outnumbering the total of all other animal species. Insects are so prolific that thousands share our own backyards.
Creating human-scale images of insects, with resolution so high that every hair, dimple, and tiny structure is clearly revealed, was impossible prior to the technological advancements of the past ten years. High-resolution digital cameras, fast personal computers, economical digital storage, and powerful software applications capable of assisting with the assembly of hundreds or thousands of individual photographs create the opportunity to capture accurate images of insects as they truly exist.
Bob Sober, a visual artist as well as technological pioneer whose photographic techniques are the subject of educational tutorials, offers a series of 30 images that bring the natural world to a scale rarely experienced until now. Small Wonders brings viewers to the intersection of art and science and joins two fields of thought in a provocative and inspiring way.
Organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, Small Wonders: Insects in Focus is on display through Oct. 22, 2022. Viewing the limited engagement exhibit is included in the price of admission.
The Small Wonders: Insects in Focus exhibit in Jackson, MI is made possible through the support of the Charles Aymond Fund and our community partner Jackson School of the Arts.
- Ella Sharp Museum Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays 12 – 5 p.m.
- Location: 3225 Fourth St, Jackson, MI 49203
- Contact: Ella Sharp Museum, www.ellasharpmuseum.org, 517-787-2320, info@ellasharp.org
Toddler Tour: Small Wonders – Special Exhibit
October 16
Giant colorful bugs! Take your kiddos into you into a hidden world never seen with an educator-led guided tour. Part art, part science, this larger-than-life-exhibition will inspire your natural curiosity to understand the form, function, and diversity of nature. From bees to moths and beetles (oh my!), all ages appreciate this world in a whole new way.