“The Grasshopper and the Ant and Other Stories” exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg continues through Jan. 5 at the downtown museum.
The exhibition by contemporary artist Jennifer Angus “creates a wondrous environment where thousands of exotic, brilliantly-colored insects reign in the nearly 7,000-square-foot gallery space within the MFA’s Hough Wing,” according to the museum.
Inspired by Aesop’s Fables and steeped in neo-Victorian ideas and design, Ms. Angus’ elaborate and stunning “wallpaper” patterns are made of dried insects pinned into place across the high walls of the Hough Wing. “The designs entice the visitor’s natural attraction to color and repetition, but upon a closer look, challenge the viewer’s perception of insects and expectations of beauty,” according to the museum.
“I seek to rehabilitate the image of insects and draw correlations between humans and members of the six-legged kingdom. The fear we have of insects is generally unwarranted,” said artist Angus, a professor of Textiles at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Their role in the environment is vital (to human survival), whether it be in the pollination of flowers, which in turn produce the fruits we so enjoy, or the decomposition of matter. Insects are both beautiful and essential”
For ticket information to the exhibition and museum hours go to the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg.
Nov 16 | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Explore More! Family Days: All About Insects!
Nov 16 | 2 to 3:30 p.m. Lecture with Artist Jennifer Angus. Go to lecture with Jennifer Angus for information.
Nov 25 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Grateful For Grasshoppers” Day Camp For Grades 1-4