Science meets art in Cabinets of Wonder exhibit

A new exhibit at the Owens Art Gallery creates a compelling link between art and science. Cabinets of Wonder draws scientific specimens, books and pieces of art together from several Mount Allison collections to create displays that harken back to early traditions of modern museums.
The pieces on display were inspired by “wunderkammern”, or thematic displays of art and natural specimens that were popular in 17th and 18th century Europe.
“It was completely unscholarly by our standards, they [were] mixing these disciplines and forms that we don’t think have anything to do with each other,” said Janine Rogers, a professor in the department of English and one of the exhibit’s curators, “but I like the intellectual work of connection going on behind that. Even though they were getting the science wrong, it was a really creative process essentially trying to read the world and how it worked.”
Cabinets of Wonder features items from the department of biology’s teaching collection and the Owens Art Gallery, as well as books from the Mount Allison Library’s rare book collection. The exhibit is also curated by Gay Hansen, a lab instructor in the department of biology, and Gemey Kelly, director and curator of the Owens Art Gallery.

“This is one of the rare opportunities for the public to see these collections,” said Kelly. “The biology collections are stunning and this is a fraction of what’s over [in the Flemington building.]”
The exhibit is organized in a series of display cabinets, each containing an assemblage of scientific specimens and art tied by a common theme. Five of these cabinets contain bird specimens from the department of biology ornithology teaching collection. Hansen made many of the taxidermy birds on display, and many were made by former biology students in an ornithology class Hansen used to teach. None of these birds were killed for taxidermy, but were mounted after being found dead. These avian displays include whole birds, eggs, nests and a collection of bird feet.
“I just put [the feet] on these coloured blocks because I thought that was kind of funny – it gives them a bit of a Seussian quality,” said Hansen.
The other displays in the exhibit feature a diverse range of themes.
One is a desk created in Mt. A’s former applied arts program, on top of which is a box of antique microscope slides and a sperm whale tooth which Hansen said has been in her family for three generations. A portrait of Mary Allison, Charles Frederick Allison’s daughter, sits above this desk. Other cabinets include specimens from the department of biology zoology and fossil collections, as well as a number of mammal, reptile and amphibian skeletons that includes a human skeleton and the skull of a whale. A cabinet from the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John was also included, curated by the museum’s curator Peter Larocque.
Complementing these displays are rare books from the library’s Special Collections and art from the Owens collection, including art from past fine arts students. Kelly said that some of the art featured among these cabinets would not normally be displayed together as they are from different periods or styles, but are brought together for this exhibit due to a theme they share with the scientific specimens.
Milo Hicks, a fourth-year honours English student, said the exhibit expanded her idea of what can make museum a collection.
“It’s supremely accessible, as these objects come from such different backgrounds that are then presented in a way that [has] no interpretation,” said Hicks. “There’s a trust in the viewer to interpret them how they like; there’s no set goal for the display other than just display.”
A symposium on Oct. 30 following the exhibit’s opening explored the connections of art and science in the academy. Interpreters and representatives from the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Hopewell Rocks, and Fundy Geological Museum gave talks on the role of art in science education. Talks were also given by Mt. A faculty and archivists, as well as members of the provincial government and the New Brunswick Museum.
The Owens will have a box for visitors to submit questions about the exhibit, which will be answered by Hansen in a round-circle session toward the end of the month. Kelly said this is intended to increase viewer participation in the exhibit and to educate those interested in learning more about the Mt. A collections.
“If people take something away, I hope it’s awareness and respect for the role that Mount Allison has in building and caring for collections, and how rich and varied these collections are,” said Kelly.
Art and science enthusiasts alike can visit the exhibit at the Owens Art Gallery until Nov. 29.

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