Small Wonders: Insects in Focus

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. Small Wonders aims to inspire, in an artistic way, our natural curiosity to understand the form, function, and diversity of nature.

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.

These new ways of seeing confront viewers with the idea that insects display the elements we attribute to good design or beautiful artwork. Colors like neon green, sapphire blue, crimson red, deep violet, and brilliant yellow are all part of the insect world. Wild, multi-colored patterns sometimes come from hair, sometimes from iridescent scales, and other times from colors integral to the insect’s exoskeleton. Smooth metallic finishes and heavily stippled texture may exist on the same insect. Strange body shapes, delicate wing structures, and beautifully engineered body components captivate. These tiny creatures are indeed artwork, in every sense of the word.

Bob Sober, a visual artist as well as technological pioneer whose photographic techniques are the subject of educational tutorials, offers a series of thirty images that bring the natural world to a scale rarely experienced until now. Small Wonders finds viewers at the intersection of art and science, and brings together two fields of thought in a provocative and inspiring way.

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Tour Schedule

Small Wonders: Insects in Focus is touring January 2019 through January 2024. The dates below reflect seven-week exhibition periods. Dates are subject to change; please contact MoreArt@maaa.org or (800) 473-3872 x208/209 for current availability.

  • January 29–March 16, 2019 Stauth Memorial Museum
    Montezuma, KS     booked
  • April 6–May 25, 2019 Laurel County Public Library
    London, KY     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2019 Arts Council, Wichita Falls Area, Inc.
    Wichita Falls, TX     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2019 Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs
    Bonita Springs, FL     booked
  • November 10, 2019–March 16, 2020 Raupp Museum
    Buffalo Grove, IL     booked
  • June 16–October 20, 2020 Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
    Bradenton, FL     booked
  • November 10, 2020–March 16, 2021 Kenosha Museum System
    Kenosha, WI     booked
  • April 6–August 11, 2021 Maria V. Howard Arts Center
    Rocky Mount, NC     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2021 Chelsea District Library
    Chelsea, MI     booked
  • November 10, 2021–January 7, 2022 City of Temecula
    Temecula, CA     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2022 San Jacinto College
    Houston, TX     pending
  • April 6–May 25, 2022 Refurbishment
    Kansas City, MO     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2022 Powell Gardens
    Kingsville, MO     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2022 Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History
    Jackson, MI     booked
  • November 10, 2022–January 7, 2023 Hi-Desert Nature Museum
    Yucca Valley, CA     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2023 Provo City Library at Academy Square
    Provo, UT     booked
  • April 6–August 11, 2023 Lyman Allyn Art Museum
    New London, CT     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2023 Oxford Performing Arts Center
    Oxford, AL     pending
  • November 10, 2023–January 7, 2024 West Baton Rouge Museum
    Port Allen     booked

Exhibition Details

Thirty photographs by Bob Sober

  • Content

    Fee Includes
    Press Kit
    Registrar’s Packet
    Programming Guide
    Gallery Guide
    Text Panels
    Narrative Labels
    Full Insurance
    Installation Instructions
    Custom-Designed and Built Crates

  • Curated By

    ExhibitsUSA

  • Organized By

    ExhibitsUSA, Mid-America Arts Alliance

  • Out-of-Region Rental Fee

    $4,700

  • In-Region Rental Fee

    $3,290

  • Duration

    7-week display

  • Shipping

    Van Line

  • Running Feet

    160

  • Square Feet

    -

  • Security

    Moderate B

  • Number of Crates/Total Weight

    TBD

  • Insurance

    The exhibition is fully insured by ExhibitsUSA at no additional expense to you, both while installed and during transit.