Where do art and science meet?  Well, lots of places, but here at Foley Center Library is one.  You’re invited to view the beautiful works that make up The Codex & The Helix: Book Arts Exploring Evolution.  This exhibition is on the third floor of the library, in Special Collections.  It’s up through February 27th.

Not to be missed: a special birthday party for Charles Darwin on February 12th at 7pm in Foley Center Library Special Collections.  There will be cake!

Backtracking a bit…Darwin Day is an international celebration of science and humanity that is observed each year on Charles Darwin’s birthday, February 12.  2009 marks two important anniversaries for the history of evolutionary theory. In addition to being the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth, 2009 is also the 150th anniversary year of the publication of Darwin’s seminal work, On the Origin of Species.

To celebrate these anniversaries, we decided to put out a call for original artwork that faithfully represented the science behind evolution or the social/political history of evolutionary theory.  We also wanted the artwork to be “bookish,” and so we decided to focus on Book Arts.  Book Arts (also known as Artist’s Books) is a genre of art  that’s especially well-suited to a library environment–these are not just books that contain art, these books are the art.

We got many excellent entries, and have collected six to create the exhibition.  Three of the winning entries are from Gonzaga students and faculty, and the other three are from across the nation.  And if I may say so, they are all fantastic.  As part of the exhibition, we also have stunning photographs from last summer’s BIOL 159/359 class trip to the Galapagos archipelago and Ecuador.  Come check it out!

–Adrian Pauw, Public Services