Mrs. Darwin's Garden
Opening: During a 2009 sojourn in Cambridge, England, Minneapolis-based artist Vesna Kittelson became intrigued by the life of Emma Wedgwood, heir to an English pottery fortune and wife of scientist Charles Darwin. As 2009 marked the bicentennial of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his "On the Origin of Species," his life and work was celebrated everywhere. But what of Mrs. Darwin, the love of his life and mother of their 10 children? She was sadly neglected. To rectify that oversight, Kittleson created an installation consisting of four accordion-fold books and more than two dozen paintings of fanciful plants and imaginative garden fountains. Filled with strange and colorful flora, "Mrs. Darwin's Garden" is a meditation on the vagaries of evolution, the weird quirks of climate change and a charming tribute to a long and loving marriage. (Noon-6 p.m. Thu.-Sat. with reception 6-8 p.m. Sat. Free. Ends Dec. 20. Form + Content Gallery, 210 N. 2nd St., Mpls. 612-436-1151 or www.formandcontent.org) Mary Abbe
