FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2003     
Contact: Karen Brodsky, University Library, (707) 664-4240

“Altars of Extinction” Exhibit Honors Vanishing Species of California

The University Library Art Gallery at Sonoma State University opens a unique and thought-provoking exhibit entitled “Altars of Extinction: Honoring the Vanished Species of California” from Oct. 27 through Nov. 21.

“Altars of Extinction” is an exhibit of altars to California species that, within the last one hundred years, have gone extinct. Together the altars create a space for experiencing and contemplating the powerful reality of extinction, says exhibit curator and psychology professor Mary Gomes.

"Through image, symbol, and text they relate the stories of those who recently shared this land with us, conveying the wonder and dignity of their existence as well as the sadness of their disappearance."

The altars, each strikingly different from the others, provide details of a species’ life, including its habitat, habits, and uniquecharacteristics.

As a whole, they evoke the essence of the plant or animal represented. Coastal California is part of an ecological “hotspot,” an area teeming with biological diversity that is seriously threatened by human activity, Gomes says.

The exhibit includes two elaborate maps by James Wright, one showing the local hot spot (the California Floristic Province) and another the hotspots around the world. Additional information is also provided on each species, including how and when it became extinct.

“Altars of Extinction” features seven local artists: Monique Aguerre, Venee Call-Ferrer, Ethan Castro, Ivory Fly, Mary McCullough, L. Frank Menninguez, and Adam Wolpert. Although diverse in background and style, the artists share a passion for nature as expressed through their work, Gomes says.

Gomes will speak at a gallery talk at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the University Library Art Gallery. The University Library Arts and Lectures Series is sponsored in part by the Friends of the University Library.

The University Library Art Gallery is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and closed on Sundays. A daily parking permit ($2.50) is required Mon.-Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays except holidays. Daily permits are not valid in reserved lots.

CAPTION: Above, altar to Raven's Manzanita is part of exhibit at SSU Library Art Gallery. At right, gallery visitor ponders altar to the California Grizzly Bear which became extinct in the 1940s.