The Making of Evolution
A lecture with painter Alexis Rockman
April 23 | 7-8:15pm
Lecture and Q&A in the Hot Shop - 7-8:15pm
Reception - 8:15-9pm
Please join us for “The Making of Evolution”, a lecture with painter Alexis Rockman. Evolution (1992) is the first epic 8x24 foot panoramic painting of Rockman’s career, and an integral part of the current Museum of Glass exhibition Field Notes: Artists Observe Nature. The monumental work greets visitors at the entrance of the exhibition, which offers a glimpse into the changing view of nature over the last century. Evolution confronts us with astonishing power, depicting a dystopian scene that causes us to ask: What has happened to the world? What has happened to all the species? Where are the humans?
This lecture will discuss the conception, execution, and history of this magnum opus — an encyclopedic spectacle encompassing many of Rockman’s obsessions with the collection of his childhood haunt: The American Museum of Natural History. Evolution was showcased at the Carnegie Museum and the Venice Biennale and paved the way for many other epic history paintings about humanity’s tricky relationship to the planet, extinction, the bio diversity crisis, and climate change.
Reception with wine and light bites to follow. This is event is $10 for the general public and free for students. Please RSVP below.
Alexis Rockman. Evolution (detail), 1992. Oil on wood; 96 x 288 inches. From the George R. Stroemple Collection.
Evolution in Field Notes: Artists Observe Nature at Museum of Glass
About Alexis Rockman
Alexis Rockman, a painter based in Warren, Connecticut, is an environmental activist who began making paintings and works on paper to build environmental awareness in the mid-1980s. Embarking on expeditions to distant locations like Antarctica and Madagascar in the company of professional naturalists, his work tells stories of natural histories confronting the dystopian future of the biodiversity crisis, global warming, and genetic engineering. Rockman’s work has been exhibited around the world and showcased at prestigious galleries and museums including the Venice Biennale, Carnegie Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Serpentine Galleries. Rockman worked on the 2012 movie Life of Pi with Ang Lee as “Inspirational Artist.” Recent exhibitions include Alexis Rockman: Oceanus, a major exhibition that premiered at Mystic Seaport Museum in 2023 and is now touring. Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld, the first two-person exhibition of these closely allied artists, opened at the Lowe Art Museum in February 2025. The show will tour to four additional museums.
