Artist Rockman to speak
about mural at UW

Painter Alexis Rockman has been described as provocative, talented and “nuts.” Judge for yourself when Rockman discusses his work at 7 p.m. Friday in Room 120 of Kane Hall.

His lecture is sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission and the University of Washington Public Art Commission. Admission is free.

Rockman’s mural, “A Recent History of the World,” currently hangs in the lobby of the new Fisheries Building. The mural is an orthographic map of the world, with its land and sea masses largely described by human-caused extinctions and impending extinctions, both biological and cultural.

Artist Alexis Rockman, described as provocative, talented and “nuts,” will be on the UW campus Friday to speak about the above mural, which hangs in the lobby of the new Fisheries Building.

The mural lists animals and activities such as Norway Rats, the Coconut Palm, the Feral Pigeon, EuroDisney, big game hunting and research whaling with corresponding numbers on the world map - much like a paint-by-numbers kit - focusing primarily on the last five centuries of human migration and exploration.

Rockman has developed a significant following among well-respected paleontologists, zoologists and other scientists, primarily because he diligently researches his subjects. He consults field guides, taxonomies and old travel narratives, teams up with biologists and paleontologists, and visits locales such as the rainforest of Guyana, all in the name of his art.

David Quammen, author of “The Song of the Dodo,” writes, “Alexis Rockman is talented, dangerous, and nuts. He’s also a diligent researcher with almost too much cerebral curiosity to be a visual artist.”