Dialogues with Darwin: An Exhibition of Historical Documents and Contemporary Art

“There is grandeur in this view of life … ,” wrote Darwin in referring to his theory of evolution through natural selection. The history of life on earth is arguably the greatest story on earth. How are life forms related to each other? Is there any order in nature? How do we make sense of it all?

Like Darwin, other scientists attempted to make sense of it by searching for an ordering principle, drawing evidence from fossils, living organisms, and experiments. Many mapped the relationships among living forms in schematic drawings, and, like Darwin, they came up against the ultimate question about origins and order: Is there a Creator who plays a role in the history of life on earth?