An Illustrated lecture with Lorna Owen, author of “Mouse Muse”

Date: Tuesday, February 24th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $5
Location: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 Third Avenue, 11215 Brooklyn
* Books available for sale and signing, while supplies last

Its bones were transformed into an exquisite sculptured flower by the contemporary Japanese artist Hideki Tokushige; its embryonic cells under a microscope inspired an abstraction by Vasily Kandinsky; and its body was tenderly carried around a room in a performance piece by Joseph Beuys. These are just a few examples of the astonishing and unexpected ways in which the humble creature has inspired a vast number of artists: painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, video and installation artists to name a few. Based on the book “Mouse Muse,” this slide presentation traces the mouse in art across centuries and civilizations—whether the mouse completes a still life or its body parts offer a medium for a conceptual piece, this lowly and often misunderstood creature has left an astonishing and important legacy in visual art.

Lorna Owen is a writer and freelance editor. In addition to the recently published “Mouse Muse,” she is the author of the popular blog Mouse Interrupted where she continues to track the small creature’s contribution to art. She lives in Northwest Connecticut with her husband and two dogs, and an occasional mouse.