"The World of Spinning" is an exhibition at the Ojai Valley Museum that examines our complex relationship with spiders and the spectrum of emotions, between fear and wonder, that these eight-legged creatures evoke.

Through diverse media, including photography, claymation, drawing, and installation, local artists will illuminate spiders' remarkable abilities as architects and hunters, the geometry of their web formations, how they express their unique personalities, and their contributions to the human world as pest control and pollinators.

From Joel Fox's neon-painted webs to the whimsical charm of Jamie Stratford's claymation about a timid tea-sipping black widow, this exhibition will challenge our perceptions and invite us to contemplate the intricate connections that bind us to the natural world.

"The World of Spinning" will celebrate the complexities of our relationship with arachnids, urging us to confront our fears, embrace the unknown, and celebrate their extraordinary diversity and importance to life on earth.

Artists Included:

Joel Fox: Compositions of abandoned black widow webs that Fox spraypainted neon colors and photographed at night under bright lights, thus transforming their structures into images that resemble sculptural objects.

Jamie Stratford: A whimsical claymation video following a moment in the life of a timid black widow spider who finds solace in a steaming cup of hot tea.

Jeff Mann: An intricate drawing of a fantastical spider, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.

Cassandra C. Jones: Text-based drawings that explore the defining characteristic of spiders – their eight legs.

Rosemary Hall: An immersive installation involving clay, glass, and illustrations and video. TBA

Other Artists: TBA