‘A Cabinet of Wonder’ is a large scale installation mixing imagery from the realms of Science, History, Literature, Industry as well as personal narrative. The installation is comprised of three sections: One mimics the display formats of Libraries and Museums of Art and Natural History and depicts a variety of natural specimens. The second transforms several of the walls into a garden of vines and flowers. The last section is a meditation on the history of mills in Fall River. Using the names of some of the mills of the city, Randal Thurston creates a river of words that touch on a significant part of our history. The total effect the artist seeks is one that encourages us to look at the world with a sense of wonder: wonder at nature, science and the history we share.

Randal Thurston, a native of Somerset Massachusetts, teaches at the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University. He lives in Somerville, MA with his wife Alyson and children Alana and Owen.