Habitats November 2024

From treetops to the ocean floor, from mountains to the rich soil beneath the earth’s surface, every living thing calls the earth home. According to the dictionary, a habitat is “the natural home or environment of a plant, animal, or other organism. It provides the organisms that live there with food, water, shelter and space to survive.” Biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) things exist together to form a habitat, where flora and fauna live side by side in a symbiotic effort to survive. Each of the five artists included in this exhibition address the theme of habitats with a unique lens. The core is a shared and passionate interest in the living landscape. Elizabeth Addison’s richly colored and intricately composed images, many incorporating her original photos of the Smith river, express her connection with the beautiful water and land interface. Salma Arastu has found her muse in the underground network of mycelia that is regenerating, activating, and healing the damaged state of our environment, as well as the invisible tiny microbes that are an integral and essential part of the web of life. Concerned with environmental destruction, loss of species, and irrevocable environmental changes, sculptor Marguerite Ellliot’s work functions as both a reliquary and a shrine, to what is lost or soon may be lost. Vicki Gunter’s detailed ceramic works highlight the environments of creatures and plants, eloquently describing the threats they face. In my own Habitat work, I strive to expose the flora and fauna that exist between slices of picture-perfect landscapes. Seen together, the art expresses wonder and awe at the earth’s beauty, its precious inhabitants, and the palpable environmental challenges faced by us all. I could not be more pleased that these artistic visions have coalesced into an exhibition that provides a multifaceted view of our home planet in all its complexity, showcasing many facets of earth’s astonishing, turbulent, and resilient beauty.