Inside Art with Michael Rose - WaterFire Exhibition Puts Earth in Focus

Inside Art with Michael Rose - WaterFire Exhibition Puts Earth in Focus

 

Issues related to the environment are often in the news, but perhaps not often enough at top-of-mind. In a multi-faceted exhibition on view through May 1, 2022 at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, a special showcase offers a thought-provoking exploration of important ideas related to environmental beauty and fragility. Titled “Planet Earth, the Environment, and Our Future,” WaterFire’s current exhibition was curated by the organization’s dynamic founder, Barnaby Evans. It spans the fields of art, science, and philosophy, resulting in a cohesive and compelling whole.

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The centerpiece of the exhibition is “Gaia”, a luminous twenty-three-foot diameter depiction of planet earth by UK artist Luke Jerram. For those who have followed past shows at WaterFire Arts Center, Jerram’s “Museum of the Moon”, which was exhibited in 2019, is a memorable event. The goal of Jerram’s blue orb is to encourage viewers to experience the “overview effect” reported by astronauts who are able to better appreciate the fragility of the planet from the hindsight of space. Jerram’s sculpture is undeniably impactful and draws attendees in, visibly glowing through the WaterFire Arts Center’s windows up and down Valley Street.

 

 

Jerram’s work is not the only powerful sculpture in the show. New York artist Richard Friedberg’s aluminum and steel constructions conjure fires, tornados, waves, and other signatures of natural and man-made environmental disasters. A tsunami churns through one corner of the gallery, while an oil fire burns in another, making these catastrophes viscerally real for visitors.

Joan Hall’s contribution to the exhibition also expands beyond the boundaries of two-dimensional work. Hall, who is based in Jamestown, is known for her work with handmade paper in sculptural applications. On view in WaterFire’s exhibition, Hall’s “Algae Bloom” is a multipart installation work that expands across a wall and up a story through the expansive gallery space. It is undulating and highly textured, evoking a natural phenomenon that poses an immediate danger to aquatic life.

One of the most hypnotic works in the show is a triptych of video screens by RISD professor emeritus Dennis Hlynsky. The series captures the elegant movements of birds through space and the result is entrancing. Watching the videos again and again, audiences will find that they have never had a full appreciation for birds in flight.

In addition to Hlynsky’s video work, photographs are an important element of the exhibition. Among them, a series of images capturing Judy Chicago’s land interventions from the late 1960s and early 1970s are particularly resonant. Chicago is one of the nation’s most significant Feminist artists and the photographs chronicle her EcoFeminist perspective.

There is a plethora of media at play in the exhibition, signaling curator Barnaby Evans’ wide-ranging interests and his talent for making connections. Some of the most visually rich works on view are those by Janice Lardey. Originally from Ghana, Lardey is currently completing her MFA at RISD and has expertise in traditional West African textile practices like Batik printmaking, Adinkra cloth-making, and Kente weaving culture.

In a recent opening reception for the show, a panel discussion highlighted a number of artists featured in the show and offered them opportunities to discuss their work with a crowd numbering well into the hundreds. The event was a testament to the way in which art and creativity can coalesce the community around a cause.

The exhibition itself is an example of meaningful collaboration. Made possible with support from the NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium, Kathleen and Barry Hittner, the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, Brown University, and the Roger Williams Park Zoo, the show is the result of shared values among many stakeholders.

Provocative and inspirational, the exhibition has drawn the eye of an emerging generation of artists such as photographer Jared Winslow. A member of WaterFire’s Accelerate program for young artists, Winslow recently created a series of moody images of the show. One of Winslow’s photographs is being used to promote an April 21 Millennial Rhode Island social in the space, making for a true creative synergy.

Drawing from the perspectives of a varied group of art-makers is a key strength of the show. The individuals featured by curator Barnaby Evans span generations and hail from places throughout the country and abroad. In this sense, the exhibition makes clear that the realities of environmental awareness should be of concern to all people. It makes the case that everyone, everywhere has a responsibility to take better care of the natural world.

 

“Planet Earth, the Environment, and Our Future”, is on view at WaterFire Arts Center through May 1. The exhibition is open Wednesday - Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm each day. On Thursdays, the show will be open late until 9 pm. To learn more and plan a visit, go to www.waterfire.org.