“In nature, there are diverse states of existence that I continue to study—the structure of nature, the interaction of natural forces, the resilience of nature, and the complexity and awe in the engineering of nature.”

“My work is inspired by ecosystem research, how things grow and survive within specific dynamics. Patterns are seen both formally and behaviorally.”

Hutchinson investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Racine Museum Installation (not on view in Organic Matters).

“Most objects can be art: a urinal, a bed, etc. A dead animal presents a problem in that it decays and therefore can exist only for a finite amount of time before being altered irrevocably. Taxidermy has allowed me to incorporate animals in my work the way others use found objects.”

Morgan investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Rest a Little on the Lap of Life (not on view in Organic Matters).

“My work is about where human civilization meets the natural world—the places and ways flora and fauna collide and interact with people. I’m interested in how animals and plants adapt to human intrusion into their habitats, as well as how people remove nature and replace it with facsimiles and the effect that has upon the human spirit.”

“My drawings are equally about the natural world and the human-made environment. I have a deep respect for nature and have always seen the need for humans to act as responsible stewards of all its ecosystems.”

Celio investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in NIMBY (The Meadow) (not on view in Organic Matters).

“Nature is omnipresent in my work. I strive not only to honor its beauty, grace, and power, but also to go further, to explore and learn from nature’s consciousness, its infinite procession of interrelationships.”

“Nature is more than a theme to me; it is a way of understanding life’s cycles and a language. Understanding the language of nature can help us create balance and harmony in our lives. The idea of recycling and repurposing is also part of my work.”

LeMay investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Eve (not on view in Organic Matters).

“My work is about observing and analyzing the relationships between nature and life—its mutations, delicacy, and rhythms, fusing and recomposing the organic materials I collect to give the illusion of a new life.”

“Nature is more than a theme to me; it is a way of understanding life’s cycles and a language. Understanding the language of nature can help us create balance and harmony in our lives. The idea of recycling and repurposing is also part of my work.”

Lira investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in these pieces from the series IN AND OUT (not on view in Organic Matters).

“The series Landscape Retreat tells stories about our daily experience of urban green spaces. It relates our perception and categorization of nature and how our lives, activities, and actions constantly affect its form.”

“My interest in nature and landscape stems from my longing for the familiar landscape of my home, Japan. Exploring urban landscapes, I noticed many spaces hidden under and between urban structures, such as under highway bridges and empty abandoned lots.”

Kato investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Landscape Retreat: High Noon (not on view in Organic Matters).

“I try to deal with my own questions of duality, cruelty, childhood and what it heralds in later life. I try to create a zone of possible transformation to accommodate what is to come. And I try to approach childhood without naivety.”

“In my work, the animals are almost always associated with humans—sitting in the palm of their hands, leaning close to a face or floating over a body. They show the presence of nature, the animal aspect of humans, and that nature is the reflection of an interior world. It is a mental landscape, a dream world.”

“One major dimension of my work is the interaction/collision between nature and culture. Thinking about the landscape as a personality and what happens to the land as we experience it and colonize it into our own sort of manicured presence.”

“The lawn is of particular interest to me because of its multivalent nature. It is a ‘natural space’ in that it is comprised of plants and landforms, yet the lawn is a wholly artificial construct, a highly controlled space requiring labor, chemicals, and specialized equipment to maintain.”

Holder investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Once Upon a Time in the Forest of Sweet Enough (not on view in Organic Matters).

“I am a cartographer of cultures and an icon maker in my lucid worlds. I want to be a visual interpreter of the mixed cultural worlds of my generation.”

“My recent work on paper and ceramic sculptures explore the idea of something ‘foreign.’ What I make might appear foreign and exotic, or might look familiar and comforting, but you have to look carefully to understand what you’re really experiencing. Examining misunderstanding is part of the necessary process of understanding others. I want to share that experience.”

Moon investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Peach Mask III (not on view in Organic Matters).

“We are interested in the notion of waste and garbage as the consequence of a certain lifestyle in a particular environment and as a material that has consequences for the future.”

“At the time we made these works, we were influenced by post-feminist theories and their questioning of what ‘natural,’ ‘cultural,’ and ‘artificial’ were. That’s why we started representing an artificial nature, using polluted landscapes and the common tool of plastic bags to show our personal view of flowers.”

“I approach my subjects [the world’s oldest living trees and other organisms] as individuals of whom I’m making portraits. This facilitates viewers’ connection to a deep timescale otherwise too challenging for our brains to comprehend.”

“My work spans disciplines, continents, and millennia: it’s part art and part science, has an innate environmentalism, and delves into the idea of deep time. I begin at ‘year zero’ and look back from there, exploring the living past in the fleeting present. This index of millennia-old organisms has never before been created in the arts or sciences.”

Sussman investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Posidonia Oceania Sea Grass #0910-0753 (100,000 years old, Balearic Islands, Spain) (not on view in Organic Matters).

“I use paintings and drawings of landscapes, plants, and animals by other artists as backdrops and then add or animate characters that manipulate the work in some form. The figures inhabit the paintings and drawings, erase them, blur them, and change them, alluding to our manipulation and effect on the environment.”

“My vision for this piece was to relate the interdependence of plants, animals, and humans to the interrelationships of art forms through contemporary media. I evoke fables and folklore because, as children, this is one way we learn about nature; we learn that nature is animated, alive, wise, tricky, powerful, and humbling.”

Tsiongas investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Vanish I (not on view in Organic Matters).

“The land we call home is as much a container for our identities as our own bodies. In my recent projects, the natural landscape is the central character in a narrative about rural communities.”

“The Devil’s Promenade series is about the relationship between rural culture and landscape, specifically Ozark culture in Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas. I find it fascinating how certain physical locations become the settings for specific stories, and enable you to reflect on their significance to your life.”

Shipley investigates nature in her other work as well, as seen in Klayla, twin of Terri, from the series Coming, Going and Staying (not on view in Organic Matters).

Image permissions were supplied by the artists and lenders.

Curator: Virginia Treanor
Editor: Elizabeth Lynch
Project Manager: Laura Hoffman

© 2015 National Museum of Women in the Arts