Matthew Chase-Daniel

Passage/Paysage

Chase-Daniel has constructed an ephemeral doorway from Cottonwood leaves, hanging in the air, framing the main path at the Wetlands. He brings together architectural ideas of doorways and artworld ideas of picture frames. The work frames the landscape and invites us through while also being made of the landscape that we are experiencing.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Collins

Disjoint

Disjoint consists of three fallen trees which were found within the Preserve.  These trees which had been cut into several sections have been arranged within eroded paths which slope down into the wetland ecosystem.  The ends of each cut section have been painted with whitewash, which refers to the legacy of resource consumption and colonial exploitation which usually remains hidden from our view.  These segmented trees serve as memorials to the ecosystem which slowly regenerates from the erosion of historical disruption.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne Cooper

Grass book i-ix (anitya series)

The Sanskrit word ‘Anitya’ means ‘impermanence’. Made from unfired local clay and paper made of native grasses the nine grass books will dissolve back into the earth over time leaving only a red stain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle Goodman

Shelter (Disassembled)

Many of us look to the great old trees and native plants and the ponds for comfort. We are living in dire times. Severe weather events, terrorist violence, extinction of plants and animals, and unrest in our society are heartbreaking realities. 

 

May we remember that there is in nature 

something beautifully complex beyond us 

and may we be humbled and relieved 

of our extreme self-centeredness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sondra Goodwin

I Wear the Earth

As if growing out of the ground, I Wear the Earth is a garment made from the sedge of the meadow where it stands. Everything we use, consume and wear comes from the earth, be it cotton or polyester. In the process of taking what we need we take more than we give. We are wearing out our earthly garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christie Green

Edible Invasives

Green proposes that, as a human, she herself may be considered a beneficial or nuisance “Alien Invasive” species. We justify our actions of caring for or killing many species in the name of stewardship, conservation, preservation, ritual, tradition, reverence or recreation. We are also judged, honored or criticized for our actions towards plants and animals from those with opposing values and practices. Russian Olive trees and coyotes may be considered nuisance species, or “Alien Invasives” although they have numerous beneficial attributes. Similarly, rabbits may be considered pests, or adorable, soft little bunnies. These are species common to the invasive vs beneficial debate. As are we humans.

 

 

Chrissie Orr & Joel Glanzberg

Love Letters to a Tree

“If you do not love me I shall not be loved. If I do not love you I shall not love”. -Samuel Beckett

Our human connection to trees is inherent… we love to climb up their rough trunks and perch in their boughs, we silently watch the magic of their leaves turning in the Autumn and listen to the rustle as the wind passes through their vast branches. We breathe their oxygen and they breathe our carbon dioxide. The cottonwood, Populus fremontii, or Alamo Cottonwood in this area hold an ancient wisdom, they have seen history move and shift through their roots and they will share this knowledge if only we take the time to listen.  Without them we lose our sense of time and place. Let us take time with this tree, sit with it, close your eyes, open your heart and feel  into a sacred love for this magnificent being. Chrissie and Joel have been writing love letters to one particular cottonwood in the preserve and invite you to do the same.

 

 

 

 

 

Nicasio Romero

Nido del Otoño (Autumn Nest)

“I have always wanted to build a nest. It incorporates the use of natural materials.  I am using green and dry willow harvested from my field on the Pecos River in El Ancon. Nature is my guide. My basic philosophy is to stay away from the stores .. Everything I need is all around us. Feliz Otoño!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erika Wanenmacher

What Time Travel Feels Like, Sometimes #1

During the month of September, Wanenmacher moved her life-sized figure made of cottowood twigs around the preserve, and captured images of wildlife interacting with the figure using a motion-activated digital trail camera. The figure will continue her journey around the Preserve in October and photos from September will be displayed in the gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua Willis
Impact

An 8’x12’ relief in the shape of a human footprint.  A reference to “Bigfoot,” yet the footprint is excessively oversized to suggest that the human footprint has far greater impact than our furry and elusive friend, Bigfoot.  The relief will be a place where seed and water will naturally settle. Over time, the relief will become a place for native shrubs and herbaceous plants to grow.