PHILADELPHIA, PA — How do humans cultivate and change nature, and what will that mean for our future? That’s the thought-provoking theme of the new Crafting Nature exhibit at InLiquid’s Gallery in the Crane Arts Building located at 1400 N. American Street in Philadelphia.
The exhibit is part of the newly launched suite of sustainability programming called The 40th Parallel North Preservation Brigade (40PNPB) geared towards the immediate Kensington community which happens to sit on the longitudinal circle known as the 40th Parallel North.
“The 11 artists in Crafting Nature explore how humans interact with nature in their bodies of work,” explained Megan Pollin Hernandez, Exhibitions Coordinator. “Whether collaborating, admiring, shaping, and constraining nature, the artists ask us, what is our impact on the earth and how does it shape and change our own permeable selves?”
The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Thursday, May 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. which will feature works by: Francis Beaty, Patti Dougherty, Karen Hunter McLaughlin, Christy E. O’Connor, Mary Powers Holt, Michele Randall, Amy Sarner Williams, Kathran Siegel, Kimberly Stemler, Jeremy Waak and Barbara Straussberg.
The artists use natural materials, such as bones, flowers, seeds and wood to create pieces that appear or are deconstructed, and mirror nature’s recurring cycle of growth and decay. Philadelphia-based abstract painter and paper artist Barbara Straussberg embeds dried hydrangea in handmade paper (Hanji). “In this series of paperworks, I’ve taken a contemporary approach to a traditional Korean paper- manipulating technique called Joomchi. I look to break down the boundaries between past and present, paper and paint. I hope that my work inspires the viewer to ask questions and engage with the abstract imagery and tactile materials in unexpected ways.”
Crafting Nature is open through Saturday, June 3. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Saturday, Noon – 6 p.m. To learn more, visit https://www.inliquid.org/.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and Microsoft Start.