Art Ramble 2020

On display from September 1-November 8 in the Hapgood Wright Town Forest, the 5th annual Art Ramble Exhibition explores the social justice issues of climate change and water. Water Change: Where Spirit, Nature, and Civilization Meet is presented by The Umbrella Arts & Environment Program and curated by Susan Israel, who asked artists to explore three themes in connecting their work to place and climate:

Spirit: Water, the essence of all life, symbolizes life, spirit, purity, restoration, birth, passage and more. Water also inspires wonder, dreams, potential, and peace. The existential threat of habitat change brings a profound emotional burden. What does hope look like?

Nature: Climate change impacts waterways, ponds, and forests in fundamental ways. How will flora and fauna adapt? As the climate warms, species migrate, trees die, invasive species thrive; our landscape is changing. What will this site look like in 100 years?

Built Form: Water is the foundation of civilization. We drink it, dam it, detour it, waste it, and pollute it. We use it for transport, manufacturing, and play. Fairyland Pond is an artificial pond, created and preserved by dredging, dams, and habitat maintenance. Using this site, how do we show human interventions – good or bad?

Israel called upon artists to move people to act – as well as to find joy and life: “Without hope, joy, and love, there is no action.”

Fifteen artists make up this outdoor installation. Israel selected a complementary and diverse exhibition of pieces and mediums, ranging from iron sculpture to wooden benches, to glass ducks. Poet Joanne DeSimone Reynolds has written original poems inspired by each installation. Taken as a whole the poems create a sense of cohesion throughout the exhibition.

More information can be found at TheUmbrellaArts.org/Ramble.

A moderated virtual public reception with the curator and artists will take place via Zoom on September 23, 2020, 7-8pm.