“Inspired By Nature,”
an ecosystem installation at the
Helen Millard Children’s Gallery at Woodmere Art Museum
In summer 2022, a diverse group of young artists I taught at Woodmere Art Museum and Mindy Flexer Art School came together to create this ecosystem. They ranged in age from 8 years old to 20 years old, and worked individually and collaboratively to make real and imagined plants and animals from the past, present, and future. Making this work gave these artists a chance to think and talk about climate change and the ways it is changing our world and the living things in it.
Creating this ecosystem also created a collaborative artistic community. The artists in it got to be themselves, while being part of something larger than themselves. They became an interdependent system just like their ecosystem: everybody made room for everybody else, and everybody influenced everybody else. No one could have been added or subtracted without changing everything.
These young artists ventured into the unknown, and were delighted to create a magical world together that no one of them could have imagined or created alone. They were able to go beyond what they thought was possible when they connected to their own creativity and to each other. They experienced the kind of creativity, synergy, and teamwork that will be required to find solutions to climate change. This is essential for young people growing up in our rapidly changing world.
“Inspired By Nature” illustrates the truth that everyone belongs, a precious and irreplaceable part of the whole. This is true of every living thing. I hope this show is a step towards collaboratively creating a sustainable future for our imperiled planet that honors this truth.
