Wildling Museum of Art and Nature debuts new climate change exhibition
Fire & Ice: Our Changing Landscape beginning April 9
Exhibition: Fire & Ice: Our Changing Landscape
On view: Through September 26
Where: Wildling Museum, 1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463
Website: www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/fire-and-ice
Ethan Turpin and The Environment Makers, Walk Into Wildfire, Installation detail, 2021, Courtesy the Artists.
SOLVANG — After two years of preparation, The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is proud to present its first exhibition focused on climate change titled Fire and Ice: Our Changing Landscape through Sept. 26.
Curated by executive director Stacey Otte-Demangate, the immersive exhibition features ten artists depicting the opposing forces of fire and ice across a range of media, including video installations, acrylic paintings, photography, mixed media, fabric panels, an ice drill, and more. Two artists implemented the use of natural materials in their works. Xavier Cortada of Miami, Florida incorporated glacial ice and Arctic dirt into abstract paintings, and Seattle, Washington-based artist Amiko Matsuo utilized ash and Phos-Chek fire retardant used in firefighting efforts for her large-scale abstract artworks.
Zaria Forman, Ode to An Iceberg, 360 View, Whale Bay, Antarctica, Film still, 2017, Courtesy the Artist.
The exhibition’s dramatic visuals of fire and ice invite conversations about how increasingly frequent and severe fires are altering our landscape, particularly in the Western U.S. Equally concerning is the retreat of glaciers and shrinking snowpack, as well as warming permafrost in our colder climes.
Three of the featured artists focusing on ice – Xavier Cortada, Anna McKee, and David Rosenthal – have participated in the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program and were inspired by their time at one of three stations at the Antarctic.
“I have traveled to remote field camps with glaciologists to perceive these places through their eyes and my own observations,” says artist Anna McKee. “My art about glaciers and ice science is in part an attempt to cope with the grief of environmental degradation.”
Artist Suze Woolf has created fabric panels of burned tree bark paired with firefighter and writer Lorena Williams’ contemplative text on wildfires. Williams’ musings appear on the reverse of each bark panel.
Williams writes, “To the north, the Dixie fire handily consumed another 5,000 acres today and is nearing 500,000 total. The radio is reporting on the U.N. Climate Panel report, which unleashed 14,000 scientific studies to tell us, yet again, that it’s almost too late to stop this. I drive over a pass with shimmering stands of regal, verdant oaks and repeat the word aloud: Almost.”
Also included in the exhibition is “Letters to the Future,” an interactive installation by artist Xavier Cortada that invites visitors to write to future generations about their own efforts to help mitigate climate change and share their feelings about it. A resource table will also offer visitors a chance for reflection with books for further insight on climate change, some of which will be available in the museum’s gift shop.
The exhibition features artists David Paul Bayles (Oregon), Xavier Cortada (Florida), Zaria Forman (New York), Amiko Matsuo (Washington), Anna McKee (Washington), David Rosenthal (Alaska), Ethan Turpin (Santa Barbara, CA), The Environment Makers (Santa Barbara, CA), Lorena Williams (Colorado), and Suze Woolf (Washington).
About the Environmental Alliance of Santa Barbara County Museums — The Environmental Alliance of Santa Barbara County Museums is a collaboration of 12 museums, a zoo, and a botanic garden that are among the community’s most trusted and independent voices for science and truth. The Alliance collectively presents programs, exhibitions, and events that seek to elevate different environmental issues and prompt action. The initiative’s inaugural effort is Impact: Climate Change & the Urgency of Now, a multidisciplinary project aimed at building a greater collective responsibility for reversing the effects of the planet´s rising temperature. From April through September 2022, residents and visitors to Santa Barbara County will enjoy a rich program of exhibitions and events across the participating venues. Visit www.sbmuseumsalliance.org for more information.
About the Wildling Museum — The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature, where art and nature meet, offers visitors a unique perspective on the importance of preserving our natural heritage. Through the eyes of artists, and education and field experiences, guests can renew their relationship with the wilderness and understand its fragile nature – hopefully leaving more committed toward ensuring those spaces remain for future generations. Current visiting hours are Friday & Monday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, and to volunteer or join as a member to support this important local arts and nature institution, please visit www.wildlingmuseum.org.