Helen Klebesadel’s “Disappearing Prairie II.”
“Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty,” Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote in A Sand County Almanac, his groundbreaking work from 1949. “It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language.”
Leopold’s ecological awareness was ahead of its time. But even then he feared the demise of natural landscapes crushed under the incessant tread of human progress: “I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.”
The naturalist may have taken heart in Uprooted: Plants in a Changing Climate. The exhibit, a blend of art and science that examines the impact of society and invasive species on Wisconsin’s native plants, runs through June 23 at the James Watrous Gallery on Overture Center’s third floor.
Works by seven different Wisconsin women artists, including watercolors, oil-on-linen paintings, and three-dimensional objects made of natural materials highlight the diverse and delicate plants and ecosystems within the state.
The artwork itself shimmers with life, a tangle of textures representing the natural world’s growth and decay without the destructive influence of humankind. Richness of detail and complexity balance with images of abstraction among the canvasses, while three-dimensional creations by Native American artists utilize natural materials to draw gallery goers more deeply into the experience.
Through direct observation and input from experts at the UW Arboretum and the botany department at UW-Madison, the artists created images and objects that are visually compelling while also alerting viewers to the impact of climate change on those ecosystems.
Cynthia Brinich-Langlois and Bethann Moran-Handzlik studied the state’s northern forests, while Helen Klebesadel and Lynne Railsback looked at central Wisconsin’s prairies and oak savanna. Katie Musolff focused on plants from the Mississippi River wetlands, and Native American artists Marian Miner and Terri Hom contributed a group of black ash baskets and birchbark pieces, respectively, to showcase the beauty and texture of tree species currently endangered by climate change.
The multi-artist exhibit is unusual, but not unprecedented for the Watrous Gallery, a part of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. The exhibit’s theme supports the academy’s goals and objectives, says gallery director Jody Clowes.
“The academy has been working on climate and energy issues for the past few years,” says Clowes. “We know Wisconsin plant communities are being impacted by climate change and invasive species. It’s a huge issue and is accelerating what already is happening.”
The artists and scientists worked jointly to identify native species and examine their habitats. “Art and science aren’t really that different when it comes to thinking creatively about elements not necessarily evident to casual observers,” Clowes says. “Some see science and art as polar opposites, but that’s not the case at all. Both disciplines rely on direct observation to gather their data.”
Madison artist Helen Klebesadel paired up with Evan Eifler, a UW-Madison doctoral candidate in botany, for the project. They spent a day last summer visiting some of Eifler’s favorite local prairies and savannas near Black Earth, examining the plants and discussing the challenges facing those ecosystems.
“We talked a lot about prairie and savanna ecology and the individual species at risk to which I have a particular attachment,” Eifler says. “Many of these species are not seen today, even by the casual naturalist, even though they were once common throughout the southern half of the state.”
The artist and botanist pursued similar patterns of observation and analysis, even though the outcome was different, Eifler says.
“A scientist looks at a prairie, notices patterns, gathers data and thinks about designing experiments within the boundaries of biology and physics,” Eifler says. “An artist looks at the prairie, notices patterns and considers which techniques and colors best express the emotions of the experience in a much freer space.”
Klebesadel, who also works on a collaborative climate justice art project called The Flowers Are Burning, says her seven watercolors in the exhibit reflect their prairie excursion from a visual perspective, one that helps highlight the challenges the plant communities face.
Klebesadel’s images burn with an almost surrealistic intensity, revealing the artist’s passion for her subjects and their threatened demise. Natural imagery seldom makes so strong a visual and artistic statement about its purpose and being.
“Art not only reflects the culture it is part of; it helps create that culture,” she says. “There is no greater pleasure for a non-scientific artist who loves nature than to walk with a knowledgeable person who wants to share that knowledge. I also have a powerful sense of renewed hope of how hard some people are working to save the landscape they love.”
There will be a reception for the Uprooted artists on May 17, from 5-7 p.m. in Overture’s Wisconsin Studio.
