My first foray into exhibition curation has been a wonderful and rewarding process!  My co-curator, fellow local artist Jenni Ward, and I saw our efforts come to fruition when we installed  the exhibition This is the Anthropocene at the Harris Center for the Arts | Bank of America Gallery in Folsom, CA, on the campus of Folsom Lake College. The exhibition includes our work along with work by Shannon Sullivan, Susan Whitmore and Wesley Wright, who are all California-based ceramic artists. This will be the first event the BOA gallery has hosted since the start of the pandemic, over two years ago. The exhibition is running concurrently with the NCECA (National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts) annual conference which is taking place in Sacramento in mid-March.

Gallery view of This Is The Anthropocene 

Click here for virtual gallery tour

The concept of the exhibition is based on the Anthropocene, which is defined as the current geological age during which human activity has been the dominant influence on the climate and the environment. Driven by personal experience, the artists of this exhibition have created works for contemplation and discussion, addressing topics such as disconnection from nature, loss of habitat, and shifting geological boundaries. Viewers will delight in the native Californian animal species made by Wright and the whimsical oversized flower installation by Ward. The abstract works of Sullivan and Whitmore, which look at the earth as a land of textures and layers to be explored, invite close contemplation. Siegel’s gestural and meditatively-textured figurative forms convey the inseparability of man and nature.

Professor of Art at Folsom Lake College, Marisa Sayago, says, “This is the Anthropocene is a visual experience that highlights the relationship between humans and nature and is a peek into the creative souls of the five California artists. The work is serene, fantastical, and soothing. It exudes a beauty that embraces hope for this intricate relationship humans have with nature.”

The exhibit will be on display from February 11- March 27th, 2022.

Press Release for This Is The Anthropocene