Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018 Artist in Residence Program, a central aspect of its Arts in Nature program. There were a record 155 applications from 25 States, 31 Countries and 6 Continents! Selections were narrowed through a multi-tiered jurying process with Bernheim staff and an esteemed jury of local curators and art professionals. Awarded on an annual basis, selected artists use Bernheim as their inspiration, creating works that connect people with nature through the lens of art. Although each artist is varied in their approach to their art making practice, all utilize aspects of nature as a primary reference in their work.
Unique to this years’ call was the dedication of a residency to a regional artist living in Kentucky or Southern Indiana. We were thrilled to receive 22 applications and were impressed by the quality of work being created in the region! It’s with great pleasure to announce that artist and Assistant Professor of Art at University of Louisville, Rachel Singel, is the recipient of Bernheim’s 2018 Regional Artist in Residence! Singels work is a response to the intricacies and depth of natural forms. Lines are the building blocks of her world and realized through the mediums of drawing, printmaking and book assembly. Motivated by Vanishing Acts, a traveling exhibit Bernheim hosted in 2016, and the Kentucky Trees of Concern exhibit at Bernheim, Singel plans to create a series of detailed drawings of endangered tree species in Kentucky including the Eastern Hemlock, American Chestnut, Dogwood, Black Walnut, Oak Tree, and American Elm. All of these drawings will be on paper that the artist will hand-make during her residency at Bernheim from April 28th – May 26th.
Anthony Heinz May is a sculptor from Brooklyn, NY who alters the state of living things and natural compositions through trees. Once transformed, these installations look as if nature has been digitally compromised and pixelated, exposing relationships between nature, humans and technology. The artist has completed a number of public installations, many of which are located in New York and with Chicago Sculpture International and their Chicago Tree Project where artists turn sick trees into works of art. Anthony Heinz May will be in residence from August 8 – September 19 with plans to create site-inspired artworks using natural waste found in Bernheim’s landscape.
Natalie Andrew is a visual artist and a professional biologist from Boston, MA working in ceramics and works on paper. Andrew’s work and science research converge around mosses, slime molds, and other denizens of the forest floor. Andrew cultivates slime molds by feeding them oxides and other pigments, then “grows” them on paper and porcelain. As the molds crawl over these surfaces, they leave behind colorants, thus creating permanent records of their passage. Using attractants, repellents, and other means, she influences the shapes that they draw, with results being a collaboration between human and single-celled creature. Andrew will explore the Bernheim landscape and create work using species of slime molds common to this area. Andrew will arrive to collect molds during a short visit in mid-May and return for total immersion from September 15 – November 15.
Stay tuned to learn more about each individual and their personal experiences as Bernheim Artists in Residence! Updates during their stay will include unique ways for the public to interact with the artists and their creative process. Thank you to the artists who submitted applications. We appreciate the opportunity to learn more about your vision and view your work!