Expressive Art
Health/Care Network
About the Artist
Michele Pollock is a multimedia artist, poet, and photographer based in Indiana. Her work combines hand-stitched paper, eco-printing, and sculptural forms to explore the intersections of nature, science, healing, and care. Drawing from her background in chemical engineering, Pollock’s work focuses on the quiet, unseen systems of the natural world and the renewing power of the forest.
Health/Care Network
Michele Pollock (Indiana)
2024 Artist in Residence
Materials: Eco-printed cotton rag paper, foraged vines, cotton thread, waxed linen thread
Health/Care Network is a series of seven hand-sewn sculptures inspired by individual trees in Bernheim’s Arboretum. Her work is informed by scientific research on forest bathing and its effects on the immune system. Pollock’s process begins with eco-printing on paper using natural materials, then embroidering and shaping each form by weaving them together. Suspended and linked together with hand-formed vines, the seven pieces become one system. Silhouettes of leaves, bark, lichens, moss, acorns, and branching patterns layer to make stunning images with rich natural colors. Pollock’s work invites us to reflect on the deep connection between human health and the natural world.
Location: Sensory Garden, near the Event Center