An exhibition exploring humanity鈥檚 relationship with the environment opens at the Contemporary Arts Center this weekend.
鈥淥hio Now: State of Nature鈥� features artwork on topics from the price of eggs to arthropods to climate change conspiracies.
Executive Director Christina Vassallo says the pieces are made by artists from every corner of the state.
鈥淭his exhibition and the individual works within it force us to dig a little deeper and to think about the geologic time of the state of Ohio that's represented here, and some of the politics as they play out through the natural environment within the state and the natural beauty of the state as well,鈥� Vassallo explained.
The featured works range in connection to the natural world.
鈥淭here are artists that are using natural materials 鈥� things like marigolds that they grow in their yard, or indigo that is grown in empty lots and residential neighborhoods, driftwood that they find coming out of Lake Erie,鈥� said curator Theresa Bembnister.
Others focus more on environmental themes.
One of the pieces is a photograph by Cincinnati-based Tina Gutierrez. It鈥檚 part of a series focused on people who farm community gardens in Ohio, especially refugees and immigrants.
Bembnister says curating the exhibit has allowed her to see the state in different ways. She hopes viewers are able to engage with new perspectives in the art, too.
鈥淭here's so much variety in our state in terms of nature, in terms of food sources, and I think that this show makes it visible,鈥� Bembnister said. 鈥淚 really hope that 'Ohio Now: State of Nature' opens our visitors鈥� eyes to those things.鈥�
The CAC worked with the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland to produce the show.
It opens May 2 at 7 p.m., and will be on display until Sept. 7. After that, it will travel to the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland.
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