Explore Strathmore exhibitions in our virtual curator's tour!

Exhibitions September 8–October 31, 2020 in the Mansion at Strathmore:
Paper Works: The Art of Paper
Woolgathering: Shana Kohnstamm
Modulation & Harmony: Emon Surakitkoson

Video production by Carlos Gonzalez-Fernandez / Eyelum

A series of three pieces of land art was created at a section of the Patuxent River managed by a dam. When the dam reopens, the artwork will be submerged like many Mid-Atlantic prehistoric petrogyphs that were destroyed for hydroelectric projects. By exploring the interdependence between humanity and nature, this performance art and earthwork focus on impermanence.

By presenting nontraditional materials, like a suspended cherry tree and its fallen cherries, within a gallery space, Hover captures the ideals of the Arte Povera movement. Surrounded by steel sculptures, the audience witnesses the decomposition of the natural elements juxtaposed against the industrial materials through the duration of the exhibit.

Silent Spring, an immersive environmental installation, explores humanity’s connection to the environment through a journey that is both an expedition and a contemplation.

Rows of prehistoric-sized Princess Tree leaves (Paulownia tomentosa) frame an ethereal leaf labyrinth. These leaves, classified as an invasive species of weeds, are typically found in soils hurt by construction or fire and frequently located in pavement cracks or by powerlines at the road’s edge. They grow 15 feet/year until smothering the canopy. All leaves were sourced from the local region.

In Japan, it's customary to plant a Princess Tree when a girl is born. When she is eligible for marriage, the tree is cut down and carved for her dowry. Women and nature, around the world, are interconnected and tied to issues of claim, commodity, and climate change.