Posts by 516 ARTS

It is a both an opportunity and a personal commitment to use my place as an artist to make art that is both visually pleasing while telling important stories about my cultural experience as a Chicana, as an environmental feminist, and as a member of the human race. My existence is my resistance.

I have observed that many people dislike insects but when formed into patterns, a kind of ordered control is established. It puts people at ease. Isn’t that what man has always sought to do? We want to control Mother Nature.

The works of both Rath and Angus have been shaped by direct interactions with nature and science, a desire to understand insects more deeply and a commitment to advance the discourses around current dangers facing the natural world.

As observers of the natural world, artists and scientists find new audiences and new grounds to discuss and create in the face of a changing environment and impacts to pollinator populations. As pollinators end up on the endangered species list, is our humanity the result of our inhumanity?

These vessels, or Acallis with which we express ourselves, are in essence bridges for dialogue between different cultures under threat. They are works that call to those who would offer their support. They depart from the local, but resonate with the global.

Pastel: “Creating murals is a way of working that can be observed as an informational tool, one that conveys local identity, nature, geography, economy, etc. The result is a kind of ‘micro architecture’ or a natural form of urban acupuncture.”

“It’s great to have a vision—but I’ve learned and am learning how to limit how much I impose my vision upon any creative process. I’m conscious of leaving space for others to enter into the idea and provide what I wouldn’t have thought of.”

Guest Blogger Stefan Jennings Batista has an enlightening talk with Delaney Allen, the successful and mindful photographer from Portland.