2 hours ago
The Jerome Library, home of the Learning Commons and Center for Archival Collections
Wild Northwest Ohio—a multi-media exhibition in the Collab Lab at the Jerome Library—blends environmental awareness with art. Featuring collections from three artists, the exhibit highlights the beauty, complexity, and fragility of regional ecosystems, while inviting viewers to reflect on their relationship with nature.
Photographer Lee Fearnside captures the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in its natural state: snowy marshes, trailhead markers, and speckled greenery. However, traces of human impact are evident throughout.
“Every aspect of nature is impacted by human behavior,” Fearnside explains in her gallery caption. “We have shaped the landscape over centuries and millennia, destroyed and introduced species. There is almost no place on earth that is truly ‘natural,’ including here in northwest Ohio.”
Kathy McGhee’s detailed prints and serigraphs focus on the vibrant, intricate details of blossoms, moss, lichen, and other native plants.
“I look for the small moments that are often overlooked. My works explore self-realizations that may arise from a closer examination of the natural world and create a sense of introspection and self-discovery,” McGhee shares in her artist statement.
Mixed-media painter Barbara WF Miner takes a more abstract approach. Her bold, bright patterns reflect symbolic, close-up observations.
“I have found a rich and infinitely complex biome on the land outside my door,” Miner writes. “I use my photographs as touchstones for my artworks. By obscuring or revealing what lies beneath, I build images with my stylized flora, like nature reclaiming a raised building site.”
Each artist’s unique style encourages reflection on sustainability and conservation. The exhibit offers an opportunity to educate viewers about native ecosystems, plants, and wildlife.
Discover these artistic interpretations of the region’s natural beauty at the Wild Northwest Ohio exhibit, located in the first-floor Collab Lab at the Jerome Library:
https://events.bgsu.edu/event/wild-northwest-ohio-art-and-awareness-exhibit
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