NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MCLA's Gallery 51 will host an opening reception on Friday, Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. for a new exhibition "Reflecting Ecologies: Artists in Nature." 

 

The reception will be accompanied by a panel discussion. 

 

The panel discussion on Oct. 21 will be moderated by Kate Abbott and exhibition artists will be on-site at Gallery 51 on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 1-2:30 p.m. "Reflecting Ecologies" is on view from Oct. 6 through Nov. 17. 

 

According to a press release: 

 

The new show explores the intersections of six contemporary artists, nature, and ecological thinking. Ecology is the study of the relationships among organisms and their surroundings and each other, often describing how we affect and are affected by the natural world. The artists in this exhibit suggest connections with ecologies via personal narratives of private moments in nature, to philosophical or artistic concerns about their media and approaches to imagery. 

 

The artists and artworks in this show often overlap with science-oriented imagery or methods, and with that comes careful observations of the human condition in nature.  

 

Ashley Eliza Williams' colorful paintings develop concepts of the possibility and impossibility of communicating with organisms found in nature.  

 

Malaika Ross's abstract drawings of soil microbes encourage us to examine the microscopic shapes and patterns that exist around us, that are often overlooked.  

 

Melanie Mowinski's intensive journeys to water became a daily practice of endurance, logged as an intimate artist's book.  

 

Bill Botzow's sculptures stem from wood often from invasive species crafted into new artistic forms borne of his backyard in Vermont.  

Gregory  Scheckler's delicate abstract silverpoints deal with relationships to time and patterns derived from close observation of nature.  

 

Joan Hanley's fine-tuned paintings detail commonplace conundrums of our place and influence on nature.