Projects
Voices of the Wilderness
“Voices of the Wilderness” is an artist-in-residence program in Alaska that partners participants with wilderness specialists to engage in projects focused on research, monitoring, and education in a remote wilderness setting. The program is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2024, I had the opportunity to join a group of rangers based in Sitka to monitor the seldom visited West Chichagof–Yakobi Wilderness Area, which is located in the Tongass National Forest.
“Rain on All in the Forest”
12” x 17” x 9
Yellow Cedar and Sitka Spruce wood, Douglas Fir bark, string made from plastic bottle trash washed ashore, pyrography, acrylic paint”
“Rain is a defining ingredient in the coastal rainforest: no rain, no rainforest. During my visit it mostly rained. As a woodcarver, I was in awe of the towering tree giants that thrive in this climate. All that wood!
However, the true treasures inspiring my art unfolded within the complexity of the rainforest ecosystem:
Underneath a carpet of moss and ferns, countless tiny decomposers break down the massive fallen logs that clutter the forest floor like pick-up sticks; Scattered meadow bogs disappear into the fog, concealing flesh-eating plants and many other delights; The canopy resonates with birdsongs and insect buzz, but also reveals signs of the yellow-cedar decline – a reminder that the climate crisis does not halt in wilderness areas.
Joining the dedicated rangers and archaeologist in their work to protect this place added an invaluable layer of inspiration to my experience.”
In a Time of Change
The In a Time of Change (ITOC) program creates events and exhibits that focus on important issues like climate change, wildfires, predator control, and the role of microbes in environmental health. ITOC believes that the arts, humanities, and sciences provide different but helpful perspectives on understanding our natural world. By working together, these fields can engage people on intellectual, intuitive, and emotional levels, helping them appreciate the environments and ecosystems they live in.
The following three pieces were part of the ITOC exhibit: Boreal Echoes
Lichen Advice: Un-square
36″ x 40″x 11″
wood from the boreal forest
The boreal forest is filled with lichens. They are familiar to everyone yet known by few. Once I started to pay closer attention to these organisms, I was rewarded with inspiration on many levels.
As a sculptor, I drool over their diversity in shape and color. The science of lichens is mysterious and puzzling and full of surprises. Their life strategy seems to defy our cultural tendencies. For example, lichens grow very slowly. Patiently waiting is their strategy to survive harsh cold, long dry spells–and even the extreme environment of space. Their identity is plural; they are a symbiotic partnership between fungi (including filamentous fungi and a yeast) and a photosynthetic bacterium or alga. Working together, they turn barren rock landscapes into habitats for other life. Lichens refuse to be categorized, disregarding the frame we try to place around them.
Rift
36″ x 30″x 4″
repurposed wood, acrylic paint, fire charred
“Rift” represents the divide between the human-created world and the natural world.
Drawing inspiration from plate tectonics, cave paintings, and bar graphs, this piece combines my findings from collaborative explorations with ITOC and the boreal forest about art, science, and humanity.
The extensive use of tools is a defining characteristic of Homo sapiens. With tools, humans have created a world separate from nature and the forces that have shaped our biology.
These two worlds are drifting apart like continental plates on molten lava. Science serves as a tool to construct a world that appears predictable, permanent, and flawless. At the same time, science helps us comprehend our nature and the natural world.
Will science contribute to the expansion of this rift, or will it help to bridge the gap?
Boreal Whispers
by Marianne Stolz, Jennifer Moss
cardboard, forest plants and animals, paper, acrylic paint
“Boreal Whispers” is a kinetic sculpture crafted from recycled cardboard and natural elements from the forest. This work homages the resiliency and complexity of the forest ecosystem, where everything is intricately interconnected while recognizing our privileged life within this system. It is made of cardboard from tree matter, natural elements from the boreal forest, and forest-process-informed marks on paper by other artists in the larger exhibition.
Mirrored surfaces are integrated into this work to encourage dialogue with the idea of “boreal forest,” providing an opportunity for reflection on how we each personally connect with the biome in which we live and that sustains us. The holes symbolize not knowing all the answers in this complex system.
We invite you to consider our human responsibility as stewards of the forest. As the sculpture moves, the reflections shift—this is an ever-changing relationship that must be continuously reassessed for sustainability in the future. Our place within this biome is both significant and humbling. The connections we may feel are part of a large, complex, cohesive system where interdependence among beings is paramount to survival on Earth.
One-Tree 3
Every few years, the Folk School Fairbanks selects a tree from the boreal forest and invites the community to create using anything the tree has to offer, such as its wood, leaves, roots or its presence. “A Birchtree’s Memories” was created as part of the Fairbanks Folk School’s One Tree Project