Climate Stories: Lynn Cazabon, Leigh Davis, Sondra Arkin & Ellyn Weiss/The Human Flood, and Lionel Frazier White III
January 24 - March 29, 2025
Exhibition Reception: Friday, February 21, 5-7 p.m.
Floods, migration, emotion, grief, and the gift of life on Earth, are the components of this group exhibition about climate change featuring artists’ projects that explore our present state of weather emergencies and how we navigate them. This exhibition is in partnership with the Environmental Studies department.
Events
Programs: Saturday, March 29, 1pm:
Wicomico River Stories with Gina Bloodworth and Shane Hall
The place we now call Salisbury has always shaped-- and been shaped by-- the Wicomico River. Join our "mobile classroom" to explore the often-overlooked stories and features of Salisbury's downtown and waterfront.
Wednesday, March 5, 5:30pm:
Storytelling for Climate Change with Shane Hall
Personal storytelling can help communities take up bold conversations and build more resilience in the face of climate change. Join us for this interactive workshop where you'll listen to personal "climate stories" and begin to tell your own.
Meet the Artists
-
Lynn Cazabon is a multimedia artist whose projects are scalable, site-specific, and employ participation as a strategy to deepen public engagement with topics at the interface between environmental and social issues. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including with Witte Rook, Breda, the Netherlands; Maryland Center for History and Culture, Baltimore, MD; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, Romania; Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center, Tainan, Taiwan; WRO Art Center, Wrocław, Poland; Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, New Zealand; The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA; Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, NY; and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA. She has received grants and artist residency fellowships, including from the Fulbright Scholar Program, Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund, The Puffin Foundation, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, Maryland State Arts Council, Franklin Furnace Archives, Santa Fe Art Institute, The Camargo Foundation, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, MacDowell, Yaddo, and the Core Program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Her work is in the collections of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, NZ. Cazabon received an MFA degree in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art and BFA and BA degrees from University of Michigan. She currently lives in Baltimore, MD where she is a Professor of Art and Director of the Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
-
I make interdisciplinary work to explore themes of grief, memory, and storytelling. Delving into how these shared human experiences shape our understanding of identity, over the past decade I have archived end-of-life experiences, shaping them into a diverse body of work spanning lecture-performances, video essays, installations, and sculptures which aim to illuminate the emotional complexities of grief and the construction of beliefs regarding human consciousness.
-
Ellyn Weiss is a visual artist in two and three dimensions and an independent curator. She has had over 25 solo or featured shows and has participated in numerous juried and curated exhibitions. Ellyn works with a wide variety of materials; the materials used in recent shows include wax, oil bar, dry pigment, wire, plastic dip and tar.
Weiss’s work has for many years been inspired by the imagery of biological and natural structures. Much of her recent work deals with the effects of global climate change. With various collaborators, she has created installations dealing with the effects of the melting of the polar ice cap (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2014; McLean Project for the Arts, 2015), the destruction of coral reefs worldwide (Artists and Makers, 2016) and the migration of infectious diseases (Otis street Arts Project, 2017). She is currently working on a project focusing on the climate change-caused migration of people.
Ellyn is the co-founder of ArtWatch, a group of DC-area artists committed to using their visual communication skills to assert the best values of democracy: inclusion, openness and tolerance. She led a collaboration of 300 artists on the One House Project, an installation celebrating the unique strength that diversity brings to America. It was exhibited at the Touchstone Gallery in Washington, DC, in November, 2017 and at the Black Rock Gallery in Germantown, MD in November-December, 2018.
Ellyn is committed to engagement with the world around her. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Union of Concerned Scientists, is Co-Chair of the Board of the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill and was a founding member of the Board of the Touchstone Foundation for the Arts.
-
Sondra N. Arkin is an American artist known for her work in mixed media, often incorporating elements of abstract art, textile art, and other materials to create visually complex and engaging pieces. Her work reflects a deep interest in texture, color, and the process of layering. As an artist, she is often recognized for her ability to combine traditional craft techniques with more contemporary art forms, blurring the lines between fine art and craft.
Arkin's work tends to focus on themes of transformation, nature, and the human experience. She has exhibited her work in numerous galleries and art spaces, and her pieces are often described as evocative, with a tactile quality that invites viewers to engage with them on both a visual and physical level.
In addition to her visual art, Sondra N. Arkin is a dedicated educator and has contributed to the arts community by teaching and mentoring aspiring artists. Her influence extends beyond her own work, helping to shape the development of other artists and encouraging the integration of art into various aspects of daily life.
-
Lionel Frazier White III is an American artist known for his distinctive work in the fields of painting, drawing, and sculpture. His art often explores themes of identity, culture, and the African American experience, combining both personal and collective narratives in his work. White's practice is rooted in an exploration of history, social dynamics, and the role of art in confronting and interpreting these complex themes.
White's approach to art is often described as deeply expressive, with a focus on the interplay between abstraction and representation. He uses bold colors, textured surfaces, and a variety of materials to create works that evoke emotion, challenge viewers' perceptions, and invite introspection. His art is not only about aesthetic appeal but also about raising awareness of larger cultural, political, and historical conversations.
He is known for integrating elements of storytelling and symbolism into his pieces, using visual language to explore ideas about race, social justice, and personal history. His work often reflects an ongoing engagement with contemporary issues, as well as an appreciation for the artistic traditions that have shaped his practice.
Like many contemporary artists, Lionel Frazier White III may also be involved in teaching, community work, or collaborative projects, furthering the reach and impact of his work beyond the gallery space.
While there might not be a large, widely accessible archive of information on him, artists like White often build their recognition through exhibitions, collaborations, and word-of-mouth within art communities. For more current updates on his work, exhibitions, and artistic journey, I would recommend checking social media platforms, artist networks, and galleries that focus on contemporary art.
