Janis Mars Wunderlich is the woman in the woods
Kiersten Fuhr - Photo and Graphics Manager
The first gallery exhibition of the year is well under way.
Janis Mars Wunderlich’s exhibition, Woman in the Woods, is currently showing in the Len G. Everett Gallery in Hewes Library. The show is a combination of sculptural ceramic pieces and paintings themed around nature.
About her current show and body of work, Wunderlich said, "I'm learning to sit still in nature, to let it surround me, calm me, and speak to me. My Cherokee grandfather taught me that every living thing has a spirit and is connected. He taught me that plants have healing powers, and all animals played a role in our creation: turtles, swans, coyotes, wolves, deer, owls, hummingbirds – even the tiny ants, bees, and spiders were involved in bringing us life and continue to give us sustenance. My grandfather no longer walks on the earth; he has been absorbed by it. Now every time I sit in the woods, I hear his voice and remember his stories. He is in the trees and the wind and the water. He is the deer and the acorns.”
Further she says, “We have always used myth and metaphor to explore and explain our existence; the art and origin stories of ancient cultures illustrate the instinctive search for meaning. In my art I try to connect universal human narratives to what I witness in the woods: natural cycles of growth, decay, and regeneration.”
To learn more about Wunderlich and her work, visit the gallery for her talk, where she’ll explain more about her work on Friday, October 25, at 3:30pm.