Visual Arts

Alice R Rogers and Target Galleries Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday: 2 – 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 2 – 6 p.m.

Naturally Curious: An exploration of nature, death, and sustainability

Artist: Kelly Meyer

There is no question I dread more than, “What kind of art do you make?”. Frankly, it makes me reluctant to tell people I am an artist. It’s not that I don’t enjoy talking about my work- I do, but it often feels like such a convoluted answer that will take me the better part of 30 minutes to answer. But alas, here we are, you and me. In respect for your time, I think the most concise way to describe what I create is by saying that my artwork is grounded in curiosity. Bear with me on this. They say hindsight is 20/20; for this reason, I feel I can safely say every piece I have made over the last decade has started with this one thing- Curiosity. I seem to have it in unlimited supply.

While planning my last body of work, I was plagued by the question, “How do I keep the integrity of my work but pick up the pace?”. It is very hard to be filled with ideas and yet move at a snail’s pace. I searched for a way to merge my painterly self with my love of embroidery. Curiosity led me to the process of eco-printing. Like all new things, I jumped in headfirst learning to manipulate chemicals and plants to create beautiful imprints on fabric. My art no longer began in my studio but started upon waking and stepping outside. “How else can I use plants to create my own dyes?”. “How can I make my practice more sustainable?”. Again, curiosity.

It’s been a few years since I was foraging in a nearby wood and came upon a fawn all curled up, holding completely still to remain undetected in the short underbrush. It took me several seconds to realize that it wasn’t holding still but was actually dead. Despite the fact it was no longer living, I still wanted to scoop it up and bring it home to protect it. This image has sat with me all this time. Curiosity started gnawing at me, “Why does a butterfly lose its sense of awe when it dies? Why does death turn the beautiful into the offensive?” When I examine these questions deeper, I wonder at the fact that we feel that very same repulsion after the human body takes its last breath, almost as if death itself were contagious. Perhaps this is because our body is but a shell to hold our spirit; once lifeless it is useless, in all practicality rubbish, and so we react as such. Curiosity asked “Does turning these things into ‘art’ reclaim its nobility? Is finding beauty in these things morbid or wrong?”

Suddenly, the wonder of cicada molts, snake sheds, and abandoned hornet nests piqued my curiosity. Found bugs, feathers, and the occasional animal bones have now found their way into my work. Where others see death and decay, I see beauty and a need to preserve. It is not uncommon to come home to a collection of beautiful sphinx moths and other bugs that neighbors have found or to receive a text informing of a new snake shed ready for pick up. Curiosity asks, “Why do I feel guilty at letting a cucumber I grew over months wilt on the counter? Can I make my own ‘compost papyrus’ and if so, could I embroider it?”. There was only one way to find out.

Deeper yet, I think about how my God has specifically engineered Beauty and designed a cycle that returns things to the earth- a cycle which is beautiful. We are also made this way beautiful and yet destined to return to the earth. Curiosity continues to ask, “What is my part in this? Does this work honor or dishonor His work?” I’m not sure I can answer that just yet, so I will keep on following my curiosity.

Senior Thesis Art Exhibition

This exhibition is the culmination of each art major’s growth and focus while studying at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Eleven students from both campuses will prepare and present a collective art exhibition of diverse study and materials at the Alice R Rogers and Target galleries on the campus of Saint John’s University. Students will give gallery talks during the reception and during Scholarship and Creativity Day.

Photo credit: Molly Pults