NESTed Roots: Science and Art Collaboration with CU Boulder
Detail of “Green Machine” (reclaimed polystyrene, metal powders and patinas) by Mark Cesark
“Our shared collective future may depend, and be rooted on, the many processes—whether scientific, artistic, philosophical—we are willing to trigger to inspire change.”
Enjoy this video of our virtual tour from the "NESTed Roots" group exhibition, a collaboration with CU Boulder's NEST program bringing artists and scientists together to show artwork relating to climate change.
Carbondale Arts presented “NESTed Roots”, a collaborative exhibition in partnership with CU Boulder’s “Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts program and Aspen-based CORE (Community Office for Resource Efficiency), which opened on March 5, 2021 at the Carbondale Arts R2 Gallery. “NESTed Roots” was on exhibition through March 25.
This dynamic group exhibition, curated in part by Dr. Jorge Perez-Gallego (co-director of NEST), Brian Colley (Carbondale Arts) and Lara Whitley (CORE), focused specifically on how the arts can create conversation and spark action to bring awareness to climate change. Artists and scientists from the Roaring Fork Valley and CU Boulder’s NEST program exhibited work ranging from photogravure etchings, found and fabricated steel, and reclaimed polystyrene to art films, plush animals and even sound recordings of rocks. Learn more about the featured artists below.
Watch a recorded Zoom conversation with some of the featured artists!
(36 mins via Vimeo; click to view!)
The portion of a plant that fastens it to the ground while procuring water and nourishment to the whole, roots see themselves growing in different and diverse—often unpredictable—directions. Artists here root their work in our current climate crisis yet take it in different and diverse directions—sometimes straight, sometimes tangential—as it nourishes their intricate process. Our shared collective future may depend, and be rooted on, the many processes—whether scientific, artistic, philosophical—we are willing to trigger to inspire change.
Spearheaded by NEST Studio for the Arts, in collaboration with Carbondale Arts and CORE, “NESTed Roots” features work by both artists and scientists, including Trace Nichols and Mark Cesark of the Roaring Fork Valley; Dr. Christy McCain; Matt Smith; Heather Hillard; Rayna Benzeev and Nolan Carey of the Climate Chins; Erika Råberg, Jonathan Råberg, Ryan Packard and Claire McCahan of MIRRORSTATE; and Dr. Rebecca Safran, Dr. Beth Osnes, Sara Herrin, Chelsea Hackett and Juliana Forbes of the film “Side by Side”.
Thank you to the Arbor Institute in Boulder, CO, for donating signage and props for the MIRRORSTATE installation at our current show.
This project is supported by the CU Boulder Office of Outreach and Engagement and NEST Studio for the Arts.
ABOUT NEST
Nature, Environment, Science, and Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder is a cross-campus network that combines artistic practice and scientific research to explore our common and disparate ways of observing, recording, experimenting and knowing; and seeks projects that engage with central questions of how methodologies within the sciences can inform artists, as well as their approach to art making and—and vice versa.
Learn more at nestcuboulder.org.
ABOUT CORE
Since 1994, CORE (Community Office for Resource Efficiency) has been helping Roaring Fork Valley residents save energy and cut carbon emissions to mitigate climate change. We are a nonprofit organization created by a group of visionary citizens, local governments, and utilities that came together a quarter century ago to conserve natural resources. From the outset, CORE has established itself as an innovative leader, breaking ground with the nation’s first carbon mitigation fee, Colorado’s first wind energy and one of the earliest solar rebate programs in the US.
Learn more about CORE at aspencore.org
This exhibition was generously co-sponsored by CORE and Sunsense Solar!
ABOUT SUNSENSE SOLAR
Based in Carbondale, Sunsense Solar specializes in solar panels for homes as well as solar electric systems for a variety of commercial applications. Sunsense Solar hallmarks include their commitment to superior craftsmanship, outstanding customer service, and the highest quality products. NABCEP certified, the Sunsense Solar team is skilled and dedicated to providing environmentally responsible and cost effective solar solutions.
Learn more at sunsensesolar.com.
Mark Cesark, Sculpture artist, Carbondale, CO
Mark received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Alfred University in Alfred, New York in 1989. He received his Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston in 1993. He and his wife, K, and their two boys have lived in the Aspen Valley since 1995. He currently lives and maintains an art studio in Missouri Heights Carbondale, CO.
Mark’s main studio practice focuses on transforming reclaimed painted steel from old cars, trucks, and farming equipment into poetic constructions. Each unique work is a bridge between sculpture and painting. The objects he incorporates into his work; once had a utilitarian life then a death and finally, a rebirth into his artwork. Mark looks at each piece as collaboration between man, time and nature.
Mark’s work is exhibited nationally, and he is represented in some of the most prestigious private and public collections in the world
Dr. Christy McCain, Photography, Boulder, CO
Colorado based artist & scientist, Christy McCain, has been exploring mountain ecosystems, climate change, and the under-appreciated beauty of nature in the miniature for several decades. She works in various art mediums from etching to photography. Her latest photographic series focuses on the dark beauty of trees, scars, fire, and montane warming. From two decades as a professional field biologist working in mountains across the globe, she brings a unique window into the tiny, the unseen, the uncontemplated details around us.
Dr. Beth Osnes, Theatre & Performance Artist, Boulder, CO
Beth Osnes is a theatre and performance studies artist/scholar who is active in applied performance and creative climate communication. She engages in performance to co-author and actualize an equitable, survivable, and thrive-able future for all life and the ecosystems upon which all life relies. An Associate Professor of Theatre and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado, Beth is also co-director of “Inside the Greenhouse” (insidethegreenhouse.net) for creative climate communication & co-founder of SPEAK (http://speak.world) for young women’s vocal empowerment. She is featured in the award-winning documentary Mother: Caring for 7 Billion (motherthefilm.com). She lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Jonathan Råberg, Organic geochemist & paleoclimatologist, Boulder, CO & Iceland
Jonathan Råberg is pursuing concurrent PhDs at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado, Boulder and at the University of Iceland. His current projects take him to Baffin Island, in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, and to Iceland, where he uses lake sediment cores to reconstruct Arctic climates as far back as the Penultimate Interglacial (~200,000 years ago). He relies on his training in chemistry (BA, Carleton College, 2012; MS, University of California, Berkeley, 2015) to measure biological molecules in the mud and interprets their abundances and distributions to learn about the temperatures, hydroclimate regimes, and ecological communities of the past. Jonathan's interests extend to many other areas of science, including renewable energy technologies, energy storage, and spectroscopy, as well as to science communication, music, and the outdoors.
Trace Nichols, Mixed media artist, Aspen, CO
I am a visual artist and a long-time educator in the arts. I have worked with contemporary applications of photography, printmaking, and mixed media for over 25 years, and served as a faculty member for an MFA program since 2009. In both professions, I find the act of sharing knowledge to be central to my practice. With this body of work, the process, materials, and tools become a part of the story.
While my intent is to inform on my process, the concept that thematically unifies the body of work is climate change - specifically, what solutions exist today for an individual to effect positive change on the environment. We often ask: “what can I do?”, and this series will give direction for action, as well as educate about ways our current efforts are helping.
The body of work itself is produced in a manner that is sustainable, non-toxic, and made with minimal material use, to both support the concept and show how we can achieve individual environmental goals. This is made possible through recent technological advances in my medium, as well as a selection of environment-friendly supplies and substrates newly made available.
Rayna Benzeev, Performance Artist, Boulder, CO
Rayna is PhD Candidate in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Colorado Boulder and is a collaborator of The Climate Chins. She researches tropical forests, socio-environmental systems, land use change, and geospatial modeling. Her dissertation work focuses on forest restoration in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. She is also a retired improv comedian, with 12 years of improv experience, and has performed in Singapore, Shanghai, Chicago, and Colorado.
Dr. Rebecca Jo Safran, Evolutionary Biologist, Boulder, CO
Rebecca Jo Safran an Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. As an evolutionary biologist, Becca’s interests are focused on the process of how new species form. In particular, her group works at the interface of fine-scale within-population dynamics and their consequences across closely related populations. Projects in the lab include studies related to the physiological, behavioral and ecological and climate factors that influence genomic divergence among closely related populations, with a special focus on barn swallow who make their homes on human structures throughout nearly the entire world. A co-founding member and co-director of Inside the Greenhouse with Dr. Beth Osnes, Dr. Max Boykoff, and Dr. Phaedra Pezzullo, Safran enjoys working on creative climate communication projects, such as “Side by Side” and Swallowed Whole to bring new energy and inspiration for solving the climate crisis.
Heather Hillard, Ceramicist, Boulder, CO
Heather Hillard is a scientist turned artist from Fort Worth, Texas. Growing up, she spent countless hours exploring lakes, rivers, and forests, developing a deep love for the outdoors. Heather became a scuba diver at the age of 12 and knew she wanted to become a marine biologist. She is now a research technician for field expeditions to remote coral reefs with her scientist husband. Heather’s work as scientist has been inspirational and instrumental in her 2016 decision to take her passion for marine ecosystems and environmental issues in a new direction by pursuing art full time.
Now, Heather strives to build ceramic sculptures that explore the mysteries surrounding an ever-changing world threatened by climate change—the focus of her Master’s research. Heather is currently in the post-baccalaureate program in CU Boulder’s ceramics department where she is gaining invaluable knowledge and skills as a teacher, sculptor, and installation artist.
“Gretchin” of The Climate Chins
The Climate Chins (co-created by Rayna Benzeev & Nolan Carey) seek to transform communication about climate issues by connecting researchers, artists, science communicators, and the public to inspire collective action in new, creative ways. Applying comedic styles to disseminate information about top climate solutions could help to alleviate climate anxiety, feelings of despair, and inaction. The Climate Chins also have guest “chinterviews” with climate scientists and advocates, including Bill McKibben, Dan Nepstad, Claire Christian, and Maleeka Marsden, where experts discuss their favorite actions on climate change with a chin.
Sara Herrin, Video/Audio producer, Denver, CO
Sara Herrin is a Denver-based video and audio producer, journalist, and editor with a knack for telling meaningful stories. In addition to assignments for private clients, Sara has worked on projects supported by the National Science Foundation, NASA, U.S. Department of State, and the University of Colorado. Her work generally focuses on issues of environment, society, and equity.
Sara holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an M.A. in News & Documentary Journalism from New York University.
Ryan Packard, Percussionist / Composer / Sound Artist, Stockholm & Chicago, IL
Ryan Packard is a percussionist, composer and sound artist currently based in Stockholm, Sweden and Chicago, IL. His sound installations have been featured at the MCA Chicago, Graham Foundation, Defibrillator, Hyde Park Arts Center, Galeria Labirynt, High Concept Labs, Constellation Chicago, and Experimental Sound Studio. His compositions have been performed by Fonema Consort, Ensemble Chartreuse, Seth Parker Woods, The Morton Feldman Chamber Players, and the AndPlay Duo. As an improviser and collaborator, Ryan performs with Nelly Agassi, Dave Rempis, Brandon Lopez, Jasper Stadhouders, Nate Wooley, Oscar Jan Hoogland, ZRL (Zach Good and Lia Kohl), John McCowen, Nestle (Cyrus Pireh and Rob Lundberg), ombra di organo (Keefe Jackson and Manuel Troller), Kieran Daly, Jason Roebke, RGB (Paul Giallorenzo and Charlie Kirchen), Daniel Wyche amongst many others. He’s a member of the new music ensemble, Fonema Consort and has performed with Ensemble Dal Niente, Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society, MOCREP, a.pe.ri.od.ic ensemble, Chicago Composer’s Orchestra, NYC experimental rock group Skeleton$, Slow Mass, V.V. Lightbody, Michael Albert Music Group, Nate Kinsella’s Birthmark and Architek Percussion Quartet as a founding member. Ryan has a masters of music from McGill University and bachelor of music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. www.ryanpackardsounds.org
Matt Smith, Mixed media, Huntington, WV
Matt Smith was born and raised in Wabash, Indiana. He received his BA in Art Education from Anderson University (IN), spent a year in post-baccalaureate studies at Syracuse University, and completed his MFA in Studio Arts from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2017. He recently joined the faculty in the School of Art and Design at Marshall University in the fall of 2020 where he is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Sculpture.
Nolan Carey, Performance Artist, Boulder, CO
Nolan Carey is deeply committed to the integration of comedy and climate solutions, having engaged with an interdepartmental project which advocates the understanding of science through improvisational activities. Nolan has also taught courses on comedy and improvisation at CU Boulder. Their experience and continued advocacy both in and out of the classroom demonstrate a competence and aptitude for the scope of this project.
Erika Råberg, Visual artist, Boston, MA & Sweden
Erika Råberg is a visual artist who uses both still and moving images to explore the subtle relationships built into her surrounding environments, whether on the farm in rural Sweden which has been in her family since the 1600s or in and around Boston, Massachusetts, where mythologies surrounding the founding of the United States provide rich material. She has shared work widely in Chicago, including at the Elmhurst Art Museum, ACRE, Roman Susan, Chicago Artists Coalition, Sector 2337, High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary, Filter Photo Festival, Ballroom Projects, and the Swedish American Museum. She has also shared work in New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Tennessee, as well as internationally in Stockholm, London, and Berlin. Erika earned an MFA in Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015, and is currently studying in the International Masters in Curating at Stockholm University.
www.erikaraberg.com
Clair McCahan, Mezzo Soprano, Boulder, CO
Mezzo soprano Claire McCahan has been praised for her clear and warm tone as well as her captivating stage presence. Her performance areas range from opera and musical theater, to folk and jazz. Recent opera credits include Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Intermountain Opera Bozeman), Olga in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, the title role in Handel’s Ariodante, Third Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote, Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (Eklund Opera), and a staged performance of Jake Heggie’s Camille Claudel: Into the Fire (Opera Steamboat). Interested in music of the Baroque era, she has performed the works of Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach regionally with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, the Boulder Bach Festival, Colorado Bach Ensemble, Rocky Mountain Chorale, St. John’s Cathedral of Denver, and Boulder’s Catabile Ensemble, and was the winner of the 2020 World of Bach Competition and the 2019 Frances MacEachron Award from the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition in New York. An advocate of new works, she sang the role of Brittomara in the 2018 workshop production of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s If I Were You (CU NOW), and has worked with CU student composers on art songs and multifaceted artistic collaborations through the Pendulum New Music Series. She was a recipient of the university’s 2017 Ogilvy Travel Fellowship, exploring Scotland to research cultural expression through folk song, and was the winner of the College of Music’s Centennial Song Contest. Additionally, she is a teaching artist for this year’s inaugural Colorado Lullaby Project, working with parents to compose lullabies for their children. Claire received her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the University of New Hampshire and her master’s degree and Artist Diploma in Opera Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder. www.clairemccahan.com