FIRST FRIDAY FOCUS: Q&A with "Nest and Branch" curator Zo' Cohen

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FIRST FRIDAY FOCUS: Q&A with "Nest and Branch" curator Zo' Cohen

POSTED: Thursday, December 3, 2009, 2:30 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Arts Events | Philly Artists Visual Art

schuylkillcenter.org

Don't Go Go Away, by Matthew Derezinski

In this month's First Friday Focus, I wanted to draw your attention to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education's lovely winter exhibit, "Nest and Branch," which is all about birds ' their beauty, their migratory patterns, even their endangerment.

schuylkillcenter.org

Golden-Winged Warbler and Evening
Grosbeck, by Linda Byrne

Of the nine participating artists, I was struck in particular by the bleak minimalism of Linda Byrne's Golden-Winged Warbler and Evening Grosbeck. Here's more on her work (pictured, right), from today's column:

Linda Byrne's minimalist Golden-Winged Warbler and Evening Grosbeck eliminates the bird from the equation entirely, presenting instead the stark, empty nest of an endangered species.

"I am troubled by the terrible loss we suffer by our complicity in the extraction of our natural resources," says Byrne in her artist statement. "Each [bird] is isolated in its vanishing environment to emphasize a sense of loss."

I chatted with curator Zo' Cohen about the selection process, which you can read all about after the jump. In the meantime, don't miss Saturday's opening reception. (Sat., Dec. 5, 5-7 p.m., free, ends April 3, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, 215-482-7300, schuylkillcenter.org.)

City Paper: How did the idea for "Nest and Branch" generate? It seems a perfect fit for the Schuylkill Center, to honor the creatures that inhabit the space.
Zo' Cohen: I wanted to present a juried exhibition for the winter gallery exhibition, and to present a somewhat simpler theme than some of our other more involved installation projects. All of our exhibitions have an environmental focus, our program mission is to present environmental art that bridges the larger missions of The Schuylkill Center: environmental education, and natural land preservation.

schuylkillcenter.org

The Nesting Habits of Extinct & Vanishing Birds,
by Elysa Voshell

CP: How did you pick the nine participating artists?
ZC: We received almost 40 artist submissions so it wasn't easy to choose! But ultimately I selected the work that was strongest visually, and conceptually. I wanted to create an exhibition with a diversity of approaches to the theme.

CP: I've noticed that many of the artists chose to explore themes of extinction and endangerment rather than simpler ' or happier, lighter ' themes. Was this surprising to you?
ZC: This slant is probably a result of my selection process! I wanted to make sure that the work in the exhibition presented some of the realities of the dangers facing bird populations today, as well as the beauty and mystery of these animals.

CP: I'm particularly drawn to the work of Linda Byrne and Valerie Carrigan. I have to be honest ' when I was scrolling through the images, Byrne's piece didn't stand out, but looking at it closely is incredibly striking in its bleak starkness. Can you talk a little bit about her work and why you were drawn to it?
ZC: Linda Byrne's drawings present the nests of endangered bird species. They are shown empty, and the drawings themselves are spare and minimal. I appreciate her work on many levels ' the poetic metaphor of the image, the repitition of the line she uses to build the nest forms, and the quiet emptiness of the white paper that she leaves to compose the page.

schuylkillcenter.org

Barred Owl, by Valerie Carrigan

CP: As for Carrigan, Messenger is striking in a totally different way. Like she says, "they cannot be dismissed as small or insignificant events." Do you think her goal ' to present birds as messengers, getting us to pay attention to the world around us ' comes across?
ZC: Valerie Carrigan's drawings do confront the viewer in a powerful way. I love how the faces of the birds are brought right up to the viewer in her prints ' we get to see the birds in great detail. and the intensity of their gaze gives us nowhere to hide. I do think these drawings can be interpreted in a few ways, but that her intention does come through ' to challenge us to consider the depth of our impact on these birds.

CP: Can you tell me more about Michelle Wilson's work? The zine concept is intriguing.
ZC: Michelle Wilson is a book artist who presents work that is socially engaged. The piece she is presenting in this exhibition is a printed zine that combines text and image to explore connections between people and continents, and inspired by the endangered Red Knot sandpiper. In this installation, Wilson will provide a stack of zines that visitors will be free to take, and encourage visitors to visit her blog to record their response to the zine, and where their copy of the zine "migrates" as they send it or carry it with them.

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