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Seeing The Forests And The Trees: Winifred Helton-Harmon

February 2 – April 21, 2018

Curated by Ricardo Viera, Professor of Art at Lehigh University and Director of Lehigh University Arts Galleries, Seeing the Forests and the Trees brings together large-scale photographic prints, sculptures, sounds, and videography to create an immersive experience for visitors. The exhibition juxtaposes photographs of living forests with devastation of woodlands caused by clearcutting – the forestry practice that first galvanized her work as a nature photographer. Her intellectual landscapes push visitors to confront the process of degradation in the natural world.

EVENTS:

  • Gallery talk with the artist and curator | Fri, Feb 2 | 6 – 6:30 PM followed by a reception
  • Opening of the newly installed Museum Collection Orientation Area with Winterthur Fellows Trent Rhodes and Candice Candeto | Feb 2 | 7 – 7:30 PM
  • First Fridays | Feb 2, March 2, April 6 | 5-8 PM

For more information please contact Katie Sorenson, at 215-923-8000 or [email protected]. Interested in bringing a school group?  Please contact Lori Reece at [email protected]

Exhibitions at the Center are generously supported by the Cambium Giving Society of The Center for Art in Wood, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and Windgate Charitable Foundation. Corporate support is provided by Boomerang, Inc., Penn State Industries and Signarama Center City.   Additional support for Seeing the Forests and the Trees provided by the Dogwood Alliance and Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center.

https://youtu.be/L2rTURDX5Ts
“ ‘To lose yourself in the woods’ so to speak – to realize how trees inspire us in our daily lives and how vital they are to our lifelong existence and well-being.”

Winifred Helton-Harmon, Artist-Photographer

“Seeing the Forests and the Trees” brings together large-scale photographic prints, sculptures, sounds and videography to create an immersive experience of living trees and forests with the devastation of woodlands caused by clearcutting – the forestry practice that first galvanized Winifred’s work as a nature photographer on a west coast logging road in 1987.

Seeing the horrific panorama of dried, lifeless, desolate earth accompanied by deafening silence focused her photography to view the world with fresh eyes: eyes that saw the possibility of a planet with lush trees, with life, with hope. With the hope of a planet with a natural ecological cycle.

Her intellectual landscapes push us to confront the process of man-made degradation of forests worldwide and to question how it would affect us to live without trees, as well as her direct images not imposing visual discourse, and letting the subject evolve as a one-of-a-kind object.

As a curatorial team, with artist friends and experts in their fields, the artist expands her possibilities, creating an installation in diverse scales, mediums, materials, sights and sounds.

As a curator, working with Winifred was a rewarding experience. She’s a passionate and committed artist-photographer who truly believes in the concept of this singular and noble cause.

Ricardo Viera, Curator
Professor of Art at Lehigh University, Director of Lehigh University Art Galleries.