The Fenner Nature Center recently cut the ribbon of their newest addition: the Davis Nature Pavilion. This indoor/outdoor pavilion is a pretty big deal for the folks over at Fenner; it will expand their classroom and event space, provide updated facilities to the Center, and create new possibilities for their art displays. Along with the pavilion’s completion, The Fenner Ecological Art Committee announced the Center’s inaugural art exhibition, “Sunrises and Smokestacks: Deconstructing the divide between urban and wild spaces.” One of my paintings will be on display from December 6th onward, so mark your calendars (details below) and don’t miss this opening!
The Fenner Nature Center cares for a gorgeous swath of land in Lansing’s city limits and “connects people to nature in the heart of Lansing through conservation, education, and stewardship.” They run a variety of programs throughout the year, and maintain some of the best walking trails in Lansing. Learn more about them at their website, www.mynaturecenter.org
I am particularly excited about the Davis Nature Pavilion and the ‘Sunrises & Smokestacks’ exhibition because of Fenner’s mission–as they described in their submission guidelines–to “build on a community model that emphasizes the natural synergy between the arts and the environment.” How could I not be excited about that?
The exhibition will feature artists from around Michigan, and all pieces will focus on the interaction between metropolitan and natural life. Submitting artists were specifically invited to challenge the idea that wildlife and the city do not overlap because of the Fenner Nature Center’s unique vantage-point as a conservancy inside Lansing.
On December 6th the Center will host an artists’ reception from 4:00pm-7:00pm, come join me and the other artists in celebrating the opening of Davis Pavilion’s inaugural exhibit! If you can’t make it then, the posted hours for the gallery are (at the time of writing) 10:00am-4:00pm Tuesdays through Fridays or 12:00pm-4:00pm Saturdays. Please direct any questions about Fenner or the exhibit to [email protected], they’ll know better than I do!
I’m pleased to have my work featured at the Sunrises & Smokestacks exhibition, and I hope you’ll come out to celebrate Fenner’s newest addition this December, though I encourage you to get over there sooner to enjoy their marvelous walking trails before winter truly sets in!
